The superintendent has been touring schools that opened Thursday, meeting with teachers and directing senior administrators who provided some of the report's strongest details.
O'Connor's departure is effective Dec. 28, unless the committee replaces her sooner. Her continued presence creates a difficult, some say untenable, situation at a time when Maine's largest district must seek her replacement, address a $1.7 million to $2.5 million budget deficit and reduce costs under the state's new school consolidation law.
School Committee Chairman John Coyne said he's looking for suitable candidates for interim superintendent, but the nine- member panel hasn't discussed the matter publicly. As a result, the committee hasn't given him any official direction on when or how O'Connor should be replaced or what to do about the investigator's report. And no meeting has been scheduled to decide these issues.
They likely will be difficult to resolve. While some committee members say O'Connor should be replaced immediately, others argue that she should remain as long as necessary to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership.
"Right now, Mary Jo is the superintendent, and until we decide anything, people should understand that," said Benjamin Meiklejohn, a committee member. Still, he said, the investigator's report has raised some questions of confidence in O'Connor's abilities and emphasized the need to replace her as soon as possible.
"It's my opinion that she should not be in the building," said Lori Gramlich, a committee member. "This isn't personal. This is business. I personally like Mary Jo O'Connor. But in the real world, when a person gives their resignation, they do not hang around.
"Even in the best of circumstances, it's a very awkward situation," she said. "In some places, they give you a box and give you an hour to pack your things. I'm not suggesting we do that, but I cannot see waiting until the end of December."
Gramlich and others say the issue is complicated by the fact that several senior administrators who report directly to O'Connor contributed to the investigator's report.
"There seems to be a concern that people aren't able to be effective in the current situation," said James Cohen, chairman of the City Council's finance committee. "I would imagine it's an uncomfortable situation in central office, and we can't let these problems get in the way of all the important work that needs to be done."
The committee hired Bryan Dench, a lawyer with Skelton Taintor & Abbott in Auburn, to figure out how a deficit occurred in the $82 million budget that ended June 30. He interviewed 18 people, including Human Resources Director Joline Hart, Student Support Services Director Barbara Dee and Assistant Superintendent Jeanne Whynot-Vickers.
According to Dench's report, delivered to the committee on Wednesday, O'Connor knew or should have known that the deficit was brewing last fall and should have taken steps to turn the situation around. The report also levels blame on the committee and former School Finance Director Richard Paulson, who resigned July 30.
O'Connor has refused to speak to the media since mid-August. Dee declined to comment for this story. Whynot-Vickers and Hart could not be reached for comment.
The committee unanimously accepted O'Connor's resignation on Aug. 29. Members said it was a necessary step toward fixing the district's financial troubles and rebuilding its credibility.
O'Connor received a salary and severance package of $80,000 for the four months' notice required by her contract. Superintendent for more than six years, she was promoted from the position of curriculum director. Her annual salary was $112,000.
O'Connor explained her decision to resign in a written...
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