You have to read this.
The Brookings Register has a bombshell of a story regarding Brookings School Superintendent Klint Willert. Apparently he was allowed to resign, because the alternative was him being fired by the School Board.
Outgoing Brookings School Superintendent Dr. Klint Willert was in the midst of being forced to resign or be terminated for cause by the Brookings School Board when recent accreditation issues added fuel to the fire, according to public documents released Tuesday morning.
According to the letter, sent from the board’s attorney, Rich Helsper, to Willert — and dated March 8 — Willert’s written evaluation from the board was poor and he was offered the choice to resign on the board’s terms and receive next year’s salary, resign immediately and receive nothing, or be terminated for cause.
and..
Willert abruptly resigned as superintendent — effective June 2 — at a hastily called special meeting of the school board last week.
Go read the entire story here.
There was a quote from Willert in the story, which was somewhat prescient. “While this resignation is unconventional,” he said then, “it is what is deemed concurrent with current school board members’ goals for the District.”
Apparently their goals must have been getting him out of there.
With outgoing Superintendent Willert set to receive next year’s salary, what kind of golden parachute does that provide him with as he exits the district?
Willert Release and Settlement by Pat Powers on Scribd
Willert is set to receive the money owed for compensation for next year, which is $189,056 – but no further benefits – to be paid in 4 installments on July 31, October 31, January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2024.
But the real meat in this document (which they would not e-mail me, they insisted it had to be picked up, and there was actually a line at 10am when they released it) are in the exhibits. First and foremost, the letter from the School Attorney which laid out the things where the district was unhappy with his performance.
Willert Ultimatum by Pat Powers on Scribd
This letter is devastating, and lays out the case from the School District why they were dissatisfied with his performance. Literally more than three pages of it. Here’s one of the single biggest items that stands out.
Finally, I, along with Keli Books and Wesley Tschetter, met with you on February 21, 2023, in your office (I was on a conference phone). The only topic of discussion was the preparation of your last two contracts dated December 16, 2020, and June 27, 2022. The meeting lasted approximately 1.5 hours. The Board has no idea how the preparation of the December 16, 2020, contract went from the Board’s duly appointed law firm, i.e. Helsper, McCarty & Rasmussen, P.C., to the Rodney Freeman Law Firm in November 2020 after the Helsper Law Finn had been working on your contract since February 2020. On December 14, 2020, the Helsper Law Finn was asked to review the contract prepared by Rodney Freeman and, in written letters and e-mails to the Board and to you, said in no uncertain terms the Freeman contract should not be used. However, you signed the Freeman contract on December 16, 2020, and persuaded the Board Chair, Deb Debates, to also sign it on December 16, 2020. You did not advise our lawyer that the Freeman contract was used. In fact, in 2022, you had staff member Laura Gerjets make revisions to the Freeman contract and again, without telling anyone nor having our attorney review it, you signed it and asked Board President Heermann to sign which she did.
The Board has lost faith and trust in your ability to lead the District for the reasons mentioned above. It is the consensus of the Board that changes must be made for the good of the District.
and..
The Board is offering this proposal because the members do recognize the good work you have done in the past but substantial problems as set forth have developed in the last few years. In the Board’s collective opinion, there are more than adequate grounds to terminate you for cause under the present contract.
WOW. If there was one thing that stands out, this was pretty egregious.
I don’t know that I agree with them that it’s only been the last few years.. but that’s what they are hanging their hat on. And it’s pretty strong stuff.
It looks like whomever the District chooses to bring in, they will have a lot to clean up.
Klint Willert is a complete disgrace
Did the ” search committee” hire him? If so, the school board should not consider them for hire.
The superintendent persuaded the school board president to sign his contract? How does that happen? Sounds like part of the problem should also be laid at the feet of school board members.
School board member at 12:51… Spot on. Regardless, it looks like this Willert has skated for a while and no one called him on it. And why the district would want the ex-husband around the house for two more months is a mystery.
It appears to be worth it to the district to pay 189,000 dollars to turn the page and move on. Firing the guy would have brought about a law suit and would only prolong the agony. Obviously, they need to find a staff member who can write a prescient sentence or two and get into compliance with the State. The fact that they tried to call the State’s bluff on the issue of non certified teachers is indicative of the larger teacher shortage problem which apparently effects even districts as large and wealthy as Brookings.
Turn the page so the voters don’t know the extent of the stench with $189,000 of education dollars that could go to students and teachers. WTH?
As someone who had kids in the district and since moved them. Brookings has tourney so left wing liberal it’s likely difficult to be an executive who is not left wing. During Covid the ridiculousness occuring at brooking due to the school board was more than I could take to the detriment of many kids. I know many who left. Brookings left wing policies will only see more leave
🙄
Ms. DeBates should resign. Heerman is no longer, oh wait, she’s now in the legislature. They are responsible for keeping this clown. Newer board members had nothing to do with it, but as a board president, why wouldn’t you be asking questions and checking up on things. The current board member is new and too young. Looks like criminal background checks should be thorough. The rumor mill says he had some trouble in Marshall Mn too.
I don’t know that I fault the board presidents who signed it, as I’m sure they believed it was the proper one. I don’t think they engaged in being deceptive, based on the atty’s letter.
They just don’t want a republican on the school board which is stupid