WENTZVILLE — Reactions to outgoing Wentzville Superintendent Danielle Tormala’s $1 million buyout were mixed Thursday, including at least one board member expressing frustration with the amount.
“While I am not happy about the amount of money involved in the separation agreement, I’m very hopeful, and I feel positive about the new leadership in central office,†said Jen Olson, board member for Wentzville schools.
Tormala will receive more than four times her salary from the 2022-23 school year — $235,000 — during the next three months as part of her separation agreement with the Wentzville School District.
In all, with the district buying out the last three years of her contract plus sick days, she will receive $1,027,558.
Tormala announced her immediate sabbatical and retirement last Friday with “mixed emotions,†saying the decision was made “collaboratively with the board of education.â€
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“This role has challenged me and allowed me to grow both personally and professionally,†Tormala wrote in an email announcing her departure. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served alongside such a dedicated staff, and am confident that the administrative team will continue to lead the district well in my absence.â€
Tormala’s departure comes after a little less than two years on the job — a tumultuous tenure mired by political conflicts and culture wars.
Tormala, 47, declined to comment Thursday.
Rumors about the superintendent’s departure swirled during the past week, including speculation that it was related to the district’s divided board. Tormala was often at odds with the conservative minority on the board, including Olson and Renee Henke, who were elected last year.
Last fall, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued the district after Olson, Henke and fellow board member David Lewis alleged school officials held policy conversations about bathroom use for transgender students in defiance of Missouri’s open records law.
Henke said Thursday that “a lot†of the rumors surrounding Tormala’s departure are untrue. She declined to comment further but said the district’s co-interim superintendents, Jeri LaBrot and Brian Bishop, “are doing a great job.â€
Olson described the leadership change as “night and day.â€
“They’ve been extremely helpful, accessible,†Olson said. “They’ve changed the atmosphere overnight.â€
But many in the district don’t view Tormala’s departure as a positive.
Tormala was Wentzville’s first woman superintendent and, according to a recommendation letter by former board President Shannon Stolle, boosted the district’s assessment scores across all content areas, increased staff salaries and provided new programming for the district’s “youngest and most fragile students.â€
“I, for one, am very sad,†parent Claudia Jenkins said. “She consistently tried to move the district forward, but she was met with so much resistance.â€
Katie Hubbard, whose children go to Wentzville schools, said Tormala tried to rid the district of negativity even while she faced harassment.
“It is really unfortunate that our district and society have turned to toxic culture wars,†Hubbard said. “People are constantly trying to one-up each other on fringe, manufactured fear tactics.â€