Portage superintendent resigns

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) - Portage Superintendent Marsha Wells resigned at a Thursday night school board meeting.

After a closed-door meeting that lasted for more than one hour, the Portage school board sat before a crowd filled mostly with Wells' supporters, and said she's on her way out.

The board had been bickering for months at meetings over whether to fire Wells. At one point, she received a vote of no confidence, and then the board agreed to keep her.

On Thursday, all but one board member voted to accept Wells' resignation. Another said the differences are irreconcilable.

Some of the circumstances that caused the friction between the two parties has not been publicly explained, another board member stated.

Some were opposed to letting Wells go, because they didn't want to waste money paying her off before the superintendent's 2012 contract ended.

Others who spoke out said they wanted to end the strained relationship, the difficulties and the bad press.

"The board of education accepted the resignation of Superintendent Marsha Wells during tonight’s special meeting, effective June 30, 2011, and authorized the board president to execute the related agreement on behalf of the district, which includes a severance payment of $250,000, the purchase of one year of retirement credit at a cost of $22,550, and mutual releases and waivers of claims by the parties," said Tom Vance, community relations manager, in a written statement.

After the deal was announced, Wells spoke -- essentially, saying goodbye to the community. Watch the video to hear what she had to say.