Matteson D159 terminates finance director
Administrator began Virginia job while on paid leave from district
The Matteson Elementary School District 159 Board voted Oct. 9 to fire a finance director who began a new job July 1 in Virginia but still was collecting a salary while on paid leave in Matteson.
The action by the school board marked the third time since 2008 Demetria Brown was terminated by the district. She was placed on paid administrative leave in the spring, and in July the board approved a bill of particulars against her, laying the groundwork for a termination hearing which began in late September and culminated with the Oct. 9 meeting and vote.
The district has declined to provide details on the bill of particulars or grounds for Brown’s dismissal.
In a written statement, Brown said she was disappointed with the board’s decision, saying the board had previously reached terms for a settlement agreement with her.
“It is unfortunate that the board of education for Elementary School District 159 chose the dishonorable path of reneging on a settlement agreement that it proposed, voted upon and passed two weeks ago,” Brown’s wrote Oct. 11.
She declined to give details of the settlement agreement. Board attorney Matthew Walters previously said board members voted down a proposed settlement Sept. 28 and continued the termination hearing.
While on paid leave, Brown began work with a school district in Shenandoah County, Virginia, where Superintendent Mark Johnston said she was hired in June with a one-year contract that began July 1.
According to information the Southtown obtained through Freedom of Information Act, District 159 paid Brown$60,333 since her paid leave began May 1, with $37,899 of that paid since July 1, when Brown’s contract with the Virginia school district began. Brown’s annual salary with the Shenandoah County Public School system is $114,042 and she is eligible to receive up to $10,000 reimbursement for moving expenses, which as of late September she had not requested, Johnston said.
Brown defended her decision to remain employed byDistrict 159. “Had I resigned prior to having my hearing, I would not have had a legal right to a pre-termination due process hearing as a nonemployee,” she said in an email. “Furthermore, resigning would have been viewed as giving validity to the baseless disciplinary reasons that the superintendent provided to the board in support of her request to terminate my employment contract.”
Brown said her contract with in Virginia allows her to resign with two weeks notice and that shewas always available to return to District 159. She said she been asking District 159 Superintendent Mable Alfred for an administrative hearing sinceMay.
“Yes, it may look like I was collecting two paychecks, but I did not putmyself on paid administrative leave and I did not deny myself the hearing that I am rightfully entitled to,” she said.
Neither Walters nor Alfred returned calls asking about the most recent action.
Brown said she did not begin to have issues with Alfred until she wrote up a payroll clerk for what she described as errors in payroll. She said Alfred informed her she was rescinding the write up of the employee. Alfred then issued a disciplinary write up against Brown three days later, Brown said.
Issues continued with Alfred questioning why Brown never informed her or kept her abreast of plans to refinance bonds to save the district money. Brown flatly denies the allegation, saying Alfred was in the meeting where the bonds were discussed.
Brown was terminated from District 159 in 2008 and 2016 before being most recently rehired in 2019. In both termination instances, district superintendents cited instances of insubordination and misconduct, according to personnel records obtained by the Daily Southtown through Freedom of Information requests.
In each of the instances of her terminations, Brown sued the school district. Shortly after her termination in 2008, Brown ran for a seat on the school board and won. While serving on the school board, Brown sued the school district for her termination and eventually settled the lawsuit. Terms of the lawsuit have not been made available.
In 2013, she did not run for reelection but was rehired by the district. In a 2015 memo, then-Superintendent Barbara Mason wrote that it had become apparent that Brown was “unable to take direction” and accused Brown of presenting items to the school board in an effort to undermineMason’s authority.
In a written response to Mason’s 11-point plan for corrective action, Brown called the measures “ambiguous” andrequestedfurther refinement, records show.
The board chose not to renew Brown’s contract and in a 2016 lawsuit, Brown contends she was fired for voicing concerns about the district’s contract with an energy services provider.
The districtwas successful in having the lawsuit dismissed and court records show an appellate court upheld the ruling last year.
Brown maintains that her trouble with the district has stemmed from determination to stick to district policy.
“Where I think my employment with the district came to an end in each instance has to do with my unwillingness to ignore policy,” she said.
“Every single time Iwent back, I really thought things were going to be different,” she said.
She said she believes she has left the district in a better financial position than itwas in each time she worked for the district.
Brown said she plans to stay in the Virginia school district as long as the superintendent will allow her to work.
“They put the students and the community front andcenter in every decision they make and they are making sure that they abide by the policies and procedures that the board of education put into place,” she said. “That’s what I wanted in District 159 and I think it’s so unfortunate that that’s not the environment that I had.”