The following was taken from a social media posting from Kaitlin Garcia Futoma, current Vice Principal of the St. Michael School and it comes on the heels of the loss of Principal Ryan Klein.
“To the Saint Michael School community,”
I have submitted my resignation as Vice Principal of Saint Michael School. My final day will be Friday, August 28, 2026.
This is not a decision I ever wanted to make. I am heartbroken and deeply disappointed, but I have been left with no viable choice.
Mr. Ryan Klein’s termination came as a shock to me. Equally troubling has been the way it has been presented publicly, which I believe has been unfair to both the Klein family and our school community. Following Mr. Klein’s departure in June, Fr. Babiczuk directed me and others to tell the community that Mr. Klein remained employed by the school. When I questioned these directives and expressed my concerns, Fr. Babiczuk told me that I could not be trusted and that I would need to earn his trust if I wished to advance in my career. I cannot compromise my integrity by participating in deception or supporting statements that I know to be false.
Despite serving as Vice Principal, I was neither consulted nor informed about Mr. Klein’s departure. No one contacted me to discuss what had occurred. Instead, I was unexpectedly locked out of the school email account that I manage, and the locks to my shared office were changed without my knowledge. With no communication from either the pastor or the superintendent, I was left to wonder whether I, too, was about to be terminated. Throughout this process, I have been excluded from decisions and denied even basic communication.
I have also learned that Fr. Babiczuk has been making false statements about me. Over the past week, I have repeatedly reached out to him in an effort to discuss these matters directly, but he has not responded. In fact, I have not heard from Fr. Babiczuk since July 10.
During this same period, I needed to take medical leave due to the extraordinary stress of these events. Unfortunately, I also experienced delays and errors in the handling of my pay through the school’s payroll process. These problems created additional hardship during a time when I needed support, not unnecessary stress.
The past several years at Saint Michael School have been the most rewarding of my professional career. I envisioned remaining here until retirement because I truly loved serving our students, faculty, staff, and families. They have made this community a place I was proud to call home. It grieves me that circumstances have made it impossible for me to continue in that role.
To every student, parent, colleague, and friend who has supported me throughout my time at Saint Michael School, thank you. Serving this community has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I will always be grateful for the relationships we built together.
“St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.”
(Our opinion) The community deserves better, they deserve answers and the students and staff at St. Michael’s have been done a terrible disservice with this whole mess.
Here is a link to our previous story: https://southcoastspotlight.com/former-st-michael-principal-ryan-klein-breaks-silence-disputes-dioceses-account-of-his-departure/
