Local News
Board fires Lancaster ISD chief 
12:35 PM CST on Tuesday, November 18, 2008
LANCASTER — The Lancaster School Board voted late Monday night to terminate Superintendent Larry Lewis' contract.
Lewis spent ten minutes behind closed doors with school board members before he left. About 20 minutes after his departure, the school board members emerged from the room and voted to terminate the embattled superintendent's contract.
In June, the board hired a Dallas lawyer to investigate claims that Lewis withheld information from the board and tampered with members' mail. The inquiry later expanded to include financial dealings, including making loans from district funds and $800,000 worth of employees who were not on the budget.
Lewis has denied wrongdoing throughout the inquiries. His attorney issued a written response, vowing to fight the termination plan.
Lewis' lawyer said his client had no knowledge of alleged loans and that there was no need for the superintendent to notify the board about hiring additional employees because there was money in the budget to pay for them.
The board did not vote for an interim superintendent Monday night. However, they said that vote is planned for their next board meeting.
The proceedure for getting rid of a superintendent is complex, but it all starts with the investigation the board hired a lawyer to do.
Lewis has been the LISD chief since 2003.
E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com and greaves@wfaa.com
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