Pioneer puts superintendent on leave until June

The Pioneer School District is parting ways with Superintendent Jill Diehl.

In a special meeting Feb. 11, the Pioneer School Board voted 5-0 to let Diehl remain on leave with pay for the remainder of the contract year in June.

On Feb. 4, the board voted 4-1 to place Diehl on paid administrative leave, and named former Southside Schools Superintendent Doris Bolender as the acting superintendent. The moves came two months after the Pioneer Education Association presented a vote of “no confidence” on Diehl to the board.

School Board President Susan Day read a brief statement at the Feb. 11 meeting.

“The Pioneer School District and Superintendent Jill Diehl have agreed that it is in the best interest of the district, and the district’s students, and Ms. Diehl that the district find a new leader for future years. Ms. Diehl will remain on leave with pay for the remainder of the contract year. The district thanks Ms. Diehl for her leadership and efforts on behalf of the district and its students and wishes her the best for her future endeavors. Ms. Diehl thanks the district and wishes the district, its staff, and especially the district’s students the best going forward.”

Diehl lasted 1½ years with the district after replacing John Gummel.

Bolender, the former superintendent of the Southside School District, will continue as acting superintendent and interim Pioneer Middle School principal.

The school board next meets in a Google gathering at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Viewers can use a link on the district’s website to join the meeting. The agenda will be posted Friday.

The Pioneer Education Association submitted the letter of no confidence to the board at its Dec. 14 meeting. In the letter, the group stated that if Diehl does not resign, the board should ask her to do so.

“We all believe these problems directly stem from an inability or unwillingness of the superintendent to provide effective, competent, compassionate and trustworthy leadership for the district,” the letter states. “These problems have had a corrosive effect on staff morale and fostered a climate of fear, anxiety and uncertainty.”

The introduction to the letter states, “Efforts to bring these issue to the attention of the board have been routinely met with resistance or been undermined through information suppression, covert intimidation and parliamentary maneuvering.”

In the letter, the Pioneer Education Association writes that Diehl “has created an increasingly toxic, fearful and hostile work environment.”

Staff members said they have experienced, and/or know someone, who has experienced Diehl being “bullying, intimidating and demeaning” in interactions with staff and community members; disrespecting staff members who are trying to solve problems; denying requests for due process representation during one-on-one sessions with Diehl; and asking the school nurse to “subvert protocols” regarding COVID. The nurse resigned.

The union also claims Diehl directed a building administrator and staff member to report to work while living with COVID-positive people or having COVID, in violation of health standards.

At the board’s Jan. 25 meeting, employees said Diehl hadn’t been present much since the vote of no confidence.