Current Manawa Elementary School principal Megan Yeska, whose resignation was accepted by the Manawa School Board at a meeting, Jan. 28, was not going to have a contract extended to her for the 2013-14 school year.
A week prior to the board accepting her resignation it had met in closed session toward the end of its monthly meeting, Jan. 21. The agenda for the closed session included: 1)Final Teacher Non-Renewal Notices and 2)Administrator Evaluations 3)Approve Administrator’s Contracts for 2013-2014 and 4)Administrator Benefits.”
According to the board minutes from the Jan. 21 meeting, when the board reconvened in open session it acted on five items, one of which was to approve a one-year administrator’s contract to Yeska for 2013-14. The motion was defeated 4-3, with David Strebe, Randy Rosin, Kurt Kreklow and Paul Sturm voting nay.
Four days later an agenda was sent to the media regarding a special school board meeting to be held Jan. 28. The only item on the agenda was, “Administrator Resignation.”
As reported in the County Post East, after meeting for more than an hour in closed session, the board voted unanimously to accept Yeska’s resignation, effective the end of the current school year. Corinne Zielke and Rosin were absent from this meeting.
In a follow-up interview, Dombrowki was asked what the significance was of the school board accepting Yeska’s resignation, when it wasn’t going to offer her a contract for next year.
“It’s really Megan’s choice however she wants to do this,” Dombrowski said. “She just chose to resign rather than take it as a not-to-extend the contract.”
When asked if the administration had a recommendation regarding offering Yeska a 2013-14 contract Dombrowski responded, “That was in closed session and we can’t divulge that.”
The County Post East filed an open records request to obtain a copy of the document that Yeska and representatives from the school board signed at the conclusion of the Jan. 28 meeting. The document is titled, “Agreement of Resignation and Release of Claims.”
Part of the agreement involves the district agreeing to Yeska’s resignation “in Lieu of non-renewal, but not for misconduct as it relates to a claim for unemployment insurance benefits.”
Yeska’s resignation is effective June 30. All district benefits will also cease on that day. Her last official working day is May 31, “with no additional compensation for accrued vacation days during the 2012-2013 school year beyond the twenty days currently accrued, less any vacation days taken between the date of the agreement and May 31, 2013.”