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Parents and former staff criticize Lakeland board’s handling of superintendent leave, warn levies will suffer
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Summary
Multiple public commenters accused the Lakeland District board of eroding trust after it placed Superintendent Rusty Taylor on paid administrative leave and, according to speakers, agreed to a roughly $200,000 payout; commenters urged more transparency before an upcoming levy vote.
Megan Hall, a parent and community member, told the Lakeland District board that repeated unanswered emails and hostile meetings have broken community trust and made voters unlikely to approve new levies. “This district cannot remain stable without both the plant facilities levy to keep buildings safe and a supplemental levy to support programs,” Hall said, adding that “levies only pass when voters believe their money will be handled responsibly.”
Several other patrons said the board’s recent personnel actions have damaged credibility. Allison Knoll, speaking on behalf of “84 former employees and patrons,” said the district paid out the superintendent’s contract at a reported cost of $200,000 and accused trustees of taking “vindictive action” without documented misconduct. “If performance was an issue, it should have been documented,” Knoll said. Aaron Gaskill urged the board to publish “a fuller explanation of the resignation and the persons who are wasting our money,” and warned that heavily redacted public records make the district vulnerable to legal challenges.
Trustees had limited public response at the meeting. Chair (speaker S1) told the room that state law constrains what the board can disclose about personnel matters: “State law prevents us from sharing information about the performance of a public employee,” S1 said, and added that the board would not answer questions about the decision to place the former superintendent on administrative leave. That limitation was the board’s stated reason for declining to provide more detail during the public-comment period.
Why it matters: Commenters tied the personnel action and the board’s handling of records to the district’s ability to win voter support for levies. Several speakers urged the board to increase transparency and engage the public before the district asks patrons for more tax dollars.
What speakers said (selection): • Megan Hall (S6): “That trust has been broken… If that work cannot happen under the current leadership, then it may be time to consider resigning.” • Allison Knoll (S5): “We are deeply troubled by the board’s decision to place superintendent Rusty Taylor on administrative leave and payout his contract at the cost of $200,000.” • Aaron Gaskill (S10): “I want to know why we’re paying a superintendent not to work for us… Send out another letter which includes both transparency and accountability.”
Clarifying details and limits: The $200,000 figure was stated by a commenter during the public-comment period and has not been independently verified in the meeting record. One commenter’s remark about the district asking patrons for “$3,000,000,000” appears in the transcript and is likely a transcription or verbal error; the article reports it as stated during the meeting rather than asserting that amount as fact.
Next steps: Trustees did not take formal action on the leave during public comment; later in the meeting the board entered executive session and, after returning, took separate personnel action regarding the clerk (see related coverage of board actions).
