Jefferson City School District to appeal circuit court loss
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Jefferson City School District has some legal options after a Cole County judge ordered the school board to rehire and provide back-pay to a former administrator.
Judge Jon Beetem sided with Tammy Ferry, the district's former instructional technology coordinator, in her appeal of the district's decision to fire her over an alleged data breach.
Beetem's judgment directs the district to reinstate Ferry, pay her salary since her July firing and reimburse the benefits, court expenses and service fees.
At the time of her dismissal, Ferry's pay for the 2018-2019 fiscal year was $77,304, meaning a period of eight months would equal roughly $51,500.
Financial records provided to ABC 17 News by Ferry show she spent at least $4,394 on court reporters. Under the judgment, the district would have to reimburse Ferry for that amount as well as any additional court fees or expenses, according to attorney David Moen.
When asked about the total fiscal impact of the judgment, JC Schools spokesperson Ryan Burns replied via email.
"The calculations have not yet been made regarding these expenses or how they would be processed," said Burns. "It would be premature to do so as we intend to file an appeal and that may extend the timeline for a final decision."
The board on Wednesday scheduled a special meeting to take place at 7 a.m. Friday. The closed-door meeting will cover topics related to "legal actions, individually identifiable personnel records and records which are protected from disclosure by law," according to the agenda.
Burns' statement indicates that attorney Chris Rackers, who represents the Jefferson City School District, will appeal Beetem's decision to the Western District Court of Appeals.
If that happens, the appeals court would not review Beetem's judgment in the case but rather the district's original findings of fact and conclusion that Ferry should be terminated.
Watch ABC 17 News at 6 for more on this story.
