Golec will retire from Dracut High post
By Shawn on Nov 17, 2009 in Articles, Schools
DRACUT — Embattled Dracut High Vice Principal Hank Golec is officially retiring in January.
Golec recently submitted his papers to retire as of Jan. 21 and Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin has signed off on the plan, said School Committee Chairman Matthew Sheehan.
Sheehan said Golec is retiring from both his vice-principal job and his position as varsity baseball coach and is not receiving any severance pay or other payments beyond his retirement pension when he leaves.
Golec, who has been using sick-leave time and is expected to continue to do so until his retirement, hasn’t worked since mid-September. That’s when allegations surfaced that Golec misused school video-surveillance equipment in an attempt to prove a rival was breaking high-school sporting rules.
Since the allegations came to light, school officials have mostly refused to speak publicly about Golec, the allegations against him or whether he would be disciplined in the case.
Golec’s retirement has essentially ended any future investigations in the case, according to Sheehan.
School officials said they believed Golec may have broken $100,000 in surveillance equipment in the September incident, but when Superintendent of Schools W. Spencer Mullin later found the equipment had not been damaged, the investigation into the incident was pushed aside.
“That’s the only thing that was asked to be investigated,” said Sheehan.
In September, The Sun learned Golec allegedly
used a school-owned surveillance camera to secretly tape Dracut High football coach Jeff Moore leading a summer weightlifting session, then sent the recording to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, arguing that the session was in violation of MIAA rules. It turned out the session was legal by MIAA standards because the session was open to all students, not just the football team.
Mullin, citing personnel privacy rules, has declined to give details about Golec and the investigation.
Some school officials appear to have been making a play to find Golec’s replacement before his retirement is even official.
Last week, School Committee member Bonnie Elie sparked a controversy after her fellow committee members accused her of quietly working on a plan to promote the high school’s part-time athletic director and teacher, Tim Woods, to a job as full-time administrator who would also serve as a part-time vice principal, filling in for the principal as needed.
While he he has been on leave from Dracut High, Golec has been showing up for his coaching position with the Greater Lowell Technical High football team, where he serves as varsity football line coach. That coaching position pays $4,560 per year, according to Greater Lowell Tech salary records.
Golec, who has spent 34 years working for the Dracut schools as a teacher, varsity baseball coach and administrator, did not return a call to his home seeking comment.
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