From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to amend the employment contract with Dr. Pattie Neill and accepted her letter of resignation, effectively ending her service as TCS superintendent.
The vote came following an executive session to discuss potential pending litigation. After the executive session, board president Kathy Brown said the BOE had received Dr. Neill’s resignation letter.
“This is what’s in the best interest of our community and our students,” Kim DeShazo said of the resolution.
Neill and the BOE had been working together on a negotiated agreement for several weeks, according to multiple sources. The agreement avoids a potential lengthy and expensive legal battle.
The negotiated agreement gives Neill 12 months of salary and benefits and calls for her to serve in the role of advisor until Oct. 31, 2023. In this role, she will provide information to the Board in regard to past events for the purpose of resolving outstanding issues and any legal concerns that may arise.
Neill had at least three and a half years remaining on her contract, which included a salary in the $200,000 range as well as housing and auto allowances, insurance and retirement benefits. The BOE extended Neill’s contract to June 20, 2026, on April 28, 2022. The extension was approved by a 4-0 vote.
Neill was the second superintendent in TCS history. Her predecessor, Dr. Suzanne Freeman also negotiated an agreed settlement with the BOE when she stepped down in 2012. Freeman had four years remaining on her contract at the time and BOE members agreed to pay her for an additional three years of service.
On Sept. 30, Neill requested that the BOE place her on a 60-day paid leave of absence, which they agreed to. The request came at the beginning of a contentious board meeting that saw parents, students and citizens flood the board chambers with concerns of transparency and communication from the superintendents office. That followed a City Council meeting earlier in the week where citizens packed the council chambers expressing similar concerns.