Manheim Township board approves paid leave for superintendent, faces public calls for transparency and cost details

The Manheim Township School Board voted to approve paid administrative leave for Dr. Caroline P. Hefty, effective Feb. 18 through June 30, 2026, and to accept a resignation agreement that terminates her employment effective June 30, 2026. The motion carried on a roll-call vote after brief remarks from the board acknowledging both the personnel and fiscal consequences of the separation.

Why this matters: Several residents at the meeting pressed the board for detailed public answers about the decision, contract terms and costs. Speakers said they have received little direct information from the district and asked the board to clarify how much the resignation and interim staffing will cost taxpayers and who was responsible for contract terms they described as restrictive.

What the board said: During discussion a board speaker said the superintendent “was not the right fit” for the district and that the board had worked with legal counsel on the separation. The same speaker addressed reporting about a confidentiality clause in the employment agreement, stating that confidentiality provisions are common in superintendent contracts and that the clause “bore no weight” in the board’s actions; the speaker also said the board intended to protect employees’ rights and follow a fair process.

What residents asked: Public commenters raised detailed questions and concerns. Marty Kefir said the district was paying what he described as roughly $75,000 to the former superintendent through June and was budgeting an estimated $900 per day for a substitute superintendent, figures he said would add materially to the 2026 budget. Abby Foster and other residents asked when Dr. Hefty last worked, why she was placed on leave, who negotiated and approved any confidentiality language, and what the total legal fees and costs to date have been. A resident who identified herself as Elizabeth Muach said the hiring and contract negotiation had harmed the district’s reputation and urged the board to be more transparent.

Board action recorded: The board approved the administrative leave and the resignation agreement. The motion carried; the transcript records the board voting “I” and “Nay” but does not include a numerical tally in the minutes for this item beyond the standard roll-call phrasing.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript):
- Approval of paid administrative leave and resignation agreement for Dr. Caroline P. Hefty — motion carried (roll call; tally not specified in the transcript).

What’s next: Several public speakers demanded a public accounting of costs and a timeline for the superintendent search. The board did not provide a detailed line-item cost breakdown during the meeting and indicated personnel matters were handled with legal counsel; residents requested the board publish further information and answers to the specific questions raised during public comment.

Notes on sources: Quotations and figures in this story come from on-the-record public comments and the board’s discussion during the Manheim Township School Board meeting (transcript segments cited in provenance). Where the meeting transcript contained inconsistent or unclear spellings or figures (for example, variants of the interim superintendent’s name and an unclear enrollment total), this article uses the most consistent forms from the transcript and flags numeric items when the transcript itself is ambiguous.