Under fire education chief Edmond Heatley has suffered a fresh blow after school principals announced a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

School principals have called on the Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Ross Webber to take their views on board and replace Dr Heatley.

A spokesman for the BPSU, which represents public school principals, said the move followed controversy over Commissioner of Education Dr Heatley’s decision to apply for a similar post in New Orleans — an application he has since withdrawn — only four months into the job in Bermuda.

The spokesman added: “The principals believe that the Bermuda public school system deserves to have a Commissioner who is committed, resilient and who operates with transparency, honesty and respect towards educators, parents, students and the wider community.

“These essential qualities have not been demonstrated by the current Commissioner, in their observations.”

The spokesman said: “In light of this, the principals are calling for the Permanent Secretary for Education to accept the vote of no confidence and to ensure a Commissioner for the system who possesses these essential leadership qualities and attributes.”

And the principals said they wanted to meet the Education Ministry’s top civil servant to “discuss a way forward for the betterment of the Bermuda public school system”.

New BPSU president Jason Hayward said: “I don’t recall myself this being done before — it’s something the principals decided among themselves.”

But he appeared to hold out an olive branch to the embattled Commissioner.

Mr Hayward said: “I believe it’s the Commissioner’s responsibility to restore the confidence of the principals.

“The Commissioner has to make a decision in terms of what is in the best interests of education in Bermuda. The principals don’t believe that he is displaying the qualities that are in the best interests of education in Bermuda.”

Mr Hayward added: “Our aim is to bring a resolution to whatever impasse there is. Our aim is not ultimately removal, but to see that the behaviour of the Commissioner begins to change.”

The Ministry of Education last night declined to comment on whether the vote of no confidence meant the end of the line for Dr Heatley’s stint in Bermuda.

A spokesman said the Ministry “acknowledges the position of the principals and will factor their clear concerns into the ongoing review of the Commissioner’s position by both the Permanent Secretary and the Board of Education.”

The spokesman added that Mr Webber had spoken to Dr Heatley, who had been off the island, on Monday to discuss his application for the Education Superintendent’s post in Orleans Parish.

An he said that Dr Heatley had later met members of the Board of Education and the full board had since “met to consider their position.”

The spokesman said that Minister of Education Grant Gibbons, while aware of the row, could not, under Civil Service regulations, play a role in the hiring, transfer or removal of public sector staff.

He added: “The Ministry believes the most important factor is the long-term future of our education system and welfare of Bermuda’s students.”