Provost was the interim director of the Burlington Technical Center when he resigned January 2, 2018, citing medical reasons.
The nature of the allegations against Provost and details of the investigation were not explained in the resignation agreement, which Seven Days obtained Friday after a lengthy public records legal battle that went all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court.
The state’s high court ruled December 6 that the agreement sought by the newspaper was a public record. After a reargument period concluded and the case was closed on Friday, lawyers for the Burlington School District turned over the document as mandated by the court.
The 12-page agreement sheds little light on the reasons for the investigation into Provost’s employment but makes clear that it was central to his departure.
The district launched an investigation into “claims against Provost,” according to the opening of the agreement. He responded by asserting that his due process rights were being violated, including, among other things, “as the result of a conflict of interest that was previously unknown to the District,” the agreement states.
It continues with a promise that the district “is suspending the investigation to evaluate the asserted conflict of interest and determine its options.” The agreement then states that no findings or conclusions were made as a result of the investigation.
It also said that Provost had suffered from an unspecified medical condition which caused him to be on leave for 12 weeks, and that he desired to resign for medical reasons. Under a clause labeled “confidentiality,” the agreement prohibits school officials from discussing “the existence, terms or content of the Resignation Agreement except that they may state that Provost has resigned for medical reasons.”
When reached by Seven Days on Friday, Provost’s attorney, Craig Weatherly, declined to offer any details on the claims against the educator.
“I’m not going to comment on anything that is stated or unstated in the agreement. Just put me down for no comment,” Weatherly said.
Provost did not immediately return a request for comment, nor did Burlington Superintendent of Schools Yaw Obeng or school board chair Clare Wool.
Ultimately, the courts disagreed and, after drawn-out litigation, ordered the separation agreement released.
There were no redactions in the released version.
Read the full agreement below:
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The Burlington School District has really gone down hill the last couple of years. What the heck happened?
This is how bad seeds stay working with children. These types of separation agreements need to be abolished.
The same issues are plaguing the city and the Burlington school district at the moment. Terrible leadership at the top. Terrible mayor, terrible police chief(s), terrible superintendent.
This is EXACTLY why we need Bernie and socialism to run this. Capitalist like this cannot be trusted.
I’ve known Provost as a highly respected leader and innovator in education for over 20 years. I do know he was recruited for the Interim Director position internally at Burlington to revitalize a stagnant Tech Center on a slow death spiral. He led incredible improvements there in a very short period which led to a huge spike in enrollment. Everyone in Tech Education took notice. Leading changes in under performing schools can ruffle feathers. A complaint, due process violations, an undisclosed conflict of interest, no findings or conclusions, and a prolonged legal settlement? I’ve been in administration too long to see through that. Seems like the inquiry into a complaint was very badly mishandled by the district. Likely it undermined Provost’s ability to do the job. It would have been very easy for him to sue the district in such a case. On Linkedin Provost carries a recent recommendation from the Secretary of Education. That’s pretty telling. I do remember seeing him briefly in the Spring of 2017 at an education function. He did not look well and had lost a rather shocking amount of weight. I sincerely hope he is alright after all of this. We’ve all missed his leadership and advocacy for student opportunity in education over the last couple years. Maybe these new leadership changes in Burlington School District, specifically in HR and the upcoming Superintendency, can create an environment where administrators are properly supported to make positive changes that improve education.