Former superintendent accepts settlement agreement over enrollment reporting complaint

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

A former Charles City school administrator  has entered into a settlement agreement with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to resolve a code of ethics complaint.

On Jan. 18, 2022, the Board of Educational Examiners received a code of ethics complaint against Michael Fisher, then Charles City School District superintendent, alleging that during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years Fisher violated enrollment reporting policies, sparking an independent investigation within the district.

“We did our due diligence and the district lawyer was involved once it came to our attention,” said Pat Rottinghaus, who served as school board president at the time.

Fisher left Charles City in 2022 and is currently the superintendent of the Oskaloosa Community School District, the community where he and his wife were raised and graduated from high school.

An audit revealing over-reporting of enrollment in the Charles City district contributed to last year’s contentious budget cuts ahead of the 2023-24 school year.

“During my time as an educational leader in the Charles City Community Schools, I discovered a situation in which students were being dropped from school without receiving what I felt were the appropriate interventions to encourage them to stay enrolled and be successful,” wrote Fisher in a statement following the release of the settlement.

“I made the decision to implement systems and supports that would resolve this. The idea that kids were not being given every available opportunity to keep working toward a diploma was unacceptable to me,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with my actions. A complaint was filed claiming I was engaging in inappropriate enrollment practices. An independent review conducted by Charles City Schools found no conclusions of fraud or malicious actions. However, an additional complaint was filed with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners,” Fisher said.

Following the complaint, the Board of Educational Examiners found probable cause to proceed to a hearing. Rather than go through a contested case hearing, Fisher has agreed to a settlement.

“I am confident that if I were to see this process through to the end, the Board of Educational Examiners would come to the same conclusion as the independent review,” wrote Fisher. “However, I have decided to settle the BOEE complaint so that I can focus on my work for Oskaloosa kids, staff, and community.”

While admitting no wrongdoing, as part of the settlement agreement Fisher has accepted a public reprimand and has agreed to complete two ethics training courses. A six-month suspension of Fisher’s license has been deferred so long as he completes the other terms of the agreement.

The Oskaloosa Board of Education issued a statement of support for Fisher to punctuate the resolution of the ethics complaint.

“He has been completely transparent with the board ever since he became aware that a complaint had been filed against him,” wrote Oskaloosa School Board President Charlie Comfort. “We appreciate his honesty and the upfront way he has addressed the situation, and we support his decision to accept a settlement agreement.”