It was recently revealed the Harrisburg School Board has agreed to settle with ex-superintendent Gerald Kohn. Kohn had sued the School District in Fall of 2010 after Mayor Linda Thompon's appointed School Board of Control ended his employment contract in a 5-2 vote. With that move, one of Thompson's campaign promises was fulfilled.

Kohn insisted his termination was improper and based on Thompson's personal vendetta against him. At the time he said, "I think that the reasons that it's being done are just wrong." Mayor Linda Thompson has always contended her call for the Kohn's dismissal was not based on vindication or personal history, but rather on Kohn's failure to raise the performance of the Harrisburg School District during his tenure.

The lawsuit filed in 2010 included ethical claims against Linda Thompson and attorney James Ellison. Thompson requested she be dismissed because of the “high public official immunity under Pennsylvania law.” Judge William Caldwell had denied her motion, and she remained in the suit with a federal civil-rights conspiracy claim against her.

No details of any proceeding settlement have been disclosed.

by Tara Leo Auchey

photo by Natalie Cake