Belle Vernon School Board Cuts Ties With Superintendent
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BELLE VERNON (KDKA) -- A crowd gathered outside the Belle Vernon School District Administration Building on Monday evening as the nine-member school board met in executive session.
The board was considering the fate of school Superintendent Dr. John Wilkinson.
KDKA's Andy Sheehan Reports:
Wilkinson was named superintendent in 2012.
As board members discussed his status, Wilkinson was not allowed into their conference room. He stood in the double doorway for more than an hour, occasionally talking on his cellphone.
Wilkinson came to Belle Vernon from the Baldwin Whitehall District. A month after he was hired, upon his recommendation, the school board hired a female school psychologist who worked with him in Whitehall. That raised some questions, but there were other questions, too. His job performance was also scrutinized.
KDKA's Lisa Washington Reports:
He was finally allowed in the conference room after about an hour.
Then, just before 10 o'clock, the Board allowed everyone inside. Wilkinson had already left the meeting.
Then, the board voted unanimously, 9-0, to accept his resignation with no discussion.
School District Solicitor Ira Weiss did not go into detail about the board's decision to cut ties with Wilkinson, but said it was in the district's best interest. Weiss said both parties agreed to the settlement, and under the school code, he would receive a year's salary of about $153,000.
