Casa Grande high school district removes superintendent without explanation
The Casa Grande Union High School District board selected Matthew Strom on Tuesday night as acting interim superintendent after removing Anna Battle as superintendent without cause last week.
Strom will serve in the acting role until an interim superintendent is selected. The board is set to start discussions on Thursday about negotiating with interim candidates.
After going into an hourlong, closed-door meeting on Jan. 31, the board voted 3-2 to terminate Battle's contract. The vote occurred during a five-minute public meeting that did not include an explanation as to why Board President Chuck Wright and members Steve Hayes and Steven Hunt decided Battle needed to go.
Wright declined to talk to The Arizona Republic, saying he wouldn't comment on personnel decisions. Hunt said he couldn't disclose what was discussed in the closed-door meeting. Hayes did not respond to The Republic's request for comment. Battle could not be reached.
The decision to remove Battle will cost the district more than $300,000 since the board moved to unilaterally terminate Battle's employment agreement before her three-year term ended in June 2025, according to a copy of the contract obtained by The Republic.
Board members Kelly Herrington and Taylor Kerby opposed Battle's removal and expressed support for her.
"This feels petty. This is not going to solve the problems of the district," Kerby said. "We are going to be dealing with unintended consequences, and I gotta say this, and I want to say this very clearly: I think if Dr. Battle looked a little more like me and a little less like a woman of color, we would not be having this discussion."
In a written statement to The Republic, Kerby said he felt anger over the decision to remove Battle.
Before casting her vote, Herrington said she was adamantly against ousting Battle. Herrington told The Republic she feels the decision was made because of situations that weren't Battle's fault.
She cited the teacher shortage, an issue not exclusive to the district, as one of the situations for which Battle was blamed.
"There was just a lot of chatter within the community that shed a negative light on her, unfortunately, and I think, honestly, that took over. A few board members felt the only correct decision would be to let her go and start fresh," Herrington said.
Herrington said there is a lot of "unspoken speculation" about whether racism was a factor in the decision and she couldn't say that it played a part.
"There is a perception, but I hope that's not the reason. I really don't. I mean, she is a wonderful lady; her heart is in the right place. It was always about the kids and the students" for Battle, Herrington said.
The removal of Battle as superintendent comes several months after tension in the Dysart Unified School District led to a resignation agreement between the district and former Superintendent Quinn Kellis. There had been disagreements over district operations, curriculum, teacher training and student support services.
The Dysart school board agreed to a severance payment to Kellis of $312,532.
Renata Cló covers K-12 education. Reach her at rclo@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Casa Grande high school district removes superintendent without cause
