Former Arlington schools' superintendent Nate Levenson testified Oct. 30 in Boston in the latest arbitration hearing involving the case of fired Ottoson teacher Chuck Coughlin, his lawyer told YourArlington. Barry C. Klickstein, a partner with Duane Morris of Boston, wrote in an e-mail Oct. 30, "Nate appeared voluntarily for further questioning this morning before the arbitrator."

Levenson had appeared in Suffolk Superior Court on Oct. 27 tp face a demand from an arbitrator that he testify at the arbitration. Judge Charles Spurlock issued no ruling at the time and took the motion to compel testimony under advisement. "So far as I know, Judge Spurlock has not ruled on the motion" by Oct. 30, Klickstein wrote.

Levenson's -- and any -- testimony from the arbitration remain undisclosed because the proceedings are not public.

An earlier news report said Levenson did not want to testify.

Arbitration hearings in the Coughlin case began last January. Levenson dismissed Coughlin and then-Ottoson Middle School Principal Stavroula Bouris in August 2007 after they had exchanged e-mails that an investigation deemed inappropriate. One set of e-mail exchanges were forged, according to the investigation.

Levenson resigned Aug. 7. A School Committee statement cited "certain improprieties."

A statement Levenson released to the media in August said notes that he took shortly after discovering the e-mail exchanges were "inaccurate on one point."

According to an account reported by The Advocate, Coughlin's attorney, Frank Mondano, said "those personal notes amounted to lies and possible perjury, based on the testimony Levenson has delivered at arbitration hearings." Since July 2007, when the e-mail issue was made public, Mondano has never responded to a request for comment from YourArlington.

Arlington counsel, Kay Hodge, of Stoneman, Chandler & Miller, asked that the documents showing the reported inaccuracy remain undisclosed because of an arbitrator’s order. Spurlock accepted that request, Klickstein confirmed.

Klickstein argued in court Oct. 27 that his client had testified for six days, including four-and-a-half days of vigorous cross-examination. On Oct. 30, his client testified.

In a related matter, Ron Colosi Jr., head of the Arlington Education Association, made clear the union was taking its case to the public. In a lengthy opinion piece in the Oct. 30 Advocate, he asked officials to end the arbitration "before it wastes any more valuable time and money." The article is not yet online.

The majority of the School Committee provided its own view of the matter Oct. 28 when it voted 5-1-1 to see the arbitration through.