A Lehighton Area School District director said last week she was cut out of initial superintendent contract buyout discussions because other board members felt “she couldn’t be trusted.”

“I was not trusted not to tell Dr. (Christina) Fish prior to other board members having the meeting with her because apparently she and I are very good friends,” director Barbara Bowes said during Lehighton’s most recent school board meeting. “That is what I was told. And I was told that after they had a majority.”

Friday marked Fish’s last day in the district after the school board approved a separation agreement earlier in May that calls for her to be paid nearly $115,000 to leave the position.

Fish, who had a contract running through Aug. 31, 2025, will also be paid 24 days of unused vacation time totaling $12,549.36.

Lehighton will continue to pay for medical benefits for Fish, along with her spouse and any eligible dependents, until Aug. 31, 2025, unless she takes a job where the benefits have “at least an 80% actuarial value.”

Though she described feeling “seething anger” about the situation, Bowes voted yes on the separation agreement.

“I didn’t see how anyone could stay and work for the school district after this was done to them,” Bowes said. “For that reason, I voted yes out of respect to Dr. Fish.”

Bowes said she received a phone call on April 17 informing her that Fish had been approached about a contract buyout.

“The other directors said they knew they couldn’t change my mind,” Bowes said of how the situation was explained to her.

During the May 13 Lehighton board meeting when the separation agreement was approved, Bowes said directors Kerry Sittler and Zac Hunter were also not informed until “after this was a done deal.”

Sittler and Hunter voted no on the agreement.

“Conversations were had separately with them prior to the decision and their thoughts on the matter were well known,” Board President Jeremy Glaush said.

Sittler said the six board members who approved the agreement all explained their reasoning in an executive session.

“All of the board members knew about this before the vote took place and one of the board members who was against the whole process voted yes,” Glaush said.

Fish, in her last board meeting Monday, said she would not make public comment regarding the situation. She made $132,500 in her first year with Lehighton in 2022-23. She also received a $7,500 signing bonus and was set to receive a 3% increase in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

With Fish departing Friday, John W. Corby will begin his second run as acting superintendent in the district at a contracted rate of $680 per full day.

The board of directors also brought Corby in after terminating the contract of Jonathan Cleaver, who had been superintendent for nine years, in December 2020.