Croston Announces He'll Step Down as Chairman

David Croston has announced that he will give up his chairmanship of the School Committee, though he intends to seek the chairmanship if reelected come November.

Croston, who took heat after he reportedly yelled at Hathaway School Principal Lisa Little earlier this year during a superintendent search committee meeting, said in a brief statement at last week's School Committee meeting that he was responding to public concerns.

The main reason to step down is "to put the district first," he said, and he would "fully turn the keys over to the new administration team and give them the time and energy to support them."

Croston is expected to officially step down by the end of July.

Criticism against Croston mounted after the alleged verbal-abuse incident in May, with one particular critic, fellow School Committee member Frederick Faerber saying that incident is just the tip of the iceberg.

In an interview, Faerber said he was going to "challenge" Croston over the next few months during the campaign season in an effort to make sure he's not reelected. In May, Faerber was moving to seek a no-confidence vote, but backed off when he learned that Croston planned on stepping down as chairman.

"He has interfered constantly," Faerber said, suggesting that Croston has increasingly meddled in administration affairs and overstepped the boundaries of his role as School Committee member.

Similar concerns prompted school officials to sign a joint statement complaining of "lack of professionalism" in response to the May incident.