Gibraltar Board Examined Options

At the Dec. 22 meeting of the Gibraltar School Board, President Fred Anderson outlined several options the board could take regarding filling the 7-12 principal position for the remainder of the school year after former Principal Kirk Knutson’s sudden resignation on Nov. 24.

The options included hiring an interim principal, hiring an aspiring principal as an intern or restructuring the administrative team. The first two options require a vetting and hiring process that could take weeks. The decision was made to trust in administration and staff to finish out the school year while seeking a new 7-12 principal this spring and to start with the new fiscal year on July 1.

“We fully support the administrative team and all the staff, and have full confidence they will be successful until a new principal is chosen,” Anderson told the Pulse.

Knutson’s resignation raised issues of transparency within the school board, but with the release of several documents pertaining to his release, the public may find some of the answers they were looking for.

The Pulse’s Dec. 5 public records request granted Knutson’s letter of resignation as well as performance evaluations, the employment contract at the time of his resignation and the Nov. 24 email stating his search for a new position.

Knutson sent an email to Superintendent Tina Van Meer and School Board President Anderson on the same morning of his resignation, stating, “I am informing you that I will be applying for a couple open positions. Nothing may come of the applications… both of you will be the first to know if a position is offered to me and I choose to accept.”

Later that morning, Knutson signed an “irrevocable” letter of resignation, effective immediately, and the school board approved it that night.

The resignation by the 17-year school administration veteran came as a shock to many, especially in light of the positive performance evaluations he received. Former Superintendent Stephen Seyfer commended Knutson for his dedication to student performance, instructional leadership and relationship with parents and the district. Current superintendent Van Meer also praised Knutson for his ability to implement new initiatives and his passion for education, comments she iterated in a letter of recommendation dated Dec. 1.

The Pulse received two resignation agreements. The first signed by Knutson and Van Meer on Nov. 24, said he would be entitled to his current rate of pay through June 30, 2015, would retain a single membership to the Northern Door YMCA also through June 30, 2015, and he would receive a $1,000 bonus identified in his 2014-15 contract.

Among documents the Pulse received from its Dec. 5 open records request is a resignation agreement signed by Knutson and Anderson on Dec. 8. It stipulates that Knutson’s salary of $113,306.93 will be paid through June 30, 2015, while giving him the option of 88 percent payment of health and dental insurance through August 2015.

The resignation also states that Knutson will not file any grievances related to the resignation and that both parties will not make disparaging comments toward one another.

Additionally, the parties agree that the employee’s resignation from the District was not for “misconduct” nor for “substantial fault” connected with his work.