Jac-Cen-Del School Board Fires Superintendent

School board members voted 3-0 to remove Superintendent Dr. Leanna Phillippe from her position Tuesday.
School board members voted 3-0 to remove Superintendent Dr. Leanna Phillippe from her position Tuesday.

The superintendent of Jac-Cen-Del Community Schools was fired Tuesday night after the board held a special session.

Three of the five school board members unanimously agreed to relieve Dr. Leanna Philippe of her job duties. One board member refrained from voting and another was not present at the meeting.

Forty-five local residents packed the library of Jac-Cen-Del Elementary School on Tuesday evening.

The public meeting was adjourned just minutes after it began, as several crowd members expressed frustration they were unable to speak to the board or get an explanation of why the superintendent was being fired prior to the decision being handed down.

A school board must advertise a public meeting to legally make a decision such as terminating the contract of a superintendent. The statute does not dictate they must field questions from crowd members.

School board members affirmed that a report will soon be released which will detail the allegations against Phillippe.

Board member Deanna Young held back tears expressing to the crowd, “This has not been easy. This has been very tough. I have known Leanna almost all of my life. So, as you sit out there and you are mad, and I understand that, this has been very very hard.”

“This is how it has to be done. I know if I was out there I would be mad too.”

Former Jac-Cen-Del Superintendent Bill Narwold has accepted the school corporations lead administrator position on an interim basis.

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