116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Future uncertain for Ewell, Mount Vernon schools in wake of resignation
N/A
Apr. 23, 2013 4:30 pm
Superintendent Pam Ewell's resignation from the Mount Vernon Community School District on Monday is the beginning of a unsure period for both the administrator and her now former school system.
Ewell announced her decision to leave her post following a closed-session discussion about the terms of her employment during a regular board meeting. Her current contract, her second two-year agreement with the district, was set to end on Sunday, June 30. Board members voted 5-2 to approve her resignation, with Paul Morf and John Cochrane dissenting. Her time in the district will conclude at the end of her current contract, which included a salary of $124,989 for the first year as well as $10,710 for employee benefits and a $6,000 annually paid annuity.
"I'm not discouraged. I'm really not," Ewell said following the meeting. "Four years is a pretty good term."
The board does not have a formal plan or timeline to replace to Ewell, but agreed to meet at 7 p.m. Monday, April 29 to discuss details.
At least one member is optimistic about the future.
"I'm confident this is a community that will participate in the next steps," said Virginia Roudabush, who was elected to the board in 2011 and voted to approve Ewell's resignation. "We will continue to move forward in the best interest of the students."
Not everyone in Mount Vernon shares that positive outlook. Jennifer Holub Tischer, a counselor at Mount Vernon Community Middle School and a Ewell supporter, called the dynamic around the situation "horrific" and "extremely dysfunctional."
Tischer, who also spoke during the public comment portion of Monday's meeting, has three sons in the school district and said it is difficult for her to consider keeping them enrolled given the atmosphere.
"The process that I perceive to have taken place here was just not right and really saddening," she said. "It's really tough to swallow."
Tischer echoed the comments of others who attended Monday night's meeting in saying that she felt a decision not to renew Ewell's contract was made long before Ewell ultimately delivered her resignation. Some took issue with how Ewell handled an incident involving a former Washington Elementary School principal's physical conduct with students while others praised her work on rebuilding the community following the suicides of three students during the 2010-11 school year.
Speakers on both sides voiced displeasure at a perceived lack of transparency with the board and Ewell, claims Roudabush pushed back against later.
"I think this is a very civil and open exchange of ideas and we are honoring Dr. Ewell's resignation in accepting it," she said.
Kristi Keast, a music teacher at Washington Elementary, stated support for the board's actions and felt that the members communicated openly.
"They do a very good job of representing the community," she said. "They really do have the best needs of the students in mind."
Ewell has applied for administrative positions with other school districts, including a superintendent opening in the Carlisle Community School District, but declined to offer further detail. According to unapproved meeting minutes, the school board has voted to offer that position to candidate other than Ewell.
The administrator voiced excitement about her next career opportunity and Mount Vernon's current position, even though she expressed that she would've ideally spent seven years in the district, "because sustained change takes that long."
"You never know the length of your tenure," she said when asked if this is how she predicted her time in Mount Vernon would end. "There's part of you that knows when it's time to pass the baton."
Pam Ewell, Superintendent Mount Vernon school district