School board, East Gibson superintendent reach agreement 'concluding' his employment

OAKLAND CITY, Ind. — The East Gibson school board formally inked an agreement with its superintendent Thursday afternoon that will see him fired for poor performance.

The superintendent, James Allen Wilson, was arrested in Vanderburgh County Saturday morning for allegedly crashing his vehicle while under the influence of prescription drugs. On Monday, Wilson failed to appear at his first court hearing to face misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated.

Wilson had been notified of the school board's intent to seek his termination prior to his arrest, on Aug. 14, according to a formal agreement publicly released at the conclusion of Thursday's meeting.

Board members held the public meeting in a crowded lecture room at Wood Memorial High School, during which they affirmed that Wilson would be terminated as the East Gibson superintendent — though he will receive pay and benefits for the next three months.

As of Aug. 14, Wilson had a 10-day deadline to request a hearing before the board, according to school board attorney Jason Spindler. Through his attorney, Wilson requested the hearing, but both sides agreed to a resolution. Before Thursday's meeting, Spindler said Wilson signed an agreement to resolve his employment status.

The board publicly approved that agreement Thursday, but members did not take questions from the public audience or respond to statements attendees made during a brief public comment period.

Days before Wilson's arrest, WFIE-NBC14 News reported that he had been barred from East Gibson school property ― a claim officials were reluctant to verify. Only after Wilson was arrested for a second time Monday, on a charge that he failed to appear in court, did the board confirm Wilson had agreed not to enter school grounds prior to his arrest.

During the public comment period, some meeting attendees voiced concern that board members failed to adequately communicate with parents regarding Wilson's employment status and his subsequent arrest.

"You could have said something," one speaker said. "I don't want it to feel like a personal attack... But this is ridiculous — the lack of communication."

Another speaker criticized officials for communicating through the media rather than with parents directly.

According to a copy of Wilson's termination agreement, which the board provided to reporters and the public, Wilson has agreed to "irrevocably" resign from his position as superintendent. The board in turn has stated its intention to hire an interim replacement.

In exchange for signing the termination document, Wilson has agreed not to sue the school corporation or its board, assuming he receives pay from August through November. He will also receive his employee benefits, though he cannot receive any additional compensation for unused sick days or vacation days.

Additionally, both Wilson and board members are barred from making any "disparaging comments" about each other.

"The board and Mr. Wilson, through their respective counsel, negotiated the terms of an agreement under which he would voluntarily resign," the agreement states. "The board has approved those terms as set forth in a written document, and that document is public record. Neither board members nor Mr. Wilson will have any future public comment about the matter."

Spindler told the Courier & Press that Wilson's termination for alleged poor performance does not pertain to any criminal matter or other investigation. Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven has also publicly stated his office is not investigating any member of the school corporation.

Spindler told the Courier & Press that Wilson, prior to his arrest, had voluntarily agreed he would not come onto East Gibson school property.

"It had nothing to do with concerns over what risk he may expose our student body to," Spindler said. "Nothing at all... It's like if you work at a bank − or a lot of places − and you get terminated, you get escorted out, you turn over your keys, you turn over your key fob, and you're escorted out of the property."

Spindler further clarified that the agreement had nothing to do with Wilson doing anything "wrong" that would make him a danger to students or school property.

After Wilson's initial arrest, he posted bond at the Vanderburgh County jail and was released on his own recognizance. According to court records, police in Gibson County arrested Wilson for a second time on Monday after he failed to attend his initial hearing.

In the days since, a Vanderburgh County judge has ordered Wilson to attend a drug and alcohol treatment center in Bloomington, Indiana, and ordered him to appear in court again in September.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: East Gibson school board fires James Wilson from superintendent post