Ignacio School Superintendent Rocco Fuschetto said he received an email threat against himself and his family if he doesn’t resign by April 1.
He doesn’t plan to quit, but security has been increased at his house and schools, and principals are monitoring school computers, he said.
The Feb. 4 email accused him of wasting money on construction, failing to improve academic performance and not caring about students and teachers. It said he should not be allowed to retire from the district.
Fuschetto said he discussed the threat with his wife, and they agreed about going public with it. School board members wanted to make the threat known to the public as well.
“The school board is 100 percent behind me,” he said. “They have been very supportive.”
The board of trustees extended Fuschetto’s contract at its Feb. 11 meeting.
In a response letter, Fuschetto says, “This is not only a threat against myself and my family, but also threatens the security of the school community.”
He urged anyone with information on the threat to contact Ignacio Police Chief Kirk Phillips or Sgt. Wes Crume at 563-4206.
“Threats of this type solve nothing and change nothing,” Fuschetto wrote. “I will not be intimidated into stopping the progress we are making in improving Ignacio Schools and preparing our students for successful future careers.”
Fuschetto has been in charge of the district through planning for and passage of a $50 million bond issue that passed by one vote in 2011, and then through design and construction of a new middle school, major reconstruction of the intermediate school as a K-5 elementary school, and total reconstruction of the high school. The project included reconstruction of the old weight room/fine arts room as the administrative offices and current construction of a bus barn.