Under the emergency situation, the school district may break employment contracts and terminate employees even if they are performing well.
Trustees voted 6-1 on Feb. 9 to grant the exigency, with John Kirchhoff voting against.
Many of the teaching and administrative positions within the district are contractual, meaning people are hired for determined periods of time. At the end of the contract the board has the option to renew, extend or cancel the contract.
However, by passing the exigency the board has another option. Within the contract there is an obligation that the district may not break the contract before its expiration unless the district has declared financial exigency, which it has. The exigency, said Karl Kacir, assistant superintendent of operations for the district, allows the district to break the contract and terminate employment “even if the employee is performing well.”
