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Delavan-Darien School Board president steps down

DELAVAN — A resignation effective in two weeks and a retirement effective in two years.

That was the end result of Monday's Delavan-Darien School Board meeting.

School board President Steve Carlson resigned after nearly 16 years on the board, and Superintendent Wendy Overturf announced she would be retiring April 8, 2014.

Overturf explained her contract continues to roll over every day until she or the school board decide otherwise. On that day, the clock starts ticking on the two-year time frame.

Overturf said she felt she needed to respond to media reports that she only had a year left on her contract.

A week ago, voters in the district elected three new members to the seven-member board—Joe Peyer, Roxann Petermann Kelton and Sharon Gonzalez—and returned incumbents Dr. Jeffrey Scherer and Steve Logterman.

The group had worked together, and many of them were openly critical of Overturf.

In a story in the April 4 edition of The Gazette, Scherer said he would like a new superintendent within a month. Petermann Kelton said she might be in favor of buying out the remainder of Overturf's contract.

Overturf said she didn't have any comment on the issue.

Overturf did get a vote of support from Tracy Deavers, the district's director of curriculum and instruction who is leaving to take a post with the Edgerton School District.

"As a professional educator, I fully the support the vision and direction in which Dr. Overturf has lead the district," Deavers wrote in her resignation letter. "Recent events have created uncertainty surrounding the future direction of the district and I no longer feel confident that this vision will be supported."

With Carlson's resignation, the board will have to appoint a new member.

In his resignation letter, Carlson said he wished his "successor, the board and the district nothing but the best."

"The timing was right for me to resign," Carlson said after the meeting.