Argyle school board members reinstated Superintendent Jason Ceyanes in a settlement agreement Monday evening establishing his resignation, which took effect at noon Tuesday.

“I just feel it’s in the best interest of the district, the kids, me and my family,” said Ceyanes, who had been on paid administrative leave since March 3, when the school board first proposed to fire him.

The board voted 7-0 to accept the settlement agreement with Ceyanes, rather than continue with the lengthy firing process.

The district will pay Ceyanes his salary and benefits through May, and a lump sum of $60,000.

He will end his term as Argyle’s superintendent a little less than a year after he started.

In the settlement, school board President Dr. Debbie Cantrell also provides an employment reference letter.

Cantrell, who as president is the board’s spokeswoman, could not be reached for comment.

“They [school board members] feel it’s the best situation from a financial perspective and in moving this district forward. … This board is ready to focus on other issues,” said attorney Mari McGowan, who with attorney Richard Abernathy represented the school board in Ceyanes’ employment proceedings.

Ceyanes came under fire last October over his handling of dress code and possible “dirty dancing” issues at the high school’s homecoming dance.

He said Tuesday he believes the fallout of that controversy instigated the current situation.

Before that controversy, he had an “absolutely fabulous working relationship” with board members, he said.

“That incident was the beginning of some of the conflict that was occurring with the board, both directly and indirectly,” said Ceyanes.

After the issues surrounding the dance got media attention, the board wanted to be more involved with those decisions, he said.

In early February, Ceyanes opted to discuss his six-month evaluation in executive closed session at the same meeting when school board members, in a 6-1 vote, issued him a written reprimand.

According to some e-mails among board members and Ceyanes, there was some contention over a delay in opening a foreign language center in the high school.

Also, in other e-mails, after the board rejected a motion in late January to allow invocations at board meetings, Ceyanes wrote, “My spirit is crushed, and I do not know if I want to be a part of a school district whose leadership would take such an aggressive stand against prayer at board meetings.”

Ceyanes said Tuesday that the board’s action on invocations is not directly related to his situation but “tied to the overall picture” and that contention over the language lab was just one example of the fallout between him and board members.  

Board members have said that the sparring over the language lab had nothing to do with their action and that they could not comment on why they issued him a reprimand.

After an open records request was filed for Ceyanes’ evaluation and reprimand, the Texas attorney general’s office issued a ruling saying that those documents were not subject to public disclosure.

In March, school board members proposed to fire Ceyanes and placed him on paid administrative leave pending a hearing before an independent examiner.

They said then that the board decision was based on Ceyanes’ performance and ongoing issues.

After a few delays in the process, Ceyanes had not yet had a public hearing in his bid to keep his job.

“Had this gone to a hearing, we are absolutely confident that we would have prevailed,” he said.

The board did not have good cause to terminate, he added.

Neal Adams, Ceyanes’ attorney, echoed his client’s comments and said board members wanted to go a different direction with their leadership.

“Ceyanes wanted to accommodate them, and they wanted to accommodate him,” Adams said.

Ceyanes’ public hearing was set for July 7-10, said school board attorney McGowan, and board members considered what the whole process could cost the district.

This case is very fact-intensive and has many witnesses and would have taken up a lot of attorney time, in addition to involving the district’s and Ceyanes’ high emotions, she said.

With Ceyanes’ salary at about $10,000 a month and the case, which is Ceyanes’ right as an employee of the district, possibly going on for several more months, the district is saving taxpayer dollars, McGowan said.

“Ideally, they’d prefer not to pay any amount. [But] this is the best resolution in order to move forward,” said McGowan.

With the recent school board election, Ceyanes said he respected the voice of the voters.

Three board positions were up for election, and the three incumbents who held those seats had voted against him. Kent Bateman ousted one of those incumbents, Randy McKellar, in the May 10 election. The other two incumbents, Debbie Cantrell and John Schinske, won re-election.

“I respect the decision of the community and will try to find a community that appreciates my leadership style and my core values,” said Ceyanes.

Although there was some change on the board in the election, it was not enough, he said.

The bottom line, Ceyanes said, is that he could have spent the next several months in litigation and even if the hearing examiner went against the board’s proposal to terminate him, they could still vote not to reinstate him.

He could have taken other steps, he said, but in the end — even with his name cleared — he could still not have a job. 

Ceyanes acknowledged that the Argyle community has been sharply divided and said the hearing could have gotten ugly.

“I don’t believe in tearing other people down to elevate myself,” said Ceyanes.

He said the settlement clears his name, compensates him financially and allows him to move forward.

Board member Russell Am­mons, who stressed he was not speaking on behalf of the board, said the settlement was a testament to Ceyanes’ character.

“Any school district looking for a man of integrity who is not afraid to stand up for what’s right couldn’t ask for a better superintendent than Dr. Ceyanes,” Ammons said.

Telena Wright, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, has been the district’s acting superintendent.

She referred to the attorney’s statement concerning the board’s Monday action.

“As Richard Abernathy states … it was a financially judicious action on the part of the board,” said Wright.

AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com .