Newly named Lee’s Summit superintendent faces age discrimination lawsuits - KSHB.com
Newly named Lee’s Summit superintendent faces age discrimination lawsuits - KSHB.com
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - Newly named Lee’s Summit School District Superintendent Dennis Carpenter currently faces several age discrimination lawsuits stemming from his time as superintendent of the Hickman Mills School District.
After Carpenter was announced as the new Lee’s Summit superintendent on Monday, 41 Action News uncovered court documents detailing the suits.
A lawsuit against the Hickman Mills School District, filed by 27 current and former teachers with over 500 years of combined experience, describes a salary schedule put in place during Carpenter’s term as superintendent that cut the salaries of the longtime teachers, while increasing the salaries of younger, less experienced ones.
According to the lawsuit, the salary schedule for the Hickman Mills School District was changed for the 2015-2016 school year, resulting in some teachers seeing pay cuts as high as almost $13,000.
Contract agreements obtained by 41 Action News show that Carpenter’s superintendent salary increased during his time in the role.
Carpenter’s 2013 contract agreement stated that Carpenter would receive a base salary of $180,000. His 2016 agreement showed that his base salary increased to $185,366.
Leta Hogge, who taught English in the Hickman Mills School District for 19 years, is one of the teachers named in the suit.
On Thursday, Hogge spoke to 41 Action News about the action from teachers and Carpenter’s switch to Lee’s Summit.
“We were stunned,” said Hogge, explaining her reaction to Monday’s announcement. “I never felt that he cared about the teachers. I think his actions as superintendent prove that."
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