Arbitrator: Kadri Threatened, Abused Employees; Not Guilty of ‘Moral Misconduct’

Arbitrator Timothy Bornstein found “due and sufficient cause” to terminate Superintendent Paul Kadri’s contract because Kadri abused, humiliated and threatened employees, according to the decision issued in the case.

Bornstein said he did not find Kadri guilty of moral misconduct, which often refers to sexual misconduct and dishonesty, the arbitrator said.

In a 43-page decision issued Tuesday, Bornstein said he faced two conflicting portraits of Kadri: One as a “hard-driving, energetic, innovative administrator” and the other as a “demanding, abusive, impatient supervisor.”

He decided neither was entirely accurate.

“He is a strong, committed administrator, but also he has been an abusive, insensitive supervisor,” Bornstein wrote.

Kadri was placed on paid administrative leave May 7, 2012 pending investigation of his interactions with employees. He was fired Tuesday. Kadri said he was “shocked” by the arbitrator's decision, which is binding.

Board Inaction

In compiling his findings, Bornstein questioned why the Groton Board of Education delayed investigating Kadri’s conduct. The arbitrator indicated the situation might not have reached a crisis if it had.

“Kadri’s subordinates began to complain to each other about his behavior as early as 2010, yet the Board undertook no investigation until 2012, more than a year after his contract was renewed based on a favorable evaluation,” Bornstein wrote.

He said former assistant superintendent Dorothy Hoyt’s harassment complaint and settlement for $197,000 “might have prompted the board to look into Kadri’s relations with other subordinates.”

Hoyt filed a complaint of sexual and age discrimination with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Bornstein also wrote that in June 2011, Kimberly Beam, the former director of human resources, filed a complaint with Board Chairwoman Kirsten Hoyt. Beam said Kadri had assaulted and abused her after a board meeting, Bornstein’s report said.

Beam later withdrew the complaint, saying her problems with Kadri were personal and she didn’t want to hurt him.

But Bornstein added, “... her allegations were so serious that the board might have been alerted to investigate. With the benefit of hindsight, one wonders whether the Board missed opportunities to intervene before the crisis stage was reached in 2012.”

Kadri was hired in 2008, and the board renewed his contract in 2011 for three more years after giving him a “B+” on his evaluation.

Beam’s Testimony

Beam worked as Kadri’s secretary for four years in New Jersey, did some work for him in Pennsylvania and became human resources director in Groton in 2010.

She testified that after a board meeting in June 27, 2011, she went to her townhouse and found Kadri in the garage. She said he went into her house, kicked the furniture, dumped her purse and grabbed the glasses off her face, the arbitrator’s report said.

“If you could only imagine the horror that I am feeling ... So I got in my car and I lock the car doors ... I don’t have my glasses and ... he comes up to the car and he is banging on my car windows and he is yelling at me ..  don’t even have my phone,” according to testimony in the report.  She said she drove around the neighborhood, terrified and unable to see, the arbitrator's report said.

On July 1, she resigned, the report said. Bornstein said she filed a complaint but later withdrew it.

Kadri testified that he had a "friendly, personal relationship" with Beam, that he helped her find care for her medical problems and that their families spent time together. Kadri testified that after an administrator's retreat, he was frustrated because she failed to run some numbers for him, the report said.

He said he went into her garage after her, not before, that he hid her glasses behind a pillow so she wouldn’t hurt herself by driving back to New Jersey, and that he “hugged" her “so she wouldn’t get in the car but nothing that crossed the line,” the report said. Kadri said he later called to tell her where her glasses were.

Employee Fear

Bornstein said he believes employees delayed bringing complaints against Kadri because they feared for their jobs or, in two cases, their safety.

Alisha Stripling, Kadri's former executive assistant, testified that toward the end of her employment, she carried mace to the office to protect herself, the arbitrator reported.

During the hearing, Bornstein said Stripling and several other witnesses — “strong, smart, well educated professional women — broke down in tears as they described how he had abused and humiliated them. He was, after all, their boss. There is no reason to doubt their credibility.”

Insubordination

Bornstein found that Kadri “violated both the letter and spirit” of the board policy in this area on “numerous” occasions. The arbitrator said Kadri was often disrespectful and humiliating and in several instances, threatened Beam and Stripling.

Mary Ann Butler, who was initially named interim superintendent after Kadri was placed on leave; Laurie LaPine, the district’s director of human resources; Carolyn Dickey, the Groton school district’s business manager, and Charles W. Greenleaf, the former facilities director, also testified about Kadri’s bullying, Bornstein wrote.

Greenleaf testified that he found employees crying, and he retired early after 33 years because “the way that things were run at the top worked against Groton,” Bornstein wrote.

Moral Misconduct

Bornstein said Kadri was not guilty of moral misconduct, however.

“ ’Morality’ is an elastic philosophical term that has religious, ethical and legal meanings. In common usage, however, it often refers to sexual misconduct and dishonestly. It seems inapplicable in this case,” Bornstein wrote.

Other Sufficient Cause

Bornstein found that based on the combined testimony of eight employees, along with evidence, Kadri misused his authority by humiliating and abusing people who worked for him.

The arbitrator said it undermined morale in the superintendent’s office and caused employees to resign or retire earlier than planned.

“There is also credible evidence that on several occasions he induced subordinates to tend to his personal needs by walking his dog and driving him to and from a car dealership with little or no compensation. Some of these took place on district working time,” Bornstein wrote.

Kadri’s Condition

In earlier interviews, Kadri said he suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which he said sometimes affects the way he interacts with people. Bornstein’s decision was redacted to remove this reference, but he indicated that Kadri’s dealings with employees might have been affected by this, and he should have sought professional help. 

Bornstein also wrote that Kadri was sometimes kind and generous; for example, the arbitrator said Kadri praised Stripling’s work, allowed her to work a four-day week to accommodate her parenting responsibilities, helped her husband find a job and wrote a “glowing recommendation” for her graduate school application.

“It would also be short-sighted to fail to point out that as an education leader he apparently made valuable contributions to Groton’s public schools,” Bornstein wrote.

“Those contributions should not be overlooked in the sad outcome of this case.”

The full text of Bornstein's decision is attached as a PDF to this article.