May 8, 2018 1 min read

The Belle Vernon Area School District superintendent resigned Monday under pressure following a lengthy closed-door meeting held by school directors.

John D. Wilkinson signed a brief separation agreement after the school board reviewed “some employment issues” regarding him, district solicitor Ira Weiss said.

The board then appointed Marion Elementary School Principal Michele Dowell to serve as acting superintendent, Weiss said.

He said local residents stood outside of the district administration building in Rostraver Township for more than an hour before the board returned to the table.

“There was a large crowd,” Weiss said. “There was not one peep of protest. That’s unusual.”

He said Wilkinson earned about $153,000 a year and will be paid through the end of the next school term, which is permissible under the state’s school code.

The separation agreement was drafted and signed at the special meeting, Weiss said.

Wilkinson, of Peters Township, began working as the district’s superintendent in 2012. His resignation was effective Monday.

He was a former assistant superintendent in Baldwin-Whitehall School District

He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.