by Audrey Thomasson
CLARAVILLE—The Northumberland school board on December 11 accepted a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Michael Ransome, a former principal at Northumberland Middle School.
District 3 member Gerald Howard made the motion after a closed session, stating, “The lawsuit is resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.”
After the meeting, board members individually named in the lawsuit, District 1 member Dana O’Bier and District 5 member Gayle Sterrett, as well as parent Steve Berman, each said the resolution absolved them. All were barred by the terms of the agreement from making any comment beyond Howard’s statement.
In November, 2016, Ransome filed a $7.4 million lawsuit, also naming the school board, after he was removed June 29, 2016, as the middle school principal and transferred to a central office position…