By Karen Gutierrez
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ALEXANDRIA - A popular Campbell County school principal lost her administrative job because she missed paperwork deadlines and was insubordinate with her boss, not because she spoke out against the proposed closing of her school, district officials contended on Tuesday.

The rationale for demoting Ann Painter, 20-year principal of A.J. Jolly Elementary School to reading instructor, was laid out in a public hearing before the Campbell County School Board. Painter requested the session to appeal her April demotion by Superintendent Roger Brady. The hearing continues today and Thursday.

Police were on standby in case Painter's supporters got rowdy, and board Chairman Chuck Eifert warned that troublemakers could face disorderly conduct charges. But as the dry details of a principal's job were described to the board, many of the 100 audience members appeared more intent on staying awake than stirring a ruckus.

Jolly has high test scores and the district's best attendance rate. But it has only 150 students, and in January Brady proposed closing the school for the coming year.

That idea drew so much protest from parents, students and Painter herself that the board gave Jolly a reprieve for this year. After that, however, it will be merged with Alexandria Elementary into a new school.

The decision to delay the closing was made in late February. On April 1, Painter missed a state deadline to complete her school's "Consolidated School Improvement Plan" for the following year, Brady's attorney stated at the hearing.

Other reasons for her demotion, according to testimony Tuesday:

• Painter showed up unprepared for a meeting with Brady and the principal of Alexandria Elementary to discuss a "seamless entry" for their students into the new school. Brady rescheduled the meeting, but Painter failed to attend that one at all.

• She did not ensure that the policies of the school's site-based decision-making council were revised for the coming school year.

• She failed to make a professional-development plan for teachers.

• She failed to follow a state requirement to address the achievement gap (as demonstrated by test scores) between boys and girls at Jolly.

Painter acknowledged missing some deadlines but said she was occupied by the struggle to keep Jolly open, and then by efforts to keep staff and students on track for the rest of the school year.

In light of Jolly's imminent demise, working on the Consolidated School Improvement Plan seemed irrelevant and was "placed on the back burner," Painter said in a written response to Brady's criticisms.

She missed the meeting because she accidentally failed to record the time for it on her calendar, she said.

As for her failure to hold staff meetings and update various plans, she said she preferred to communicate informally with parents and staff.

"A.J. Jolly teachers make a difference as teachers, not as paper pushers," Painter said in her letter to Brady.

After reading that letter into the record, Painter's attorney, Steve Wolnitzek, told the board, "This (demotion) was done for one reason, and one reason only. And that is because she fought to keep the school open."

E-mail kgutierrez@enquirer.com