After several investigations into claims of student sexual abuse and other staff misconduct, including failing to report complaints, the St. Helens School District has already spent roughly $64,000 to hire an acting high school principal, an acting superintendent, and other substitute teachers.
Additionally, the district has given an additional $127,000 in salary and benefits to eleven workers, including Superintendent Scott Stockwell and Principal Kathryn Katy Wagner of St. Helens High School, who are still on paid leave.
So far, that comes to $191,000. As part of routine briefings in the midst of many staff administrative and criminal investigations, the district made the numbers public on Friday.
The figures exclude the entire cost of the 90-day renewal contracts with the principle of St. Helens High School and the acting superintendent, an outside investigator hired to examine the district’s policies, staff training on required reporting, and additional communications personnel.
According to the contract, Acting Superintendent Steve Webb, who was recruited in late November, is being paid $17,647.15 per month for the first three months, for a total of $52,941.45. A public records request for the compensation of Christine Ellis, the acting principal of St. Helens High School, has not yet received a response from the district.
Eric Stearns, a 46-year-old choir instructor at St. Helens High, and Mark Collins, a 64-year-old retired math teacher, have entered not guilty pleas to accusations of sexual abuse.
The 45-year-old Wagner has entered a not guilty plea to charges of first-degree official misconduct, second-degree official misconduct, and first-degree criminal mistreatment. She is charged in a six-count indictment with neglecting to file legally needed complaints against the two teachers.
According to the district, Stockwell, a social studies teacher at St. Helens High School, two campus monitors at St. Helens High School, a math teacher at St. Helens High School, a STEM teacher at St. Helens Middle School, a Plymouth High School teacher, and an elementary school special education instructional assistant are among the other individuals who are still on leave and have not been charged with any crimes.
According to J. Marie, a new communications assistant employed by the school district at $180 per hour, there are four investigations underway: a criminal investigation, an investigation by the state Department of Human Services, an independent investigation into district policies and training, and an investigation by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
Marie refused to specify which employees on paid leave are the subject of criminal investigations.
The district claims that eight employees, including the head of the teachers union, were placed on leave in November, one in early December, and one in late September.
In addition to the two instructors who were arrested and at least two other staff members who were accused of sexual misconduct, the state child welfare agency has stated that it is looking into Stockwell and Wagner for alleged neglect because they failed to report kid safety issues.
After a community member informed the Northwest Regional Education Service District that Thomas DeLapp, who had signed a contract to help St. Helens schools with their communications for $255 per hour, had been found guilty of embezzlement earlier this year after allegedly stealing $52,000 from California’s Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation, of which he was a founding chairperson, DeLapp withdrew, Marie was hired.
— Maxine Bernstein writes about criminal justice and federal courts. You can contact her via [email protected], 503-221-8212, X@maxoregonian, or LinkedIn.
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