DARRINGTON — School Superintendent Larry Johnson will continue to collect a paycheck while the Darrington School Board, which fired him in February, waits for Johnson’s appeal hearing in mid-August.
Johnson’s annual salary is about $117,000. He remains on paid administrative leave while appealing the board’s decision.
Meanwhile, the school district plans to hand out reduction-in-force notices to eight teachers next week, a quarter of the district’s current 33-member faculty.
All eight are first-year teachers and half of them teach math, school board President Julie Kuntz said.
“The lay-off of eight teachers exceeds a worse-case scenario for us,” Kuntz said. “After we know more about our state funding, we hope to bring back as many of them as possible.”
The board moved to terminate the superintendent on Feb. 9 because members believed Johnson had a “less-than-professional” relationship with an employee, and the alleged conduct “ultimately harmed the school district.”
It has been seven months since Myra Lewis, 46, the school district’s finance director, died after a drug overdose at Johnson’s home in Darrington. An investigation by the school district turned up evidence that Johnson, 58, apparently treated Lewis more as a close friend than an employee. Sheriff’s investigators said they found no evidence of foul play or of a crime in Lewis’ death.
The employment appeal hearing is set for the week of Aug. 15 at the Whitehorse neighborhood’s community center west of Darrington. The hearing date was the first available that the school district’s lawyer, Johnson’s lawyer and the assigned hearing examiner could all agree upon, Kuntz said.
“And Mr. Johnson has requested a closed hearing, which I understand is his legal right to do,” Kuntz said. “We will be calling witnesses and expect it to take a full week. Out of respect for the legal process and with a final resolution still a ways out, the district is looking to extend the appointment of Interim Superintendent Dave Holmer, the high school principal.”
In addition, the district plans to hire a new finance director soon, she said.
Kuntz said she never imagined how much work would be involved in serving on the school board.
“It’s been a rough and sad time, and I worry how long all of this will continue,” she said. “The community is trying to heal.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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