Angry Kingfisher taxpayers told they may not have to pay the rest of $5 million lawsuit settlement

KINGFISHER — Angry taxpayers were told Monday night the Kingfisher school board will try to pay all of a $5 million lawsuit settlement itself.

"I'm not making a promise," board member Brad Wittrock said. "I'm just telling you that is the goal of what we're trying to do."

The school board already is paying $1.25 million of the settlement itself, as well as $1.4 million in legal fees.

The board voted 4-1 Monday night to put the rest of the settlement on the tax rolls for three years.

That vote means the 5,000 property owners in the school district are now responsible for $3.75 million, plus interest. Estimates are property taxes will go up as much as 12% each year to pay it off.

Wittrock said the board is committed to try to handle the payments each year "on our own before the bills are sent to you."

"There's not enough money in our funds right now — our general fund — to pay this in full. So that's not an option," he also said.

What was the Kingfisher lawsuit was about?

The settlement involves a lawsuit over the high school football program. A jury trial had been set to begin Tuesday in Oklahoma City federal court.

A former player, Mason Mecklenburg, sued Kingfisher Public Schools, head coach Jeff Myers and other coaches in 2021 after he graduated.

He alleged the coaches allowed and even encouraged a culture of hazing, bullying and abuse. He and other former players have said some of the abuse was sexual.

"It is a culture that values winning above the health and safety of these boys. It has led children to attempt and commit suicide," his attorneys said.

The board voted 4-0 at a special meeting Nov. 13 to authorize the attorneys to settle the case. It formally approved the settlement at its regular meeting Monday. A judge signed off on it last week.

More: Kingfisher hazing lawsuit settles for $5 million after head football coach charged

The school superintendent, David Glover, said again Monday night the school district did not have insurance to cover the lawsuit and could have been ordered to pay a lot more at trial.

"On the advice of our counsel, we knew that we were probably going to lose," he said. "The fear (of) that happening is what led us to tonight."

He acknowledged the school district had dropped the ball over the past 20 years or so.

"The school had made some errors, in policy and how we administered those policies over the years," he said.

Under the settlement, Myers, 56, will never coach again in Kingfisher. He was charged in October with child neglect over the boxing and wrestling matches that took place in the locker room for years.

He was suspended because of the felony charge. He denies wrongdoing.

The Kingfisher school board last year decided against settling the case for $1.5 million.

What did taxpayers say?

Taxpayers have been venting on social media about the settlement since it was announced Nov. 16.

Close to 200 showed up Monday night in the high school cafeteria for the board meeting. They applauded as six speakers complained directly to the board.

The first applause came when the first speaker called for board member Terry Payne to resign. The applause came next as the speaker thanked Myers.

"You're a true hall of famer who believes in hard work, discipline and doing things the right way," B.J. Waeger said. "Mr. Glover, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you hire a great coach that will be able to build on the foundation that coach Myers has set."

Another speaker, Tom Edgar, a former pharmacist, warned the settlement sets a precedent for more lawsuits.

"Amen," one in the audience called out during the applause for that comment.

"I've been around schools for a long time. And hazing went on a lot," Edgar said. "It can get out of hand but $5 million settlement for wet-towel popping in the shower ... that's a lot of money."

Why was the Kingfisher lawsuit not covered by insurance?

The lawsuit was not covered by insurance because the school district's provider, the Oklahoma Schools Risk Management Trust, developed financial problems and decided to dissolve.

"The problem is that the insurance carrier notified us that they were not going to be carrying us," Wittrock said. "We went immediately and retained another insurance carrier.

"The the lawsuit came out. When we took that to our current carrier ... they said they ... did not have our coverage at that time. So we had to go back to the other carrier and the other carrier was insolvent.

"I know it's frustrating, guys. It's super frustrating."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kingfisher taxpayers responsible for over half of hazing settlement