Springfield superintendent leaves job after calling family ‘scumbags’

Local News

Springfield superintendent will step down three weeks ahead of his scheduled retirement.

Springfield Schools Superintendent Daniel Warwick announced he was stepping down on Thursday, two days after a recording of disparaging remarks — which included profanity — about a School Committee member and her family went viral. 

After facing calls for resignation, Warwick told Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in a letter Thursday that he plans to begin his planned retirement more than three weeks ahead of schedule. 

“Due to my desire to act in the best interest of Springfield Public Schools students, staff, families, and community-at-large, I am notifying you that I will be retiring effective Friday, June 7, 2024,” he wrote in the letter shared by the district to the Boston Globe. 

The announcement comes one day after Warwick apologized to School Committee member LaTonia Monroe Naylor and her family. 

Earlier this week, a nearly two-minute recording of Warwick speaking with Chief Schools Officer Kim Wells about his discontent with Monroe Taylor went viral on Facebook. 

“These people are freaking scumbags,” Warwick says in the recording. “And those Naylors, they steal everything that’s not bolted down.”

Later in the recording, he says, “In other words, [expletive] you LaTonia.” 

In a statement sent out by the school department, Warwick said he was “mortified” that the conversation was recorded and shared. He made the remarks out of his frustrations over upholding the school department’s policies, he said.

“However, this is no excuse,” said Warwick in the statement. “It was never my intention to hurt anyone, and I would never expect it to be captured and shared. I sincerely apologize for the disparaging characterization it casts on School Committeewoman LaTonia Monroe Naylor and her family.”

Before the incident, Warwick was prepared for a graceful exit after a 48-year career in education in Springfield. According to a press release from the city, he has been recognized for his leadership and professionalism, earning him the prestigious President’s Award last year. 

During his tenure, the release said that Warwick boosted the district’s high school graduation rate by close to 30 percentage points to 83 percent last year, oversaw $1 billion in new school infrastructure, and pioneered free universal pre-K access for 3- and 4-year-olds. 

After hearing the leaked recording, Monroe Naylor was distraught because she thought she had a good working relationship with everyone, she said in a statement. 

“Even with my family being called ‘scumbags,’ ‘thieves,’ or ‘crazy,’ and my credentials being called into question, I want to assure the public and my fellow committee members that I remain committed to our primary mission: providing a safe, inclusive, and high-quality education for all students in Springfield,” said Monroe Naylor in a statement.

“This incident will not deter me from continuing to advocate for all our students, parents, and educators,” she continued. 

In an interview with The Boston Globe on Wednesday, Monroe Naylor said it was her understanding that Warwick’s comments ended up on someone’s voicemail when a call was accidentally made during the conversation and the person didn’t pick up.