Former Bartlett High School principal Michael Demovsky will be paid through June 30 and receive a $50,000 severance payment from School District U-46 rather than fight his demotion or take a teaching position.
The settlement deal was approved at a special U-46 School Board meeting Monday night at which Demovsky had been scheduled to counter accusations that he wrongly changed students’ grades, which led to his removal as principal, a job he held for 16 years. Demovsky’s lawyer has said he followed district policies when he allowed students to have their grades amended by doing additional work.
“This agreement includes a release of all claims in connection with Michael Demovsky’s employment,” U-46 Chief Legal Officer Trisha Olson said.
Demovsky will remain on administrative leave until the last day of the 2023-24 school year, with his resignation effective that day.
Demovsky and his attorney, Steven Glink, did not attend the meeting. However, after the agreement was approved, Glink said in a phone call that the principal continues to maintain he did nothing that violated standing district pracice.
“We still believe he didn’t do anything illegal or inappropriate,” he said. “He was not the first person in the district to do this.”
Glink also said he believed the resolution was in the best interest of both his client and the school district. Were it to advance to legal action, it could take years to come to a conclusion and would require many witnesses to be called, including students and staff, he said.
“There would be risk on both sides,” Glink said.
School Board President Sue Kerr said the agreement precluded the need to hold a public hearing on the matter.
“The settlement came after considerable deliberation. All decisions leading up to the settlement were not taken lightly by the board of education,” Kerr said.
Dawn Martin, a Bartlett resident, was the only board member to vote against the agreement. While respecting the majority’s opinion, she said, she would have preferred moving ahead with the the original decision to return Demovsky to a teaching position.
“While we are ready to support our students who might be affected by this matter, I understand that not every impact to students and staff is completely reparable,” Martin said.
Board member Melissa Owens, also a Bartlett resident, said she knows the public would like more information on what happened but they are restricted in what they can say.
“While often unsatisfying to the public at large, to the extent possible School District U-46 necessarily holds to a high standard of confidentiality in employment matters,” Owens said. “I do want to acknowledge the many contributions Mr. Demovsky has made to this district.”
Demovsky was placed on leave in March while an investigation was conducted into some of his “administrative practices.” He was officially discharged from his job and reclassified as a teacher at the April 8 School Board meeting.
As for Demovsky’s future, Glink said the educator will most likely will wait until the end of the school year to assess what he might do next.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.