Principal Ted Wachter Rosewood Elementary School principal, Dr. Ted Wachter, got his day in court after three years of grieving and appealing to save his reputation from the tongue and pen of Richland One Area Superintendent Dr. Jake Sello. On Monday, Wachter and his attorneys, Lewis Cromer and Amy Gaffney, took the stand against Sello, Superintendent Dr. Ron Epps, and Richland One School Board for events dating back to 2001.

Richland One was represented by attorneys Ken Childs, Ernie Williams, John Rieger, Bic Halligan, Susan Williams, and several others.

Cromer charged that since Dr. Sello became area superintendent in 2000, he has targeted Dr. Wachter and his program at Rosewood Elementary. Sello allegedly accused Wachter of being a racist saying, “You just don’t understand black students, and we’re gonna bring someone else in your place.”

Wachter filed a grievance when he discovered Sello had altered his evaluation after it was signed. Sello’s secretary, Carola Giffel, said under oath that Sello had instructed her to cut and paste Wachter’s signature on the revised and less favorable evaluation form. Wachter, who has served Richland One as principal since 1976 (except for two sabbaticals), appealed to Superintendent Epps to put him under another supervisor. Epps refused but eventually agreed to take out the changes in the evaluation and not reassign Wachter.

In 2003, Sello sent Wachter a letter saying he had lost faith in Wachter because of the way he had handled the PACT testing and the poor achievement of his black students. When Sello accused Wachter of wanting all of his black students to leave Rosewood, Wachter filed another grievance.

Cromer outlined how Wachter had appealed to School Board Chairman Vince Ford since his grievance also named Epps. Chairman Ford promised Wachter a hearing before the board after an independent investigation by attorney Ken Childs. Ford later reneged and turned the grievance over to Epps. Epps found himself innocent. It was at this point in time, according to Cromer, that “the well was poisoned for Ted Wachter in Richland One.”

Wachter hired attorney Clifford Scott to handle his case. At a hearing with Sello and Epps, Scott admitted he was surprised to find Sello presenting new charges against Wachter. The charges related to a parent’s request to transfer a student away from Rosewood and poor test scores by black students at Rosewood. Scott and Wachter rebutted the charges proving that the student was not transferred, and the black students at Rosewood scored higher than black students at any other elementary school in Richland One. Scott turned the case over to Cromer because he was “becoming too emotionally involved.”

After reviewing the case, Cromer advised Wachter to file charges and seek damages because his good name had been stolen, and he had been harassed and defamed by Sello. Wachter also charged Epps with conspiracy and inept leadership. They requested, once again, that Wachter be transferred from under Sello’s supervision and that Wachter’s and Rosewood’s good reputation be restored.