An Oregon school superintendent was fired Tuesday by a school board majority that stirred controversy earlier this year when it banned politically charged signs on school grounds.
The Newberg School Board held a meeting Tuesday night in which they voted 4-3 to remove John Morelock from his position of superintendent. The decision adds another layer to the controversy that began in August after the school board banned all political signage in its schools. Because Morelock was fired without cause, he will be paid for the duration of his contract, which had three years remaining, according to FOX 12.
District administrators were surprised by the decision and voiced support for Morelock’s performance in his role.
“Under his leadership, new contracts with our associations brought better pay to teachers and staff, more educational school days for our students, a stabilized financial situation with a safety net of over $9 million in the ending fund balance, and the passage of the largest Construction Bond in the history of Newberg Public Schools,” the Newberg School District told the outlet.
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The four board members who voted to remove Morelock — David Brown, Brian Shannon, Renee Powell, and Trever Dehart — are the same members who voted to ban all political signage from school grounds, including LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter symbols.
The teachers union filed a lawsuit against the four members and the school district on Nov. 7 over the ban, the outlet reported.
Morelock’s original contract would have made him superintendent until June 30, 2024. The district’s superintendent Cabinet issued a statement regarding Morelock’s departure after the Tuesday meeting, saying it was “shocked and dismayed” over the Board’s action, specifically how it fired Morelock in the middle of the school year, according to KION.
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Newberg School Board did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
