Facing Push for Resignation, Superintendent Sought More Time: 'This Situation Will Virtually End My Career Aspirations'

Emails obtained by Patch under the Iowa Open Record law show that before his resignation, Cedar Falls Superintendent Mike Wells issued a plea for more time, worrying a request to resign would ruin his career and lamenting what he deemed unfair treatment by the Cedar Falls School Board.

Before his initial Feb. 25 resignation, which he withdrew the same day, he sent an email asking for the month of March to look for another job before the school board went public with its decision not to renew his contract, according to the emails.

"This situation will virtually end my career aspirations," he wrote in a Feb. 25 email to board president Deon Senchina and board attorney John Larsen. "As long as I'm superintendent I will have to list that I was asked to resign. I will never be a superintendent in a 3A or 4A school. It's a huge red flag and I will have a difficult time getting another position and will probably have to step out of education."

The email was provided to Patch as part of an open records request Patch filed with the Cedar Falls Community School District. The district provided 1,000 pages of emails between Mike Wells and board members.

Reached by Patch today, Senchina said she had no comment. Wells did not immediately return a phone call asking for comment.

The emails shed light on a confounding sequence of events both Wells and school board members refuse to discuss.

Wells, who is serving his first year as Cedar Falls superintendent, sent an email to school district staff on Feb. 25 stating his intention to resign. At a school board meeting that night, he withdrew the resignation, saying he had been led to believe he had the school board's support. The next day the board called a special meeting to take action on his contract. At the Feb. 27 meeting the board made it clear they would vote not to renew his contract. That same night, Wells announced his resignation, effective June 30.

The events came as a shock for much of the community, and the circumstances surrounding the twists and turns of those three days have been shrouded in mystery, with both Wells and board members staying largely silent.

However, a series of emails between Wells and Senchina indicate Wells was somewhat forewarned the board would not renew his contract and that he hoped to find a new job before resigning.

On Friday, Feb. 22, just after 3 a.m., Wells sent Senchina a short email:

Dee,

I will submit a letter of resignation at Mondays board meeting effective at the end of this contract year.

Mike

At about 7:28 a.m. Senchina replied:

Thanks for letting me know Mike.

At 10:12 a.m., Wells again wrote to Senchina:

Dee,

I would like to discuss with you on Monday my resignation and also notifying the staff. I want to notify them before they read it in the paper. I have many supporters on the staff and they deserve to receive a text from me before it all goes down. I’m thinking 2:30 on Monday. I would appreciate any feedback you might have on that. Thanks.

Mike

According to the emails, a meeting was set up between Wells and Senchina as well as Larsen and school board member Joyce Coil at 7 a.m. on Monday. Then at 7:52 a.m. Wells sent the email quoted at the start of this article:

 “I would like to have 3 weeks so I can apply for other positions. If I am able to acquire another position I would gladly resign. I do not feel that I have been treated fairly by the board. I uprooted my family, purchased a home, and been active in the community. I deserve better than the treatment I have received....

"If I am fired or resign, it puts me in an awful corner for employment. I do have two children in college, two house payment, ect. Not your problem I understand... My family is my biggest concern and I must take care of them.

"I also do not want to cause grief for the district. I respect and enjoy the staff here and negative publicity isn't needed. A board meeting on my contract will have hundreds of people, media, teachers at it and it would cause division in the community and school not to metion being embarrasing for all of us...

"I am requesting the month of March to find another position."

If there was a response to that plea, it isn't indicated in the emails. At about 1 p.m., Wells sent Senchina an email saying he would like to notify the staff he would resign. At 2:45 p.m., he emailed his intentions to all district staff.

Patch is still processing the records request materials. Check back for updates on what else we find.

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