GREENLAND -- The School Board on Thursday reversed an earlier decision to terminate an administrator and accepted a proposal to allow her to resign and buy out her contract.
In a 5-0 decision, the board approved the proposal from Janice Hardin, the district's former professional development and testing coordinator. The terms of the proposal, worked out by Hardin's attorney, Mary Ann Gunn, and the district attorney, David Matthews, provided for her Oct. 29 termination to be rescinded.
Hardin will be allowed to resign from the district, effective Oct. 29, and will be paid $77,881, which represents a buyout of her $79,000-a-year contract; payment for 38 1/2 unused sick leave days and 9 1/2 unused vacation days, as well as one-half of her attorney fees. The attorney fees totaled $13,676, according to invoices submitted with the proposal. Half of that is $6,838.
The settlement amount is subject to withholding tax, Matthews said.
At the conclusion of the 90-minute meeting, Hardin said the proposal approved by the board met with her approval. She has no immediate plans for the future, she added.
Gunn said the board's decision was a "vote of confidence for her long standing career." Hardin had been employed by the district for 12 years before she was suspended and recommended for termination in mid-September by Superintendent Larry Ben.
Gunn said she was prepared to file an appeal of the termination to Washington County Circuit Court immediately if the board didn't accept the settlement offer.
The School Board held a hearing for more than five hours Oct. 29, after which the board voted 5-1 to uphold Ben's recommendation to terminate Hardin because of dishonesty and insubordination.
The board spent about 3o minutes in executive session Thursday before returning to open session and voting in favor of the settlement.
Board member Dan Marzoni, who voted against the termination last month, didn't attend Thursday's special meeting. A second board member, Paula Schoonover, recused herself from participating in the discussion and vote because she had been a witness in the termination hearing. Matthews recommended Schoonover's recusal for that reason.
NW News on 11/14/2014