Sparks, NEVADA

An inside look at how those settlement agreements work.

Dec 15, 2007 - The District Attorney's office has assigned a new assistant district attorney to review their case against William Beeson, a Virginia City High School English and theater arts teacher who was fired after an allegation that he improperly touched a male student.

Beeson was fired by the Storey County School Board in August. The district board upheld the firing on Dec 5, after rejecting a settlement in which Beeson offered to give up his teaching certificate, not teach in any other state and have no contact with children in exchange for being allowed to resign and having his retirement bought out **. The next step for the case is arbitration.

Storey County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Quirk said there have been three allegations of previous sexual incidents involving former male students, going back to the late 1990s, but that Beeson was never arrested. The latest alleged incident happened in April and a complaint was filed with the sheriff's office in May, at which time Beeson was placed on administrative leave.

In the latest incident, the District Attorney declined to prosecute, saying he did not believe a crime was committed.

**In the online Dec 6 story, the settlement was somewhat different: "Beeson had offered a settlement that the board rejected on Nov. 21, in which he would hold harmless the school district, waive further appeals, and would give up his teaching credential and not seek or accept teaching positions, either professional or voluntary, in the United States." An AP story in November has a different settlement offer being rejected. Beeson would have been allowed to resign, rather than be fired. The board would have bought out the remaining time on his contract. He would give up his teaching credential, waive all appeals, and he would agree not to teach again anywhere in the United States.

TT - How does any of this benefit parents and students? Taxpayers?

The unmistakable impression is that the District Attorney's office may be reviving their interest in prosecution to put pressure on the teacher.

On the other hand, settlement agreements - the contents of which are almost never revealed - often shield more than the teacher. They are cozy arrangements whereby each seeks to limit their legal liability. But mostly, it is meant to spare themselves public scrutiny for their actions or inaction. Parents, students, and taxpayers be damned.

In this case, rejection of the settlement offer will mean an appeals process that might cost up to $190,000. It's a net loss for taxpayers because the teacher will be represented free of charge by his union.

So when unions speak about wanting more money to go for education, look closely at how they affect the cost of education. And remember who negotiates those settlement agreements with school boards.