Missouri school district’s six-figure settlement with incoming superintendent raises questions 

A Missouri school district is under investigation after reaching a six-figure separation agreement just days before a new superintendent was to start work.

The Francis Howell School District (FHSD) paid incoming Superintendent Mike Dominguez $229,166, plus salary and benefits through July 31, under an agreement that bars both sides from discussing the reasons for the split unless ordered by a court.

The St. Louis-area district announced in March it had hired Dominguez from Garden City Public Schools in Kansas to replace a departing superintendent. But days before his start date, the district said Dominguez withdrew due to family circumstances.

Negotiations followed, and a settlement was quickly reached.

The Holy Joe Society, a watchdog group focused on government accountability, called the payout “questionable” and requested an investigation in a letter to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

The group said it doubted the school board would release information under the state’s Sunshine Law and urged Bailey’s office to intervene. The state auditor’s office also received a copy of the letter.

In a statement reported by KSDK News, the auditor’s office noted a December 2024 audit gave the St. Louis-area district its lowest rating of “poor,” and said the settlement could be reviewed as part of a planned follow-up audit to see if the school system is improving.

Details limited

FHSD board President Steven Blair said in a statement the district was limited in what it could disclose.

“Dr. Dominguez resigned from the Francis Howell School District effective on July 31, 2025. I cannot comment further on a confidential personnel matter,” Blair said, according to Mid Rivers News Magazine.

Within days of the resignation, however, Dominguez accepted an assistant superintendent position in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Salary records suggest he will earn between $100,000 and $130,000 annually.

Shawnee Superintendent Jason James, who took over following a sexual misconduct scandal in the district that local media described as “hushed,” is reportedly a longtime acquaintance of Dominguez.

Local advocacy group Francis Howell Families declined to comment on the settlement, citing the need to verify information. Group president Ken Gontarz said in an email to The Heartlander “there’s just too much heat, uncertainty, and 2nd hand information being aired.”

The group ran a slate of candidates in April on a platform focused on academic rigor but lost to a slate backed by teachers’ unions. Some critics on social media claimed the new board sought to remove Dominguez because of his academic focus and paid out his contract to force his exit.

But officials’ silence has left observers to only speculate on what happened.

Since the agreement, Dominguez has deleted his profiles on LinkedIn and X.

(Media image credit: Screenshot on X)