Post by title1parent on Oct 18, 2009 6:44:08 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=329600&src=76
Dist. 200 statement about Drury departure won't be expanded
By Robert Sanchez | Daily Herald 10/18/09
The official line is that Richard Drury's tenure as superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 came to an end because he and the school board didn't agree on goals and the direction of the district.
And according to a resignation agreement school board members approved, that's all anyone is going to find out about it, including "subsequent employers, the board's employees, the media and the public."
School board President Andy Johnson was sticking to the script on Friday when he said, "We just had differences in going forward on goals and leadership for the district, and we'll leave it at that."
Drury's final day with the district is March 9, 2010. As for any additional details Drury and board members can provide, that's limited to five carefully worded paragraphs outlined in the resignation agreement.
School board member Rosemary Swanson defended the use of a prepared statement, saying it has "all the facts" and "communicates well" what caused the falling out between Drury and the board.
The district's paragraph about its differences with Drury reads: "Dr. Drury successfully accomplished major goals to address the financial health of the School District and to open the new Hubble Middle School. However, in August, 2009, differences arose over those future goals and the leadership and direction of the School District. Discussions between Dr. Drury and the Board about these differences resulted in the Agreement."
"One statement is less confusing than having several different ones out there," Swanson said.
But Wheaton resident Mark Stern, whose dispute with the district regarding the openness of a former superintendent's contract ended up in the Illinois Supreme Court, said the statement doesn't really answer the question of what happened.
He said the school board owes taxpayers an explanation for why it sought Drury's resignation in August - just one month after it granted Drury a one-year contract extension in July, through 2012.
"That's a very dramatic change," Stern said. "Unless they give me some compelling reason, which obviously they're not going to do, I can't consider that to be justified."
Board member Barbara Intihar said she believes the statement is very clear about what happened. "We just decided that it was in the best interest of what we wanted and what he wanted to go this route," she said.
The board even goes out of its way to stress that Drury did nothing wrong. For example, the statement indicates the falling out with Drury happened before District 200 was among several suburban school districts that decided not to broadcast live President Barack Obama's message to schoolchildren in September. The district taped the speech for later showing in the classroom.
Still, Stern said the board's timeline doesn't make sense, especially since Drury didn't start using vacation time until Sept. 22.
"If they decided in August to remove him, why did he come to the first (school board) meeting in September?" Stern said. "If he had to be gotten rid of, why didn't they just say immediately, 'You're out of here. Take your vacation now.'"
In the end, it took five special meetings and roughly 10 hours of closed-door deliberations to hash out an agreement that will pay Drury the rest of his $208,000 annual base salary and a $60,000 post-resignation severance payment. Drury also may use up to 55 days of accumulated vacation until he leaves in March.
In the meantime, Drury will spend the rest of his employment with District 200 doing a yet-to-be described job.
"He had a number of things that were in process - some reports that need to get to the board - and that will probably entail a bulk of the work," said Johnson, adding that Drury won't oversee a staff or have any supervisory duties.
Stern said what that means for taxpayers is that they'll be paying a year's salary for a superintendent who's not going to be doing the work of a superintendent.
"So basically, we're wasting $250,000 that could have paid for several of the teachers that were let go," he said.
When asked if she expects a public backlash from Drury's departure and the way it's been handled, Intihar said: "If that happens, it happens. Our utmost responsibility is to the district and to the people of the community. But we have to do what we feel is in the best interest."
But she also acknowledged, "If some people choose to believe that we are doing something inherently wrong, they are entitled to vote that way at the next election."
Dist. 200 statement about Drury departure won't be expanded
By Robert Sanchez | Daily Herald 10/18/09
The official line is that Richard Drury's tenure as superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 came to an end because he and the school board didn't agree on goals and the direction of the district.
And according to a resignation agreement school board members approved, that's all anyone is going to find out about it, including "subsequent employers, the board's employees, the media and the public."
School board President Andy Johnson was sticking to the script on Friday when he said, "We just had differences in going forward on goals and leadership for the district, and we'll leave it at that."
Drury's final day with the district is March 9, 2010. As for any additional details Drury and board members can provide, that's limited to five carefully worded paragraphs outlined in the resignation agreement.
School board member Rosemary Swanson defended the use of a prepared statement, saying it has "all the facts" and "communicates well" what caused the falling out between Drury and the board.
The district's paragraph about its differences with Drury reads: "Dr. Drury successfully accomplished major goals to address the financial health of the School District and to open the new Hubble Middle School. However, in August, 2009, differences arose over those future goals and the leadership and direction of the School District. Discussions between Dr. Drury and the Board about these differences resulted in the Agreement."
"One statement is less confusing than having several different ones out there," Swanson said.
But Wheaton resident Mark Stern, whose dispute with the district regarding the openness of a former superintendent's contract ended up in the Illinois Supreme Court, said the statement doesn't really answer the question of what happened.
He said the school board owes taxpayers an explanation for why it sought Drury's resignation in August - just one month after it granted Drury a one-year contract extension in July, through 2012.
"That's a very dramatic change," Stern said. "Unless they give me some compelling reason, which obviously they're not going to do, I can't consider that to be justified."
Board member Barbara Intihar said she believes the statement is very clear about what happened. "We just decided that it was in the best interest of what we wanted and what he wanted to go this route," she said.
The board even goes out of its way to stress that Drury did nothing wrong. For example, the statement indicates the falling out with Drury happened before District 200 was among several suburban school districts that decided not to broadcast live President Barack Obama's message to schoolchildren in September. The district taped the speech for later showing in the classroom.
Still, Stern said the board's timeline doesn't make sense, especially since Drury didn't start using vacation time until Sept. 22.
"If they decided in August to remove him, why did he come to the first (school board) meeting in September?" Stern said. "If he had to be gotten rid of, why didn't they just say immediately, 'You're out of here. Take your vacation now.'"
In the end, it took five special meetings and roughly 10 hours of closed-door deliberations to hash out an agreement that will pay Drury the rest of his $208,000 annual base salary and a $60,000 post-resignation severance payment. Drury also may use up to 55 days of accumulated vacation until he leaves in March.
In the meantime, Drury will spend the rest of his employment with District 200 doing a yet-to-be described job.
"He had a number of things that were in process - some reports that need to get to the board - and that will probably entail a bulk of the work," said Johnson, adding that Drury won't oversee a staff or have any supervisory duties.
Stern said what that means for taxpayers is that they'll be paying a year's salary for a superintendent who's not going to be doing the work of a superintendent.
"So basically, we're wasting $250,000 that could have paid for several of the teachers that were let go," he said.
When asked if she expects a public backlash from Drury's departure and the way it's been handled, Intihar said: "If that happens, it happens. Our utmost responsibility is to the district and to the people of the community. But we have to do what we feel is in the best interest."
But she also acknowledged, "If some people choose to believe that we are doing something inherently wrong, they are entitled to vote that way at the next election."