The settlement agreement and release between Julie Lauck, the former superintendent for the Valparaiso schools, and the school board calls for her to receive her base salary of $170,725 and tens of thousands of dollars in additional benefits.
School officials released the document, which also includes her letter of resignation as approved by the board during a brief meeting Monday, after a public records request from the Post-Tribune.
Additional benefits bestowed to Lauck, according to the document, include payment of 30.5 days of vacation and personal time already accrued, at her current rate of pay; a minimum contribution to the Indiana State Teachers’ Retirement Fund for one year; $5,000 for professional memberships and conferences; $6,000 for a car allowance; and 20 vacation days and four personal days.
The agreement also calls for the corporation to pay 80% of health, dental and vision insurance for Lauck and her family for one year, as well as another year of life insurance and long-term disability and dismemberment insurance, and a $15,000 contribution to the retirement plan of her choice.
School officials declined to discuss the status of employment for Lauck’s husband, Joseph Lauck, the district’s director of safety and security, citing personnel matters. Joseph Lauck was hired July 20, 2017, by then-Superintendent Ric Frataccia.
According to Gateway, the state’s online public finances portal, Joseph Lauck earned $61,296.78 last year, including benefits. His most recent contract, as provided by school officials, was from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2021, with an annual salary of $58,344.
The contract was signed Jan. 15 and was retroactive to last year.
During their brief meeting Monday, held via Zoom and broadcast live on YouTube, the school board did not discuss either Julie Lauck’s resignation or settlement agreement and release before unanimously approving both documents.
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The board has said in a letter sent to the community that it will begin the search process for a new superintendent and will keep the community informed as the process unfolds. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
Lauck’s resignation letter, dated Sunday, stated she was submitting her resignation effective midnight Tuesday and said little else, other than that it was conditional on the board’s approval and that without their approval of the settlement agreement and release, its terms were null and void. No reason was given for her resignation.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Lauck will remain available for consultation on an as-needed basis for the rest of this month. She will receive the money due to her from the settlement on June 1.
Additionally, she agreed not to seek future employment or consulting work from the school corporation and the board has no obligation to re-hire her.
“The parties agree that they shall not disparage each other,” the agreement notes, adding Lauck is not to disparage the board, administration or employees and the board is not to disparage her.
While Lauck’s tenure in recent months was marred by controversy over an attempt to end the Dual Language Immersion program at Parkview Elementary School, a letter of recommendation signed by Board President Robert Behrend and included in the documents provided by school officials touted her achievements while with the district.
Lauck was hired as assistant superintendent in 2014 and was named interim superintendent in the spring of 2018 when Frataccia resigned for health reasons. Shortly thereafter, the board named her as his replacement.
Behrend’s letter noted Lauck’s implementation of a dog therapy program at all of the district’s schools, and her work with Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds on the One County One Protocol school safety plan.
“Dr. Lauck also oversaw the successful implementation of our eLearning program, which, particularly during this period of Coronavirus, has served our teachers and students well,” Behrend wrote, adding she also oversaw the completion of a $160 million building project.
Additionally, Behrend said, Lauck managed the relocation and expansion of the district’s alternative school and invested in the students and community, including creating the Viking of the Month recognition program and handwritten notes to students and staff for their accomplishments and life events.
She also was recognized for volunteering in the community and used a leadership award stipend to establish a scholarship in memory of Frataccia, who died in November 2018.
“Dr. Lauck maintained a fruitful working relationship with the Valparaiso Teachers Association. She oversaw all contract negotiations and never once had a grievance filed against her,” Behrend wrote.
Lauck worked as superintendent of the Argos Community Schools for one year before being hired as assistant superintendent in Valparaiso.
She also previously served as superintendent of the Logansport Community School Corp., and parted ways with the school corporation there in August 2010 after serving for about four years. Among other positions, Lauck also served as the director of education for Charter Schools USA from 2012-2013.