The Weld RE-9 Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to fire Superintendent Troy Damman.
Damman only served five months in the role after the board hired him in June to replace former superintendent Robert Ring, who held the position for 17 years.
“The decision was made by the Board of Education after careful consideration of the district’s needs moving forward,” Board President Brian Fabrizius wrote to the Tribune. “While we are unable to go into specific details about the reasons for this decision, we can confirm that it was based on factors that are in the best interests of the district, our students, our staff and the community. We remain focused on maintaining the stability and ongoing success of our district during this transition.”
Fabrizius said the board “can only share certain information within the bounds of the applicable laws and regulations.”
However, at Tuesday’s monthly board meeting, Fabrizius informed the public that he spoke with multiple building principals and staff members about Damman’s performance over the past few months. According to Fabrizius, many felt Damman lacked leadership, providing no guidance or direction to staff.
Fabrizius also cited incidents of “inappropriate” remarks by Damman that offended people during meetings, but Fabrizius never shared any specifics with Tuesday’s crowd. Damman denied Fabrizius’ accusation, stating he never made any inappropriate comments during his time as superintendent.
“Sometimes it’s not a good fit … for both parties,” Damman told the Tribune on Wednesday. “In this situation, that’s what happened. That’s why the board has asked me to step away.”
At the monthly board meeting, Jill Althoff, a Weld RE-9 parent, voiced her apprehensions about the board’s process to decide on terminating his contract, specifically that the community had no say in the discussion.
Althoff wished the board would give Damman “a chance” to make needed changes in the school district. She said Damman faced early pushback when he brought in new ideas and a different leadership approach because people don’t like change.
The school district has experienced the same struggles, such as high staff turnover, for nearly two decades, Althoff said. She felt Damman could help turn things around if he had a “fair amount of time.”
Damman brought more than 37 years of education experience and an extensive background of working in rural school districts to the Weld RE-9 community, which covers Ault, Pierce, Carr and Nunn. Previously, he worked as a superintendent for 13 years in a rural school district in southeast Kansas, just over 130 miles from Topeka.
The Weld RE-9 community had a voice in which candidate — narrowed down to three finalists — would take over for Ring, providing feedback to the board after a meet-and-greet on June 17. The board then reviewed feedback and interviewed the finalists before quickly announcing Damman’s employment on June 19.
In the short-lived role, Damman took over efforts started under Ring’s leadership to pass an $88 million bond in November to build a new K-8 school. Initially, the bond issue appeared to fail but votes swung in favor by a 52-vote margin, according to Weld County’s final election results.
Fabrizius confirmed the superintendent’s buyout was $168,000, reflecting the employment agreement’s terms. During the original contract negotiation, the board landed on this buyout clause to protect Damman and the district in the event of an early termination, Fabrizius said.
The board has now entered the early stages of identifying an interim superintendent, according to the Facebook post. Board members hope to smoothly transition into next semester with a candidate in place when school resumes after winter break.
The Weld RE-9 community will receive updates as more information becomes available.
“The board sincerely thanks Mr. Damman for his service and contributions to our schools and community,” the board wrote. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
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