A rural school district in northwest Lane County has put its superintendent on administrative leave. The move comes amidst a state ethics investigation.
In early August, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission authorized an investigation into Blachly Superintendent Adam Watkins. He was accused of creating an online school counselor job for his wife - a conflict of interest.
KLCC has since learned that the school board has placed Watkins on paid administrative leave. The board appointed Brittany Bottensek as the district’s interim leader. Bottenseck is principal of the district’s only school, Triangle Lake Charter School.
In an email, School Board Chair Derek Pennel said Bottensek will lead the district until further notice. He said the district could not comment further on personnel issues and is focused on the new school year, which starts Tuesday.
Watkins has faced scrutiny from oversight officials in past administrator roles. In 2019, he was reprimanded by Oregon’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission for allegedly violating sexual harassment policies at the Salem-Keizer School District in 2016. Watkins resigned from his job there in 2017, according to the reprimand.
The state has six months to investigate the allegations. Once it has completed the initial inquiry, it can continue investigating, dismiss the case, seek a settlement or hold a public hearing.
