Richland principal on leave

RICHLAND – A Richland School District principal now on paid leave made numerous inappropriate and sexual comments to employees, a consultant for the district said.

Nick Grubich had been told he needed to improve his leadership skills at Tapteal Elementary School, said district Superintendent Rich Semler.

He said Grubich recommended hiring the consultant, whose report alleged that he called a multiracial student “buckwheat” and asked a seriously ill employee if she had sexual problems.

The Tri-City Herald received a copy of the report on Friday after filing a public disclosure request with the district.

Grubich, on leave since March 10, didn’t deny making any of the statements, but said Friday that they were taken out of context and were mostly hearsay.

“I call all little boys buckwheat,” he told the paper.

The report was compiled by consultant Sally Storm, who conducted numerous interviews, and found Grubich, 41, made many inappropriate remarks to staff, students and parents.

Grubich allegedly told a secretary he would not hire a potential employee because “her breasts aren’t big enough,” and asked a teacher if she needed a condom as she was removing the top of a recorder, a clarinet-like instrument.

The report also claimed Grubich used expletives during school assemblies and that he told a potential employee that the woman leaving the job “always gets drunk on the weekends and is late on Mondays because of having a hangover.”

Based on those comments, the district decided last month not to renew Grubich’s contract and placed him on paid leave for the remainder of the school year, Semler said.

Grubich’s May 7 performance evaluation also found he failed to meet expectations in six of seven areas evaluated, the paper reported Saturday.

Grubich said he was not aware of any concerns about comments he made until this spring, adding that they reflect complaints from just a few people.

He maintains the district wanted him out of his position because of his divorce and custody battle.

“It will be proven in court,” said Grubich, who sent a letter May 19 appealing the decision on his contract.

Grubich, who has been Tapteal’s principal since 1999, is one of 35 principals in the district. He was paid $84,645 annually.