Grosse Pointe Schools Superintendent Jon Dean to leave the district

Grosse Pointe Public Schools Superintendent Jon Dean is leaving the district after the district's school board approved a separation agreement during Wednesday's meeting.

The board voted 4-2 on a separation agreement, the details of which were not immediately available on Wednesday evening.

Dean, in a letter to the community emailed as part of a news release late Wednesday night, wrote that his retirement from the district will be effective Sept. 1, but he will stay on to consult as the board searches for a new superintendent.

"I will continue to be a champion and supporter of this district. I am fortunate to have had the amazing opportunity to live and serve in this community," he said.

Board member Colleen Worden condemned the move to part ways with Dean, calling it a financially irresponsible decision. Board President Ahmed Ismail said the move could cost the district about $200,000, but the exact amount was not immediately made public.

"I'm devastated to see him leave after everything that he's given to the district," Worden said.

The announcement follows multiple other administrative resignations in the district: Daniel Hartley, director of secondary instruction; Stefanie Hayes, director of student services, and Rebecca Fannon, the district's communications lead, have all resigned in recent months, according to board documents. It's unclear why each resigned or why Dean resigned.

Dean has been superintendent since 2021, and previously worked as a deputy superintendent for the district starting in 2012. According to his contract, he received a base salary of $190,000 and was set to receive a base of $195,000 for the 2023-24 school year. In 2021, including retirement and other benefits, the superintendent made more than $289,000.

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Chris Fenton, a former deputy superintendent with the district, is poised to be appointed interim superintendent if Fenton can negotiate an agreement with the board. Both Worden and board member Valarie St. John said they believed the board did not operate transparently among all board members in choosing Fenton.

Lisa Papas, another board member, said she supported Fenton’s appointment.

“My concern is that we keep our operations running as smoothly as possible,” she said during the meeting.

The board also voted to open public comment at the end of the meeting, but the motion was struck down, 2-4.

Ismail said Dean came to the board with a proposal for a separation agreement and noted after the meeting concluded that Dean has decided to retire from K-12 education.

About 6,500 students attend Grosse Pointe schools. The district has, in recent years, bled students, leading to the shutdown of two elementary schools in 2019. In the 2013-14 school year, nearly 8,400 students attended district schools.

The district has experienced some upheaval over the last few years, between the closing of elementary schools and debates around whether the district should add a school health clinic at Grosse Pointe North High School.

Kelly Larson is a parent with the Alliance for Grosse Pointe Public Schools, an organization formed to create an inclusive environment for students during school board upheaval. At Wednesday's board meeting, she clutched a printout of a webpage showing school administrators.

"I printed out our administration page for this school system," she said. "And half of these folks are either leaving or gone."

Larson said the board has increasingly limited public comment, changing the period of public comment period during school board meetings to before the board votes on business rather than after.

The district recently reached a bargaining agreement with the district's teachers union for the 2023-24 school year.

The first day of school in Grosse Pointe is Sept. 6.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Grosse Pointe Schools Superintendent Jon Dean to leave district