Harrisonville board names interim superintendent as Frank Dahman remains on leave
The Harrisonville Board of Education selected an interim superintendent during a closed session on Tuesday.
Robert Watkins, once the superintendent for Independence schools, will serve in the role while Superintendent Frank Dahman remains on leave, according to an email sent to parents Wednesday by Board President RJ Knox.
Knox wrote that the Board of Education unanimously approved of hiring Watkins.
"Dr. Watkins has a 34-year career in public education, retiring in 1999 after 21 years with the Independence School District," Knox wrote.
After retiring, Watkins "served as a consultant for the Missouri School Boards Association and as the Director of the Kansas/Missouri Superintendents Leadership Forum — a professional development program for approximately 90 superintendents from the two states," Knox wrote.
Watkins served as Independence's superintendent for seven years, according to The Star's archives.
In one of his final years, Watkins saw the district through the largest bond issue in its history to that point, the construction of a seventh-grade center and the reorganization of middle school students' learning. In 1998 he saw the district's two high schools gain A-plus status. A few months later, a state-accreditation team praised him for running a district focused on children, according to the archives.
Dahman was placed on leave by the board last week during a closed session. The reason has not been released by the district.
Frank Dahman's son, Joe Dahman, was the subject of a Harrisonville police investigation into allegations of inappropriate contact between him and a student.
Joe Dahman had been a support staff member and coach at Harrisonville High School since 2015. He resigned in September after the allegations came to light.
Lt. Chris Osterberg of Harrisonville police previously told The Star he believed investigators had built a "solid case" that was turned over to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office in December. No charges have been filed.
This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Harrisonville board names interim superintendent as Frank Dahman remains on leave."