Humboldt superintendent on extended admin leave until June 30
HUMBOLDT — Humboldt Community School District Superintendent Greg Darling has been placed on paid administrative leave through June 30, 2020, which is the date of his accepted early retirement and resignation.
Darling was initially placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation on Jan. 21, following a tense school board meeting on Jan. 20, where the early retirement for Darling and other district leaders was on the agenda.
The Humboldt schools board of directors held a special meeting on Friday morning, in which they held a closed door session to discuss the investigation into Darling. When the meeting opened back up, board president Tate Satern shared a public statement, saying that “following the review of the initial stages of the investigation, the board, in consultation with Greg Darling,” decided to extend the initial administrative leave.
“The board is dedicated to our children, parents, community, administration, teachers and staff in moving forward and providing our school district with exceptional leadership for generations to come,” Satern said.
In response to follow up questions from The Messenger as to the nature of the investigation, Satern stated that on advice from legal counsel, he would not make any comment further than that in the public statement.
The process for hiring a new superintendent will begin immediately, the board said.
Jeff Herzberg, chief administrator for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency, will be the interim superintendent until a permanent replacement for Darling is hired.