Western Heights Public Schools Reaches Settlement With Former Superintendent

A small school district on the south side of the metro has gained attention over the past few years after school board members and the superintendent was accused of mismanaging school funds. 

Previous Story: State Board Of Education Discusses School Board Resignations At Western Heights

Now, those school board members have resigned, and a new settlement was just reached between the district and the former superintendent.

A settlement has been reached between former Western Heights Superintendent Mannix Barnes and the school district. Barnes will receive $150,000, but he cannot sue the district in the future and must turn over his Oklahoma Educators Certificate by December 31st.

The new School Board President Briana Flatley says the decision was made based on the time, money, and emotional stress of a trial.

“It's going to be saving the district a lot of money in the long run, and that's money that we can be funneling back into our district, into the classrooms," said Flatley.

Flatley says she expected this to go to court and be drawn out over at least a few years.

“It was something I didn't think would ever happen if I'm being honest. I thought we were gonna have to fight all this in the legal court system," explained Flatley.

She says she knows not everybody in the district may agree with the decision to settle, but that ultimately, it's in the best interest of the district as a whole to close this chapter and move forward with the new leadership.

“This has been almost three years in the works, and I know a lot of individuals in the district as well as educators have been working even longer," said Flatley.

One of those individuals who has been at the forefront of the fight for change in Western Heights is Amy Boone.

“To know that this is the end of it, and he can't try to come back and get more money from us in the future- I'm okay with it," said Boone.

“He doesn't need to be able to go and do this to any school district again. There's a history of financial mismanagement that just follows him around everywhere he goes.”

Boone is a Western Heights mom and community member. She says with the new leadership in place, she's hoping for real change in the district. The community needs transparency, and they need dedication to our kids," said Boone.

Western Heights was also the district that was closed longest in the state during the pandemic, and Boone says the kids in the district really suffered and fell behind. She says she hopes the new board and superintendent take a closer look at what they can do to help bridge the learning gap and catch the children in the district up.

Full statement from the Western Heights School District:

"After much consideration, and at the advice of the new legal counsel, the WH Board of Education decided to approve a settlement agreement with Mr. Mannix Barnes. Although we know this decision may not be popular, the decision was made based on the understanding of the length of the trial, the legal time frame and the legal fees associated with the situation, and the amount of money paid out during the trial to Mr. Barnes, as well as the emotional stress it places on our community and staff members.

The agreed settlement is approximately $150,000.00. In lieu, Mr. Barnes cannot sue the district in the future, and he must turn over his Oklahoma Educators Certificate on or before December 31st, 2022. It is our hope that the district will be able to move forward, in unity, as we start a fresh and new for our students, staff, families, and community."

Mannix Barnes had one of the highest superintendent salaries in Oklahoma, working for a small district on the south side of the Oklahoma City metro. Barnes was hired in 2019 and was under contract with the district to serve as Superintendent until June 30, 2024. Last summer, he was suspended by the State Department of Education but because of the pending lawsuit, Barnes has remained a paid employee of the district, until now.

Western Heights is a small school district on the south side of the Oklahoma City metro. The majority of students are economically disadvantaged. About 30% of students are English language learners.

In 2019 Mannix Barnes was hired and paid one of the highest superintendent salaries in Oklahoma- a $220,00 base salary. 80 days of paid leave plus other perks. This salary was more than double that of the superintendent before Barnes.

Barnes had no previous experience in education and became alternatively certified in the months before the superintendent's position opened up. Barnes was under contract with the district to serve as superintendent until June 30th, 2024. In April 2021, the State Education Board voted unanimously to put the Western Heights School District on probation.

Just a few months later, in June 2021, the State Board suspended Barnes. He disputed the allegations by the board in support of the proposed revocation of his certificate. Now, because of the settlement, Barnes will no longer be certified to educate in the state, as soon as he turns in the certificate, on or by December 31.