Rouse receives $850,000 in Durant deal - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Rouse receives $850,000 in Durant deal

By: Kate Pabich
kpabich@cbs4qc.com

An embattled former Iowa high school principal is getting big bucks to call it quits.

Monica Rouse says it's bitter sweet.

She is getting $850,000 to retire early. Half of that comes from the Durant School District, the other, from its insurance company.

The district and Rouse have been battling it out in court for three years and Monday they finally reached a settlement.

In 2009, the school board accused the Durant High principal of changing student grades and fired her.

Since then courts have found no evidence to support any wrong doing and have ordered Rouse be reinstated as principal.

But as a part of the settlement, Rouse will be leaving her post. She says she doesn't want to retire early, because her kids go to school there and her husband is a teacher at Durant High.

Rouse says she understands the situation.

"Sometimes the person who is best equipped to lead a group of people is not the person who has been entrenched in some of the pain."

We tried to contact the school district but haven't heard back from them yet.