Williams:Broomes should be separated

At least one employee at Alexandra School thinks principal Jeff Broomes should be separated from the Alexandra School.
That person is Broomes’ former secretary, Betty-Ann Williams.
Williams, who retired as Broomes’ secretary at the start of the year, was testifying at a Commission of Inquiry into the school today.
“I believe Mr Broomes should be separated from the school. He is an intelligent man, but I think something goes wrong in his head sometimes,” Williams told the Commission this morning.
His former secretary doesn’t think Broomes should be sent to another school.
“I feel he should be sent to another department of the ministry, and placed behind a desk to do paperwork. He is an intelligent man and has good ideas but I feel he would do the same thing at another school.”
Williams told the Commisson her boss didn’t even use her services, writing his own letters, something which she considered a dangerous practice.
“There were no tears. I was glad to go,” Williams testified, when asked by attorney Hal Gollop to describe the atmosphere when she left.
She said her decision to call it quits came after six years of constant abuse by Broomes, which included him shouting at her in the presence of students.
Williams even admitted Broomes made her quite angry at times by his constant shouting, and one time she put in him place, shouting back at him.
“You shouted at the principal” Commissioner Frederick Waterman asked Williams.
“I  knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m a no nonsense person.”
The former secretary said such personal outbursts caused her to reconsider her own behaviour, and played an instrumental part in her eventually resigning from the school where she had worked since 1977, and under three different principals.
barryalleyne@nationnews.com