April 23, 2023
Dear Members of the Nardin Community,
As a group of deeply concerned parents, alumni, faculty, students, funders, and friends of Nardin, we have come together to do all we can to ensure Nardin Academy not only survives this institutional crisis but also thrives in the years and decades ahead. This coalition, Nardin Together, remains a peaceful, well-intentioned group, deeply committed to the Catholic values of Nardin and its future.
With this letter, we aim to capture the ongoing challenges facing Nardin as well as the actions that we hope the Board of Trustees will take to address these challenges.
Challenges facing Nardin include:
● A lack of confidence in the President, Dr. Sandra Betters, from an overwhelming majority of the faculty and staff, resulting from issues including the capricious treatment of tenured and trusted teachers, ongoing degradation of upper school management, and various other instances. (please see several letters of no confidence linked here).
Upper School Faculty Letter of No Confidence
Middle School Letter of No Confidence
Lower School Faculty Letter of No Confidence
Montessori School Letter of No Confidence
● Allegations of a caustic and manipulative work environment created as a result of Dr. Betters’ actions, including volatile disciplining of teachers with uncertain cause and creating an atmosphere of distraction and stress that affects learning for Nardin’s students and raises concerns for the community as a whole.
● The resignation of over 15 administrators, faculty, and staff including the notable early departure/resignations or notices of resignation from four of Nardin’s principals within the last 20 months.
● Major donors, including the Joy Family Foundation, Keane Family, Anthony and Richard Gioia Charitable Foundation, and Kenneth L. and Katherine G. Koessler Family Foundation, withdrawing their support until further notice.
Major Donors Call for Resignation
● More than 100 Families withholding enrollment deposits until the current crisis is resolved
Nardin Families Delay Enrollment Deposits
● A small minority of the board that refuses to engage or take action
At the center of this situation is a divided Board of Trustees. Nine board members have publicly noted that they believe Dr. Betters must depart the institution as a starting point for addressing these challenges. A small minority has indicated full trust in Dr. Betters at least until a third-party review is completed (timeline unknown), while several board members have remained neutral. As a result, no action is being taken, and the situation continues to deteriorate.
Ultimately, given the ongoing departure of teachers, students, and supporters, we worry that there will be no Nardin to lead nor to save unless action is taken quickly (i.e., not waiting for a nebulous assessment with a similarly nebulous timeline).
Therefore, we call upon Nardin’s Board of Trustees to address these issues now.
Specifically, this includes:
● Laying out clearly the Board’s timeline and expected actions for dealing with these issues, with high priority given to the immediate termination of Dr. Sandra Betters as President of Nardin Academy.
● Engaging meaningfully with the many concerned teachers, parents, students, alumni, and devoted friends of Nardin Academy. This should include live conversations.
● Not delaying action further. Given the ongoing deterioration of this situation, every delay will make it harder to change course and thrive in the future.
We realize that this situation is just as hard for the Board of Trustees as it is for us, and we want to work together to resolve this issue and prepare Nardin Academy for many more decades of success. Therefore, we implore that the Board takes immediate action to help our students, faculty, and staff and ask the entire Nardin Family to share your thoughts here and pray for Nardin Academy.
Thank you for your time and your support of Nardin.
Nardin Together