Update: Dispatch acquires copy of assistant superintendent
Michael Lyon’s contract, now posted to web
Update: Dispatch acquires copy of assistant superintendent Michael Lyon’s contract, now posted to web
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the school district’s Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources had not returned the signed settlement of his resignation to the district office. Superintendent Deborah Flores said she expected to have the agreement by the end of Wednesday.
Gilroy Unified School District board of trustees president, Rhoda Bress, announced the approval of a settlement agreement of resignation with Assistant Superintendent Michael Lyons at last Thursday night’s board meeting. It’s Wednesday and the agreement is not finalized until it’s back in the district’s hands with Lyons’ signature.
The terms of the agreement dictate that Lyons will tender his resignation Oct. 30, 2008 or when he obtains alternative employment, whichever occurs first. He will immediately be placed on a medical leave of absence pending his resignation. Lyons will be paid during his leave, Bress said. Lyons was never on probation as there was no probation period built into his contract, Bress added.
“After careful deliberation, the board of education has decided that acceptance of this settlement is in the best interest of the Gilroy Unified School District,” Bress said at the board meeting.
GUSD is currently in the process of replacing another assistant superintendent position that will be left vacant by Steve Brinkman’s departure Feb. 4. Flores and the board have decided to conduct only one assistant superintendent search at a time. Replacing the assistant superintendent of business services takes first priority in the face of the impending budget crisis, Flores said.
An insurance policy is built in to the district’s contract with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the search firm that was used to fill Lyons’ position, Bress said. The terms dictate that the firm will do another search free of charge. However, the board does not plan to fill the position immediately.
“We are trying to mitigate the costs of this situation,” Bress said. “We have no plans to hire someone else at this point. We don’t have the money to pay someone else, not in light of the current budget crisis.”
Superintendent Deborah Flores will assume responsibility for any issues pertaining to human resources, pending further notice.
Also check out: A full story about the lawsuits Lyons faces.
