FAIRBANKS – An arbitrator has sided with a former Fairbanks North Star Borough School District superintendent who was fired in 2014 for incompetence.
A Sept. 14 arbitration opinion states that the school district has been ordered to pay former superintendent Pete Lewis $88,205 in damages, The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported Thursday.
According to the opinion, the school board gave Lewis high marks in performance reviews but disagreed with some of his judgment calls. The arbitrator ruled that the school board disagreeing with discretionary judgment is not grounds for termination for incompetence.
Under the arbitration order, the school district is paying Lewis a settlement and is also responsible for his attorney fees of almost $100,000, plus arbitration costs of about $86,000. School board members said insurance will cover a portion of the costs.
Lewis was fired shortly after sexual misconduct allegations came to light involving students and school employees. School officials say Lewis ignored signs of grooming behavior and failed to realize students were at risk.
Hutchison High School tutor Claude Fowlkes III is accused of having sex with a minor student while on campus. The case is scheduled to go to trial next month.
In a separate case, Fowlkes has been sentenced to serve 35 years in prison for the rape of another former student while working at Tanana Middle School.
School board member Allyson Lambert, who voted to fire Lewis, said she would do it again despite the arbitrator’s ruling.
“We are erring on the side of student safety and taking any allegations seriously,” she said.
