STEWART, Ohio — Federal Hocking Local Schools will pay Jason Spencer $70,000 to be its ex-superintendent, according to a copy of a separation agreement the Independent received through a public records request.
The $70,000 payment included accrued unused paid time off.
Spencer’s separation with the district took effect June 15 and followed a year of controversy. Teachers repeatedly expressed frustration over issues such as cancelled field trips and changes in expectations for how to voice concerns with leadership.
Additionally, students staged a walk-out after Spencer recommended that the board fire then-high school principal Jake Amlin; Amlin is now suing the district to get his job back.
Separation agreement
Spencer’s separation agreement with the district includes several items beyond the $70,000 payment.
Spencer agreed to waive any legal claims against the district. The agreement includes a clause that specifically states that Spencer waives any age discrimination claims against the district.
The agreement also says “the Board will not proceed with investigation” into matters related to Spencer’s employment “unless required to do so by law,” though apparent typos in that section of the agreement make it unclear whether any investigation was actually underway.
Additionally, the board agreed to provide Spencer a “neutral reference letter that specifies his position held and dates employed.”
The agreement does not provide clarity on why Spencer and the district ultimately parted, but does include a clause related to how Spencer and the board agreed to speak about the separation:
“The Board and Employee agree to communicate to the public that [the] Employee’s departure from the Board is due to the Employee’s desire to pursue other opportunities and be closer to his family. The Board is sympathetic to such needs and is agreeable to allowing the Employee to resign.”
The language in that clause was reflected in a joint statement issued by the board and Spencer.
Tense communication in Spencer’s final weeks
Emails obtained via public records request by the Independent show how Spencer butted heads with board members and school leaders in the weeks prior to the June 24 separation agreement.
On June 5, a Federal Hocking school leadership staff member wrote to Spencer to express concern about the lack of recent leadership meetings, copying board president Kerry Sheridan-Boyd.
Regarding the staff member’s concerns, Spencer wrote to Sheridan-Boyd, “They continue not to tell the truth in order to smear me.”
A few days later, on June 8, Spencer wrote to Sheridan-Boyd regarding the district’s search for a high school guidance counselor. Spencer expressed concern about delays in the hiring process.
“It’s crucial for us to be aligned on personnel and disciplinary matters,” Spencer wrote. “My concern is that decisions are being made without my input as Superintendent, which hinders my ability to effectively lead the district. Let’s discuss how we can improve communication and collaboration moving forward.”
Sheridan-Boyd did not respond to the Independent’s request to comment for this story.
Former principal’s lawsuit
Meanwhile, the district is continuing to deal with fallout from Spencer’s decisions as superintendent.
Amlin, the former Federal Hocking High School principal, is suing the district to either keep his job, or receive a financial payment for an alleged contract violation.
Amlin’s lawsuit claims that the district did not provide him a required evaluation in the 2023–24 school year. As a result, Amlin argues that his contract should be automatically extended “at least through the 2025–’26 school year,” per Ohio law. The lawsuit also states that the district does not intend to honor a contract for the next school year “because it does not believe the contract was automatically extended.”
On April 15, the Federal Hocking Board of Education voted 4-1 not to renew Amlin’s contract on Spencer’s recommendation. At its meeting on July 15, the board approved the creation of an additional fifth-grade teaching position at Amesville Elementary and awarded the contract for the position to Amlin.
As WOUB reported, Amlin and Spencer had a rocky relationship from Spencer’s early days as superintendent. Amlin suggested that the district cancel school on the first day of classes to honor an educator’s death. Spencer declined and apparently viewed Amlin’s subsequent communication about the issue as insubordination.
The Federal Hocking Local Schools Board of Education meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. Its next regular meeting will be held Aug. 19 in the library at Federal Hocking High School, 8461 SR 144, Stewart.
The board will hold a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, July 31, to interview candidates for interim superintendent. That meeting will be held in the high school library.
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