Amidst the turbulence within Mansfield’s City government, questions have been asked regarding the Mayor’s history as Mansfield School District Superintendent, and the reason for his dismissal.
Questions, statements, and misunderstandings centered on opinions, and second-hand information have ran rampant since Mayor Austin denied the unified request to resign from his current office. The questions have swayed to be of great value to the voting public whose voice has been silent at recent city council meetings.
So, was Larry Austin fired from the MSD Superintendents role, or was he escorted from the premises by law enforcement. The truth is neither.
In researching the topic we secured the minutes of the meeting dated May 14, 2002. In the matter of “Superintendents Position,” (page 5) the unified school board asked Austin to take off the remainder of the year, and be able to pursue his future interests. Pay and benefits were to continue until his contract expired. In other words, Austin resigned from his position.
“All i remember was that Austin threw his keys on the table, and walked out” stated an eyewitness.
After a short recess, the board unanimously hired Jim Hattabaugh as Superintendent, effective immediately.
Furthermore, it is understood that events leading up to this meeting, and Austin’s resignation favored the future of the school, and the current employees well being.
Hattabaugh would later leave his position after Mansfield School District went into fiscal distress.
Arkansas River Valley Business Directory
- Paid Partnership -
- Advertisement -
