A teaching contract for the daughter of one Austin School Board member was denied 5-1 Monday night.

The contract for Tisha Simonson, daughter of Dave Simonson, was up for approval in the personnel agenda. Simonson was to be hired as a physical science teacher at Austin High School effective Aug. 25 at an annual salary of $54,619.

Board clerk Curt Rude’s lone vote against the hire prevented the board from approving her contract. Dave Simonson abstained from voting to avoid a conflict of interest.

According to Chris Picha, director of human relations, “It’s a contract where an employee is a relative of a board member. Any relative up to the fourth degree has to be unanimous.”

Picha does not recall any instance in her five and half years with the district that a contract has been denied.

“Our policy is more restrictive than the state statute,” she explained Tuesday.

Rude claims he did not vote no on the hire because of any reason other than he was frustrated by two terminations on the agenda Monday: the non-renewal of contracts for Jane Osboe, a language arts long-term substitute teacher at Ellis Middle School, and Geoffrey Griffin, probationary school psychologist at Austin High School.

Rude questioned the reason for the terminations, and claims he has never been given a reason from administration. He voted no on both terminations; however, they did not need to be unanimous to be approved.

When Rude had said he was going to vote no on the terminations, superintendent Candace Raskin replied, “That’s your prerogative.”

“It was a ‘no’ vote born of frustration,” Rude said Wednesday. “I have been asked to blindly follow the administration’s lead, here.

I want some answers. Why was this person let go? Well, it doesn’t’ seem like anybody knows. I’ve got to have some information,” he said.

Rude said he has nothing against Tisha or Dave Simonson, who he worked with on the Austin Police Department for 23 years.

“I have to believe that Tisha has excellent credentials,” he said. “But I wasn’t focused on that direction.”

The matter is the only agenda item for a 7 a.m. meeting Thursday in the conference room at the district administrative offices.

Picha said the contract will be discussed and action will again be taken.

Dave Simonson was not available for comment as of Wednesday morning.