SUSD accepts Maureen Booth's resignation

The Scottsdale Unified School District today agreed to accept the resignation of Maureen Booth, former principal of Sequoya Elementary School. The Governing Board voted 4-0 at a special meeting this afternoon to accept her resignation and bring the matter to a close.

Ms. Booth offered to resign on the eve of a hearing scheduled to begin this morning. The District accepted her resignation in return for a full and complete release of all claims, allowing the District to avoid further legal expenses.

The District had initiated termination proceedings that included charges of altering scores on the Stanford 9 test during the 2001-02 school year so teachers could receive a higher incentive pay than they were entitled to, falsifying enrollment figures, and failing to appropriately discipline a male employee who made improper overtures to a fifth grade student.

“It is the District’s responsibility to investigate and act on allegations of serious misconduct,” said Kim Cumby, Executive Director of Human Resources for the District. “It is unfortunate that the resignation came so late, thus causing the District to unnecessarily incur substantial attorneys’ fees.”

“We are pleased, however, that she came to this conclusion,” Cumby said. “It is certainly now in the best interest of the District, the school community, and especially our students to put this disruptive incident behind us and move forward.”