A Brookline public school official has announced she is stepping down in March, alleging that recent budget pressures and financial mismanagement have led to a “hostile work environment.”
Liza O’Connell, the district’s deputy superintendent of student services, said she had been excluded from budgetary planning the past two years, contributing to “ongoing” financial issues that are “beyond my control.”
“It has become increasingly difficult over FY24 and FY25 to deliver the student services that the students and parents of Brookline expect and deserve, while being constantly distracted by an endless stream of budget, accounting and financial challenges,” she said in a letter to the School Committee chair, Andreas Liu.
“A hostile work environment has been developed over time and has become untenable,” she said.
The letter was published by the Brookline News. O’Connell did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday, and the Globe could not independently obtain her letter.
Facing a budget crunch this year, the district eliminated its world language program for younger grades and cut classes in Spanish and Mandarin over heated opposition from parents and educators. More than a dozen teachers, literacy coaches, and technology specialists were also laid off.
O’Connell, whose office oversees student counseling and special education services, has been in the role since 2022. She previously served as director of special education for the Dedham school system.
In her letter, she urged the district to commission an independent audit of the budgets for the past two fiscal years.
Liu and school administrators could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Margo Jones, co-chair of the Brookline Special Education Parent Advisory Council, said the news came as a surprise to her and other parents who work closely with O’Connell on special education issues.
“This is very disappointing for our special education family community,” she said. “We’re hoping that there’s going to be some accountability and follow-up on how the district is going to move forward.”
Justin Brown, president of the Brookline Educators Union, said he hopes to see a “robust, serious” response from school administrators to O’Connell’s allegations, stressing his support for “any action that would increase transparency for all stakeholders in terms of the town’s budget.”
“In the case of fiscal mismanagement, that has far-reaching effects and impacts on educators and students,” he said. “This just adds to the churn at the highest levels of administration here, and we find that very troublesome.”
Jones said that O’Connell has been vocal in pushing for increased resources for special education initiatives, such as dedicated summer camp programs. There are likely more than 1,000 students who benefit from special education programs in the school system, she added.
Special education has been a central issue in public school budget debates across Massachusetts.
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.
