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Fairfield board OKs several administrative moves

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By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer 9:24 PM Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Board of Education made a number of administrative changes Wednesday night, June 10, during a meeting that divided board members.

The board voted 3-2 to accept the resignation of Intermediate School Principal Gayle Niehaus and appointed West Elementary Principal Roger Martin to replace her. It also approved North Elementary School Assistant Principal Dan Jeffers to take over as principal of West Elementary.

The votes came after an executive session that lasted nearly two hours. Board members Diana Bailey and Arnold Engel said would not accept the resignation of Niehaus.

“I won’t be voting for this,” Bailey said. “I don’t think that under the circumstances that Dr. Niehaus was given adequate options to finish out her two year contract with the district. She has 28 years in as an educator, 20 of them in Fairfield. I think after that much time and dedication this board could have worked out some options to offer her to stay with the district and let her finish out her contract. I don’t think we’re willing to do that, At least not all of us.”

Engel agreed and spoke of the rough year Niehaus has had losing her husband and both parents.

“As a board member, I would have liked to have given her additional time to reconsider her decision,” he said.

Member Mark Morris disagreed and said she was offered a two-year contract and it would have been honored had she decided to stay.

“Gayle’s gone through a lot this past year,” he said. “I certainly feel for her. She had the option of finishing out her two years. She has chosen to retire and I think the board needs to respect her decision.”

The board voted 4-0 with Engel abstaining on appointing Martin and Jeffers to new posts.

The board also approved David Helms from the Butler County Educational Service Center as the assistant principal for Fairfield High School. He will replace the position vacated by Josh Kauffman, who the district hired last year.

The district recently named Billy Smith as principal of FHS to replace Paul Waller, who also resigned this year. In addition, East Elementary School Principal Preston Johnson and Kindergarten Center Principal Susan Lindberg went back to the classroom, prompting two more administrative moves.

Also to leave this year are Athletic Director Jim Sherard and Assistant Athletic Director Randy Hambrick.

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