From The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction): A former choir teacher at Grand Junction High School under police investigation resigned her position earlier this month, conditioned on the approval of a settlement with a confidentiality agreement that paid her $27,760 and gave her other considerations, according to records provided to The Daily Sentinel under the Colorado Open Records Act.
School District 51 declined to explain to the newspaper its payout to the former teacher, Marcia Wieland, and released her settlement agreement only after the threat of a lawsuit, which followed multiple queries and denied records requests over the past two weeks.
When asked to specify what the $27,760 figure accounts for, such as regular wages, accrued vacation or other benefits, District 51 spokesman Dan Dougherty said that District 51 “is not at liberty to provide public explanations” for the payment. Dougherty instead pointed to a section of the settlement saying, “the parties desire to conclude Wieland’s employment and resolve the employment relationship amicably …”
“Unfortunately,” Dougherty said Monday, “release of the agreement does not give us latitude to share additional details or comments regarding its terms.”
The deal was signed by Wieland on Dec. 2 and District 51 Superintendent Steve Schultz on Dec. 9. The District 51 School Board formally accepted Wieland’s resignation at its regular meeting Dec. 16. Wieland’s resignation letter says her departure “is conditioned upon the District’s approval and execution of the Separation Agreement that I have signed and tendered herewith.” Dougherty has told the Sentinel that Wieland was paid $13,873 during the period of Aug. 15 to Nov. 30, accounting for time she was on paid administrative leave.
Authorities have not confirmed the nature of an ongoing Grand Junction Police Department investigation focused on Wieland. The fifth District 51 teacher over a nine-month period to be investigated by law enforcement, Wieland was placed on paid administrative leave Aug. 15.
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