STEWART, Ohio — At a special meeting Tuesday, June 24, the Federal Hocking Local Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a separation agreement with controversial Superintendent Jason Spencer, effective June 25.
The board also unanimously voted to make Lindy Douglas, the superintendent of the Athens-Meigs Educational Service Center, the district’s interim superintendent.
“The Federal Hocking Local School District and Superintendent Jason Spencer have reached a mutual agreement to part ways,” Spencer and the board said in a prepared joint statement. “This decision reflects a shared understanding and respect for the evolving needs of the district and Superintendent Spencer’s desire to be closer to his family in pursuing other professional opportunities closer to home.”
At the meeting, board members declined an audience member’s request for information on how much the separation with Spencer would cost the district, stating they would need to speak with the district attorney before answering.
Board president Kerry Sheridan-Boyd declined the Independent’s follow-up request for comment on the matter. She said board members would not comment on the separation beyond the prepared statement.
The Independent requested a copy of the separation agreement with Spencer, as well as communication between Spencer and the board, though that request was not fulfilled by press time.
Spencer served as superintendent for just under a year. But regarding the board’s decision to part ways with Spencer, one district parent, Chrissy Holiday, said, “It’s about time.”
Spencer came to the district with a rocky job history elsewhere, frequently bouncing between jobs and ending a two-year tenure at one district with a ban from stepping foot on campus.
His time at Fed Hock hasn’t been exactly smooth, either. As WOUB reported, Spencer experienced tension with other district leaders from the beginning, and teachers have repeatedly expressed frustration over issues such as cancelled field trips and changes in expectations for how to voice concerns with leadership.
Spencer sought a separation agreement with the district in November 2024, amid the controversy over cancelled field trips. However, he ultimately backed down from his intent to leave the district at that time.
This past spring, Spencer also came under fire for his social media conduct and for the district’s decision to remove high school principal Jake Amlin, which prompted student protests. A subsequent decision to lay off teachers also resulted in community backlash.
At the June 17 board meeting, Spencer reported that all teachers whose positions were eliminated as part of the district’s reduction in force had been placed into positions for the 2025–26 school year.
“We successfully reduced our budget by over a half million dollars, kept the same programming, and did not lose any of our staff who were RIF’d,” Spencer reported at the June 17 meeting, according to board documents. “We are very proud of the work done to meet our district financial goals and maintain our current programs.”
Yet, maintaining staff was not enough to assuage community concerns.
“He brought our district down,” Holliday, a parent in the district, told the Independent at the June 24 meeting. “I’m just here for the teachers and for my kids –– we love this district. I have four kids that are all straight A students, and that’s because of the teachers.”
A district employee who spoke to the Independent at the meeting and requested anonymity due to employment concerns, told the Independent they are concerned about “the future of the school.”
The employee said they believe Spencer was “trying to do a good thing” in addressing the district’s financial situation, “but I think he went about it wrong.”
“He made people mad at him,” the employee said, adding their fear that with Spencer at the helm, “We couldn’t get people together to get tax levies, stuff like that.”
The joint statement from Spencer and the board said, “Both parties believe this transition will allow the district to move forward in a positive and productive manner, continuing its commitment to educational excellence and community engagement.”
“The Board of Education thanks Superintendent Spencer for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” the statement continued.
Douglas, the district’s new interim superintendent, said, “I’m very happy to serve that district and work with the board and move the district forward.”
Douglas said she will fill the position temporarily amid the district’s search for a replacement and will split her time between the district and the Athens Meigs Educational Service Center, working longer days to continue serving the ESC without interruption.
She comes to the district after facing her own controversial ouster from her superintendent position at the Alexander Local School District in 2022, as the Athens Messenger reported. She has served as superintendent of the Athens Meigs Educational Service Center for about one year, according to her LinkedIn.
Douglas said she will know more about next steps for the Federal Hocking district after she meets with the board next week.
The Federal Hocking Local Schools Board of Education meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the library at Federal Hocking High School, 8461 SR 144, Stewart.
Note: This story has been updated since its initial publication to include comment from Douglas.
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