Eric Casale, who was principal of the Springs School for 15 years until his resignation in December, received a settlement worth $300,000 from the district last month following a leave of absence that began in August.
The settlement is documented in a Nov. 27 written agreement, which was provided by the Springs School District this week in response to a Freedom of Information request first filed in December. The agreement shows that Mr. Casale, 48, received a direct payment of $220,000 from the district, plus an additional $80,000 paid on his behalf to the law firm that represented him, Leeds Brown Law, which has offices in Garden City and New York City.
According to the agreement, the settlement would "amicably" resolve any conflicts "without any finding of fact or admission of liability, wrongdoing, or fault." Mr. Casale is "prevented from filing, commencing, or maintaining any action, complaint, charge, grievance, arbitration, or other proceeding" against the district, its school board, or its superintendent, Debra Winter. Documents show he was given 21 days to review the settlement before signing it, but "voluntarily waived his right" to do so.
He agreed to not seek re-employment at Springs. He has not received medical benefits from the district since Dec. 31, but he will still eventually be able to claim the New York State retirement benefits to which most educators are entitled.
The agreement also dictated that Mr. Casale would receive his full salary prorated through Dec. 31. His most recent salary was listed as $164,693 in 2020, according to SeeThroughNY, an online statewide database of public employees' salaries that is maintained by the Albany nonprofit Empire Center.
The Springs School Board approved Mr. Casale's leave of absence in the summer of 2020, and in August appointed Christine Cleary, previously the assistant principal, to the position of acting principal. Mr. Casale's resignation was formalized in mid-December. School officials declined at the time to discuss the terms of his separation from the district, while at the same school board meeting approving $300,000 in budget transfers, which were listed as "unclassified contractual" expenses "for legal purposes" in official Springs School records. Money was transferred out of school sports, transportation, and special education budget areas to cover the legal expense.
Ms. Winter said this week she could not comment on the settlement. A request for comment from Mr. Casale's attorney, Sean O'Hara, was not returned by press time yesterday.
Before coming to Springs in 2005, Mr. Casale was the principal of P.S. 91 in the Bronx. During his tenure at Springs, he implemented several initiatives, including more recess time, peer mentoring, and Family Fun Fridays, when teachers refrained from assigning weekend homework to encourage family togetherness. Standardized test scores were on the rise in 2019 under his leadership, and he helped outfit classrooms with new, "flexible" chairs and desks that made students more comfortable in class. With the school facing overcrowding during several academic years, Mr. Casale lobbied for the district to build more classrooms and update its facilities, a project that is underway.
He also maintained a Twitter account, @ecasalesprings. In his most recent post, on Aug. 20, he wrote that "We would like to thank the parents and teachers that attended the parent meetings over the past couple of days to discuss our reopening plan for Springs School. We truly appreciate your support and input on this very important decision. Our goal is to open safely and smart." The account no longer exists.
A portion of the documents provided to The Star was redacted. The district also denied a related Freedom of Information request, which sought "letters . . . to the district from residents concerning Eric Casale's service to the district," on the grounds that the material would constitute an "invasion of personal privacy."