Tammy Coleman said her career in education, working at the Valley Central School District, has been incredibly rewarding. She's made relationships that she'll cherish for the rest of her life while working as an administrative director.

But she’s also seen what she calls a culture of harassment and bullying in the district.

It was a culture that she said affected her, too, as just three years before retirement, she was denied tenure and recommended to be terminated by former Superintendent John Xanthis.

In documentation that Coleman provided, the district’s reasoning for termination included she “displayed a negative attitude toward [her] job," despite her most recent performance review stating that “she takes her role very seriously and works … to ensure the smooth operation of her department.”

Coleman said other reasons, like use of sick days, her attitude toward others and failure to meet expectations, were either untrue or presented without evidence to back them up.

“The central office administrators have made a decision that they do not want me to continue working there, and they are going out of their way to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Coleman said. "I’m not sure that they’ve given legitimate reasons."

All of this made Coleman consider filing a wrongful termination lawsuit.

As word spread, a massive turnout of community members came to speak in support of her at board of education meetings.

The school's board of education made the final decision. After weeks of uncertainty, including Xanthis unexpectedly retiring, the school board voted unanimously to deny the termination and give Coleman a three-year contract to remain at Valley Central.

Coleman said she’s glad she can go back to doing the job she loves with a contract that keeps her there through her retirement day, and hopes the experience can get Valley Central administrators to clear the air with one another so, she says, they can foster a more collaborative environment to help the district’s kids.

“I’m hoping that we can work together as a team moving forward and kind of put all this behind us and be professional and respectful of one another," Coleman said.

Michael Bellarosa, who retired from the district five years ago, is serving as Valley Central’s interim superintendent as the board of education begins the search to fill the position.

Asked for comment about the developments, school board President Joseph Bond said that the board cannot comment on individual personal matters.