Jordan-Elbridge Superintendent Marilyn Dominick finally let her voice be heard last Thursday in a letter which, as promised during Wednesday night’s raucous Board of Education meeting, followed the release of her severance agreement.

“I have not spoken about my separation from the district up until this point, but I wish to have my voice heard now, in hopes that healing can begin in this wonderful learning community that I love so much,” Dominick wrote.

“Last year, it became clear that, while we had made significant progress as a district in the last decade, and had always worked hard to present ourselves as a united team, there was a rift forming between myself and the Board of Education. While no specific complaints were ever articulated, I was surprised to be approached by board officers and asked to consider an exit plan.”

Dominick had then planned with her husband, David, to leave after the 2010-11 school year, a year before her contract was up — November was a compromise.

“The board expressed interest in an earlier departure,” she wrote, “but did allow me to stay until my granddaughter, Kyra, began kindergarten this fall at Elbridge Elementary School. That was very important to me.”

Dominick stressed that her decision not to disclose her severance agreement was made with legal counsel from the board. She was aware of the conflict of interest at hand, one that would be pointed out by Judge Greenwood in State Supreme Court.

“I expressed at that time that I wasn’t comfortable with being the one to make this decision.” At no point did she wish to deceive the public or withhold information, she said. “In fact, the only portion of the agreement that I really did not want the public to view was the section citing ‘irreconcilable differences.'”

Dominick wrote that the $82,444 retirement incentive stated in her agreement is available to all retiring administrators in the district.