Nebraska superintendent admits allegations from his lawsuit against his former employer were false

A former Iowa superintendent has admitted some allegations he made in a lawsuit against his former school board were false.

Paul Gausman was the superintendent of Iowa’s Sioux City Community Schools (SCCS) for 14 years, until he left the district in June 2022 to become the superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska, according to the Sioux City Journal.

However, SCCS filed a complaint in December with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, accusing Gausman of trying to bribe two incoming school board members to back his pick for board president in November 2021, according to the Nebraska Examiner.  

In January, Gausman sued his former employer, claiming the board violated the open meeting laws by not properly notifying him or the public about several meetings held to discuss his job performance. He also asked for the complaint against him to be dismissed. 

Last month, the board of examiners found the allegations credible enough to refer them for a hearing with an administrative judge, which has not yet been scheduled. Gausman has a chance to negotiate a settlement beforehand, which could involve giving up his administrator’s license in Iowa, according to the Nebraska Examiner.  

But in a new court filing, Gausman admits he actually requested one of the meetings he claimed in his lawsuit violated the law. 

“It is true that I requested and was notified that there would be a closed session on that date,” Gausman admitted, according to the Nebraska Examiner.  

Email exchanges and calendar invites were shown to further support Gausman’s knowledge of the meeting.  

“Dr. Gausman was notified of and requested a closed session on January 24, 2022,” Dan Greenwell, the board president, said according to the Sioux City Journal. “When the board went into closed session … the board had good reason to believe and in good faith believed the closed session was being held in compliance.” 

Over the weekend, the Lincoln school board has continued its public support of Gausman and his job performance, but refused to comment on the litigation, according to the Nebraska Examiner.  

A bench trial is scheduled for Nov. 28 for Gausman’s lawsuit.