Bozeman School District votes in favor of superintendent s severance agreement
MTN News
and last updated 2021-01-21 16:42:31-05
In a short, eight-minute meeting Wednesday night, the Bozeman School District unanimously voted 8 to 0 in favor of a proposed severance agreement between the district and Superintendent Bob Connors.
According to the terms of the agreement, Connors will continue to be on administrative leave until Jan. 31, then he will be paid $290,568.72 to end his relationship and role with the Bozeman School District. That sum reflects a full payout of the salary he would have received from Feb. 1 through June 30, 2022, along with unused vacation and sick leave.
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The editorial in the Chronicle on Dec. 20 raises the question of the school district superintendent’s unexplained administrative leave. For taxpayers, the circumstances were puzzling initially but now it is
Bozeman schools will suffer a tangible loss when Deputy Superintendent Steve Johnson retires at the end of December. Johnsonâs is not exactly a household name as are those of more well-known local officials. But for the past 35 years, he has been a vital cog in the machinery of the school district and its notable successes.
And his departure comes at a critical time.
As deputy superintendent for operations, Johnson has consistently crunched the numbers that dictate district policy. His predictions of enrollment increases have been almost presciently accurate and have played a critical role in the planning for the many new schools constructed during his tenure. The reliability of the data he presented voters was crucial to winning those votersâ confidence in the schoolsâ administration and approval for funding new schools.
Two deputy superintendents with the Bozeman School District were formally elevated to interim co-superintendents, as Superintendent Bob Connors remains on administrative leave pending a performance review.
The school board approved Marilyn King, deputy superintendent of instruction, and Casey Bertram, deputy superintendent of curriculum and technology, to serve as co-superintendents.
The contract changes were included in a slate of personnel actions voted on in Mondayâs board meeting. The personnel actions passed unanimously.
The reason for their contract changes was cited as âadditional temporary administrative responsibilitiesâ in the documents.
King and Bertramâs contract changes added an additional $71/day for both of them. According to the personnel documents, the changes were effective Oct. 19 and will end no later than June 30, 2021.