The former principal of one of Australia’s most exclusive schools is suing the institution over emails she says have made her unemployable since she quit her $650,000-a-year job.
Debra Kelliher resigned as principal of Kambala at Rose Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on April 10 amid accusations by staff of her ‘tyrannical rule’, ‘bullying’ and ‘unethical behaviour’.
Ms Kelliher, who ran the day and boarding school for girls for three and a half years, is now suing the school and two teachers for defamation, according to ABC News.
Debra Kelliher, former principal of Kambala private school for girls, is suing the institution
Kambala (pictured) is located at Rose Bay with spectacular views down Sydney Harbour
Annual tuition fees at Kambala in Sydney’s Rose Bay, range from $19,000 to $34,300
Kambala school for girls in Sydney’s Rose Bay is one of Australia’s most exclusive institutions
The 60-year-old claims head music teacher Mark Grandison and head social science teacher June Peake sent defamatory emails to parents, staff and former staff after her resignation.
Mr Grandison wrote in an April 11 email sent to 13 staff, one parent and one former staff member that in his opinion, Ms Kelliher had imposed ‘three years of tyrannical rule’.
He further said Ms Keller had been ‘a leader who is now demonstrably recognised as unethical, interpersonally incapable, unprofessional, and lacking the substantive competence to lead a school through a period of change.’
The email was sent in response to a public statement by the president of Kambala School Council, Sally Herman, that Ms Kelliher had done a ‘wonderful job’.
Hours after Mr Grandison’s email Ms Peake sent him and another teacher an email referring to the ‘campaign to remove DK’. That email was forwarded to all 200 Kambala staff.
Ms Peake wrote that teachers had been concerned at Ms Kelliher’s ‘unprofessional and bullying behaviour towards staff and the development of a culture of fear.’
President of Kambala School Council Sally Herman (pictured) praised Debra Kelliher’s work
Kambala (pictured) is an exclusive independent Anglican day and boarding school for girls
Debra Kelliher was principal of Kambala (pictured) at Rose Bay for three-and-a-half years
Ms Kelliher alleges the emails helped make her unemployable after leaving her $650,000-a-year role, meaning she could not even get an interview for a principal’s job. She claims losses of up to $2 million.
Kambala, where annual tuition fees range from $19,000 to $34,300, denies all claims against it and the teachers.
The school says the emails were not capable of being defamatory, and if they were Ms Kelliher’s reputation was already damaged because she had lost the confidence of parents and staff.
Kambala says Ms Kelliher had a reputation among staff and parents for ‘unethical, unprofessional conduct’ and creating a ‘culture of fear’.
In a statement to ABC News, Ms Kelliher said the allegedly defamatory emails ‘are completely at odds with the evidence that exists regarding the school’s academic record and my performance as principal of Kambala.’
Kambala (pictured) is defending a defamation case brought by former principal Debra Kelliher
Kambala School Council’s Sally Herman (pictured) said Ms Kelliher had done a ‘wonderful job’
Kambala (pictured) is defending a defamation action by former principal Debra Kelliher
Ms Kelliher says Kambala was $12 million in debt when she took over as principal in January 2014, according to a statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court.
The school had run at an operating loss of $1.5 million the previous year, she states.
Ms Kelliher claims in the court documents that the former principal Margaret White, who ran the school from 2000 to 2013, presided over ‘very serious financial irregularities’.
When Ms Kelliher took over, she discovered the school’s former business manager Ian MacColluch had defrauded the school of $400,000. Mr MacColluch admitted to the allegations and was sentenced to community service.
Ms Kelliher further alleges that from 2010 to 2013 Ms White charged $650,000 in expenses to the school including $200,000 on personal items including shoes, jewellery and hair appointments.
She also says teachers enjoyed privileges such as international travel to conferences ‘of little benefit to the school’ as well as ‘extravagant morning teas’ and Cabcharge vouchers.
Former Kambala principal Margaret White (pictured) ran the school from 2000 to 2013
Kambala school for girls at Rose Bay (pictured) has had just 12 principals since opening in 1887
Despite the financial difficulties she inherited, Ms Kelliher claims she managed to repay $9 million in debt and run a surplus of $5.3 million in 2016.
Ms Kelliher says she also improved the school’s culture and performance. Enrollments reached a record high of 1067.
‘Levels of anxiety and depression and suicidal ideation among students’ had also been addressed, she says in her statement of claim.
Ms Kelliher says while Kambala is an independent Anglican school there was ‘little real Christian practice’ and ‘open mocking of religion by staff members’.
Music teacher Mr Grandison’s email about Ms Kelliher was motivated by his dislike for her and to encourage negative publicity, she says.
Ms Kelliher states she refused Mr Grandison’s request to buy the school a $300,000 Steinway piano.
In her statement of claim, Ms Kelliher says Mr Grandison’s and Ms Peake’s emails contained several defamatory imputations.
Debra Kelliher says she refused a request to buy a $300,000 Steinway piano (stock image)
Kambala is defending a defamation action taken by former school principal Debra Kelliher
Kambala indenpendent Anglican school for girls has some of the best facilities in Australia
Among the imputations were that Ms Kelliher was so incompetent that student academic results did not improve during her tenure and academic results were likely to worsen because many staff left the school.
Ms Kelliher has sought damages, costs and an injunction permanently restraining the defendants.
Kambala’s failure to issue a correction or apology meant the school had virtually adopted and endorsed the emails’ contents, Ms Kelliher alleges.
The school denies the content of the emails was capable of being defamatory of Ms Kelliher, or that the emails contained the alleged imputations.
If the emails were found to be defamatory, the school would mount a defence of contextual truth, stating the imputations did not further harm Ms Kelliher’s reputation.
‘Ms Kelliher … had so seriously lost the confidence of teachers, staff and parents, that she was forced to resign,’ the school says in its defence.
On March 27, 19 heads of departments and year coordinators signed a letter of no confidence in Ms Kelliher and the letter was endorsed by more than 80 staff.
The case goes before Justice Lucy McCallum on Friday.
Kambala school for girls in Sydney’s Rose Bay is one of the most exclusive schools in Australia
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