Former Haverhill Assistant Superintendent Kukenberger Faces Controversy in Maine

Less than two years after departing Haverhill for a position in the Scarborough, Maine school system, Julie R. Kukenberger is embroiled in controversy.

Haverhill’s former assistant superintendent for curriculum served the city for two years before leaving her post in 2016 to become Scarborough’s new superintendent.

This week, the education head came under fire in her new district amid allegations she forced Scarborough High School Principal David Creech to resign.

Scarborough’s Press Herald reports that Creech submitted his resignation after Kukenberger called him into a meeting Feb. 16 to let him know he was no longer a good fit for the district.

“He was threatened that if he did not resign, (Kukenberger) was not going to renew his contract for the following year,” Creech’s attorney William Michaud said. “He was astonished. It was unexpected.”

Neither Creech nor the superintendent has elaborated on why he was ordered to resign.

On Monday, Creech rescinded his resignation and was supported by hundreds of students and parents who gathered outside the town hall to protest his removal.

“It’s really hard to find a good high school principal and he’s a good one,” Michaud said of Creech, who has served as principal for five years. “At this point, David is really committed to the people of Scarborough and wants to stay there. He feels this is an unfair situation.”

Following Monday’s protest, Kukenberger issued a vague statement that did little to clarify the situation.

“I hope that everyone, including those with the most strongly held views, will understand that there are many facets to every issue and the Scarborough School Board and I are committed to understanding all of the relevant facts—some known to the community and some not—before making decisions we feel are in the best interest of our students and the school system,” she said.

Board of Education Chairwoman Donna Beeley declined to comment further, saying that the situation is a private personnel matter.

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