LeMahieu may receive six months' severance

By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Education Writer

Former schools chief Paul LeMahieu could receive a six-month severance package, which he is not owed under the terms of his state contract.

After voting unanimously to accept LeMahieu's resignation last week, the Board of Education has asked the state attorney general's office if it can legally give LeMahieu a payout.

LeMahieu's four-year contract contained no terms for severance if he left before his term was up in August 2002. His pay effectively stopped on the day he stopped work. But board chairman Herb Watanabe said there was a sense from board members of wanting to "help (LeMahieu) out" after he was left with no job or income.

"There is a compassionate part of it that came into play, and that was the main reason," Watanabe said. "It is not a reward."

LeMahieu's annual salary was $90,000, meaning a six-month severance package would cost the state about $45,000. Watanabe said no decision will be made until the board receives advice from the attorney general. LeMahieu could not be reached for comment yesterday.

LeMahieu offered his resignation to the board last Thursday, saying he was no longer able to do his job effectively. Playing into his decision was the Legislature's investigation into his relationship with a woman to whose company he granted a special-education contract.

LeMahieu and the woman have since admitted that their relationship did "cross the line." Both maintain that the affair did not happen until after the contract was awarded.

Meanwhile, the board will begin discussing the search for a new superintendent at its meeting Thursday on Kaua'i.

One of the first steps will be deciding on the makeup of the selection committee, and whether others besides board members will play a role, Watanabe said.

Karen Knudsen, the board's second vice chairwoman, said she will look for a candidate with strong leadership skills, something that many felt was a weakness in LeMahieu's administration. Other requirements will be a commitment to academic achievement and the dedication to follow through on the board's standards and accountability agenda, she said.

"I think the next superintendent also has to be able to work with his rank and file while also working with the outside community," she added. "If the rank and file aren't along as part of the whole movement, you're just not going to see a change happen as fast as it should."

Reach Alice Keesing at akeesing@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.