What Babeu said about his headmaster years at Mass. school

Back in May 2010, my colleague Brady McCombs and I did a lengthy interview with Babeu in which we asked him about his time at the DeSisto School. The bad news is I haven't been able to find the recording. The good news is, I have a largely complete transcript of his comments.

For background, the DeSisto School was in Stockbridge, Mass., which is in Berkshire County, the same county where Babeu grew up and spent much of his 20s. The school was frequently criticized for its unorthodox methods and alleged mistreatment of students, and while Babeu was headmaster the school fought a state order that it get licensed. Once the state forced licensure, several serious investigations ensued and the school closed in 2004.

In our 2010 interview, Brady and I asked Babeu how he ended up at the school.

"I was friends with Michael and Marge DeSisto. He was the president of the board of directors and the founder of the school...I had become friends with them, just being active in the county. He was a friend and a political person. He was a Republican as well. When I worked out in Boston, he asked me to come and work for him."

"I was the headmaster, which was more just the business manager of the school. I became the executive director for the short period of time. It was close to 3 years. 2 1/2 to 3 years."

"The school's always been in turmoil. Civil lawsuits. More than half of the students are under IEPs (Individual Education Plans, for special-needs students). It was an alternative school. Most alternative schools are always in the news."

"All of these students lived there, and it was a year-round school. They had property in Mexico, property in the Keys. Even before I was there, the school had financial issues."

The phrasing of Babeu's comment on financial problems at the school is interesting in light of what the Republic reported today: That the school's financial problems worsened under Babeu's watch.

Next we asked Babeu what drew him to the school.

"The school was wonderful. You're taking a difficult population of mainly emotionally troubled teenagers who would fail in any other environment, and you're giving them an opportunity to succeed. And you're using other-than-conventional models."

"It was a novel concept which was foreign to me. When I saw that, I was intrigued. I saw a lot of lives changed."

"It was a therapeutic school, so there was lots of group therapy. They had a staff I think of six therapists. That recipe was successful for most people; for some of them it wasn't."

Next we asked if the fact that he was a sexual-abuse victim attracted him to the school.

"For the first year plus, I wasn't involved in any of the therapy."

"I've always had a special place in my heart for those who have difficulties, who may have been harmed, who may have been, in this case a lot of people would act out and not be successful in academics because there were underlying issues and concerns in their lives. This was a way to put a voice to their emotions and to their issues."

"Was I attracted to that? Absolutely, because that's important to me."

In a previous iteration of Babeu's SheriffPaul.com website, Babeu touted his years at DeSisto as an important qualification. The site said:

"Babeu spent three years with DeSisto School and reported to the School's founder, A. Michael DeSisto and Board of Directors. Paul was frequently recognized for his effectiveness in personnel management and excellent fiscal abilities. Renovations to the schools buildings, improvements in technology, fundraising and marketing of the school are the chief accomplishments during his tenure."

It went on, "Paul was also responsible for raising money for the school and raised over $500k in two years. Several years after Paul left DeSisto School for other professional opportunities, Michael DeSisto died from kidney failure following a transplant. As with most private schools closely linked with a founder, the school closed within one year after Michael's unexpected death."