By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Marion schools will pay former superintendent Aaron Homburg $62,498.40 for his resignation, ratified Thursday by the school board. Payment is due by July 8.

Sheriff Jeff Soyez will be at the school district office at 4 p.m. today to stand by while Homburg collects his personal possessions from his office and returns district property.

Homburg’s resignation was submitted Wednesday to school board president Nick Kraus after numerous closed-session meetings.

A settlement agreement between the school board and Homburg, obtained by the Record after submitting an open records request, said the separation agreement resolved “all issues which have existed and may exist between” Homburg and the school board.

The settlement agreement also imposes a gag order regarding the reasons for Homburg’s resignation. Homburg was with the district five years.

According to the agreement, the district will provide only the dates of Homburg’s employment; his level of pay; job description and duties; wage history; and that he voluntarily resigned at the end of his 2021-2022 contract.

Whatever brought about Homburg’s departure took place since January, when the school board extended Homburg’s contract by another three years. That contract was not mentioned in the settlement.

As part of the settlement agreement, Homburg waives any civil, criminal, equitable action, or any other claims for relief.

The agreement also bars the school district from bringing any claims, demands, lawsuits, obligations, agreements, or liabilities of any kind against Homburg.

“The parties agree to a mutual confidentiality clause to prohibit disclosure of any details concerning Homburg’s employment or separation beyond the members of the board, the board clerk, any staff members who need to know to process payment . . . except as may be required by the terms of this settlement agreement and release, the Kansas Open Records Act, or by state law,” the agreement reads.

Both Homburg and the school board are barred from making disparaging comments, remarks, or postings about each other.

Kraus said an interim superintendent would be found for the 2022-2023 school year. The board already has been working with the Kansas Association of School Boards to get an interim superintendent in place.

“I’m confident we’ll have things back to normal by the time we’re back in school,” Kraus said.

Kraus did say no criminal matters were involved in the dispute between the board and Homburg.

Homburg was absent from the office for weeks, but Kraus said it was not an official leave.

“He’s been out of the office for a while,” Kraus said.

Homburg had been serving as a basketball coach. Kraus said the board would hire a new basketball coach later.

Homburg’s son, August Homburg, had been hired to help with coaching and transportation of students to Hillsboro for welding studies, but submitted his own resignation at the regular June meeting of the board.