North Harrison Superintendent Placed on Administrative Leave

North Harrison Superintendent Mike Tipton has been placed on administrative leave by the school board, the Sheridan Express has learned. As of Saturday, Mr. Tipton was not listed on the North Harrison school webpage, and his Facebook page did not show him as listed as the superintendent. Mr. Tipton did not respond to a request for comment. Matt Graham, the board president, could not be reached for comment. Most public boards and employers generally do not discuss personnel issues. Current board members are Mr. Graham, Joe Bond, Billy Briggs, Mallory Parkhurst, Eric Richardson, Kara Craig, and John Lueken.

Following the regular board meeting on November 19th, the school board met three subsequent times, on November 24th, December 3rd, and December 5th. All three meetings involved closed sessions to discuss personnel issues. The next regular board of education meeting was rescheduled for December 15th at 5:30 pm.

All Missouri public schools are required to have a superintendent. The superintendent serves as the chief executive officer of the district, responsible for implementing board policies. To serve as a superintendent, individuals have to hold a Superintendent Certificate issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Missouri law (Section 168.081) explicitly prohibits individuals from acting as a school administrator without proper certification.

On December 4th, the Missouri Independent reported that certain Missouri state senators are seeking to force DESE to lower underperforming schools’ accreditation status earlier than DESE had planned. As of December 13th, the DESE website posted a directory of schools that were accredited. Out of 517 schools, it listed five, including Osborn, as Provisionally Accredited, which means they meet minimum standards but require improvement. Compliance with state law is one component of accreditation. Schools that are unaccredited fail to meet standards, meaning that the state can intervene.

Missouri school boards can place a superintendent on administrative leave at any time. Details of allegations that lead to such a move are typically kept confidential until the investigation is complete.

Missouri school boards have the authority to dismiss superintendents in the middle of a school year for cause, which covers issues such as misconduct, mismanagement, or failure to perform contractual duties. Due process rules must be followed, and termination requires a majority vote. A dismissed superintendent can appeal such a dismissal through the court system.

Any interim superintendent that the board appoints must meet the same state standards that a normal superintendent would follow. A retired administrator can be brought back provided their certification is still current.