Dusso to leave Lyle Public Schools in July

Published 4:59 pm Friday, January 6, 2012

Lyle Superintendent Jim Dusso said rumors he may resign are untrue, but his wife is moving to Kentucky and he will join her after his contract expires at the end of June.

Dusso

Lyle Public School board chairman Dean Rohne is also rumored to be resigning at the board’s January meeting this Monday at 7 p.m in the Lyle school library.

Dusso met with several friends Thursday and the entire staff Friday. At Friday’s meeting, he told staff of his future plans and that his wife had accepted a position at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. In addition, Dusso gave a speech to staff about having passion for education and refocusing their efforts over the summer.

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Dusso’s wife will move to Kentucky before the school year ends and he will join her in July. He said he will serve the remainder of his superintendent contract, which expires June 30.

“I have a contract, I’m obligated to that contract, and I refuse to put Lyle Public Schools in a very bad position,” Dusso said. “That risks students and I will not do that.”

Dusso is also principal of Lyle Public Schools, and will leave the district with a year left in his principal’s contract.

Starting last week, there were rumors that Rohne would resign from the board in January. Rohne was previously rumored to be resigning in October, November and December. He has missed several meetings this year due to work conflicts and did not attend the board’s two December meetings.

The Daily Herald tried multiple times this week to reach Rohne and Dusso for comment regarding Rohne’s resignation. Rohne refused to comment Tuesday on whether or not he would resign. On Friday, Dusso refused to comment on Rohne’s situation, citing respect for Rohne.

Some board members don’t know whether the resignation rumors are true. Board member Dan King emailed the board and Dusso Friday morning asking Dusso and Rohne to either confirm or deny rumors that they are resigning. He also asked for an agenda for the school board meeting scheduled for Monday.

“I have taken my job as a board member very seriously and I deserve to have the same information given to me as the rest of you,” King said in the email. “This has never been done. As a whole, you have done everything in your power to make it as difficult as possible for me.”

King concluded the email with “We, the board, have failed this community and school miserably.”

King sent multiple emails to Rohne and Dusso this week asking for clarification and has repeatedly said before that he is unable to get information he needs and that the district does not help him. Dusso said in an email Friday that King has had as much access to information as other board members.

“There are protocols that have been put in place for him specifically to gather information and to maintain a level of knowledge,” Dusso wrote. “It is frustrating that he chooses to not utilize the same protocols that other board members have been required to follow because of his actions.”

King has asked the district repeatedly to meet him halfway on information requests, as he works in Rochester and cannot come to Lyle during Lyle Public School hours. King has said before the district has not helped him nor let him know about school issues.

—Adam Harringa contributed to this report.