Coatesville school board to vote on paying superintendent more than $380,000 in separation agreement
Included in the severance for Superintendent Catherine Van Vooren is $34,000 for unused sick days.
The Coatesville Area school board is expected to vote Tuesday on a $384,000 separation agreement with its superintendent, who has been on leave since October.
Under the agreement, Superintendent Catherine Van Vooren will receive $350,000 in severance, along with $34,000 for unused sick days.
In a message to the community Monday, the school board thanked Van Vooren for her leadership, including in planning and constructing a new elementary and middle school, and credited her “dedication to the students, staff, and community.”
“As Dr. Van Vooren prepares to embark on the next chapter of her career, the School Board wishes her the very best in her future endeavors,” the board said in the message.
In the same message, Van Vooren said that “it was my great honor to serve as superintendent in Coatesville,” and “I wish nothing but great success for the students and staff of this school community.”
Formerly the director of student services in the School District of Springfield Township, Van Vooren was hired by Coatesville in January 2023 on a three-year contract, with an annual salary of $215,000.
Her departure makes her the latest in a series of superintendents to leave the district over the last decade. At a Nov. 26 school board meeting, some community members asked the board to keep Van Vooren, saying she had been placed on leave against her will.
“Let me be clear: The Coatesville Area School District does not need yet another superintendent misfortune,” said Robert Dunlap, a local business owner who noted he had worked with Van Vooren on the Coatesville Community Education Foundation. “Finding a replacement has proven extremely difficult in our district’s history.”
Another community member, Laurie Shannon-Bailey, founder of the Coatesville Area Juvenile Alliance, told the board during the November meeting it “had made the right decision.”
“Just because she’s a teacher, or a principal, does not make her qualified as a superintendent. Hopefully you have all found that out,” she said.