How much Deb Beaupre was paid after resigning as principal from Burlington High School

The Burlington High School principal who resigned in November was able to keep the remainder of her annual salary.

According to her resignation agreement with the Burlington School District, Debra Beaupre received a parting payment of $94,118.95. This amount includes the remainder of her salary and the employer-paid portion of her health insurance through the end of her one-year employment contract, which would have ended in June 2024.

Beaupre was put on paid administrative leave around Oct. 23, two months into the semester, following an incident when she pulled the school fire alarm to trigger an evacuation in response to a student altercation she felt had gotten out of control.

Nearly a month later, on Nov. 21, Superintendent Tom Flanagan announced he had accepted Beaupre's resignation.

The resignation agreement was signed on Nov. 21 and the contract stipulated that the balance be paid to Beaupre, who was still living in New Hampshire at the time, within seven days of the agreement taking effect.

Breaking down the payout

The payment to Beaupre consisted of $79,629.85 remaining of her one-year salary of $138,025.00, as well as what the school district would have paid in for her health insurance benefits. At $965.94 for each deduction and 15 deductions remaining, she received $14,489.10 for district-paid health insurance premiums.

The agreement included a letter of recommendation which noted her dates of employment and the fact that she voluntarily resigned. The recommendation said she "exercised the essential functions of the position" as principal of Burlington High School. The two parties agreed not to "make any statements that will in any way disparage, defame, criticize or hold the other party in a negative light."

The school district named Sabrina Westdijk, formerly an assistant principal, into the role of interim principal on Dec. 5. The school was hoping to quickly hire an assistant principal to fill the position vacated by Westdijk and start recruiting for a principal by the next fiscal year, starting in July.

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.