There are still many more questions than answers when it comes to the abrupt resignation of an administrator in the Burlington School District.
The district has only said that Matt Murray resigned as Aldo Leopold Middle School Associate Principal after making the district aware of some personal issues that did not involve any students.
Murray spent more than 15 years teaching government at Burlington High School before moving to the administrative post to start the new school year.
Superintendent Pat Coen has repeatedly refused to provide specifics about Murray's resignation, citing privacy laws, which he knows can be frustrating.
"It makes it difficult for the parents," said Coen. "It makes it difficult for everyone, but everything is in place for a reason. A lot of people don’t understand the complexity of the government system and how they work together, but they also fight against each other at times.”
Coen does not believe the situation has negatively affected the public's perception of the district. He said that even after a recent editorial in the local newspaper openly questioned his lack of transparency surrounding the incident.
"The (Burlington) Hawkeye has an obligation to call me on those types of things and I appreciate that," said Coen. "Because if they didn't, they would be avoiding a fundamental obligation of journalists."
Coen said on the flip side, there are privacy laws that conflict with the first amendment, so he cannot be as transparent as he would like. He said it is also important to be a good steward of the public tax dollars in a situation like this.
"There are many scenarios where things could be drawn out, be it the legal system or something like that," said Coen. "There are ways to avoid that and save a lot of money."
Tim Cradic has been named the interim principal at Aldo Leopold Middle School. He had been teaching 5th Grade at Grimes Elementary.
Coen said it could take several weeks to name a permanent replacement.
