An email sent to the Academy District 20 community on Thursday night from the district’s Board of Education announced that it would be parting ways with Superintendent Jinger Haberer.

In the email, D-20 Board President Amy Shandy said that the board “has unanimously determined that we do not have confidence” in Haberer’s leadership moving forward and that they would part ways “following a contractually allowable hearing.”

During the board’s regular meeting on Thursday, before the email was sent, board members unanimously voted to serve Haberer “with a notice of discharge,” following “recent charges of insubordination.”

The motion, read by Board Vice President Susan Payne, described Haberer compromising the district’s attorney-client privileges with an unauthorized invitation to someone attending a special meeting on May 7.

Along with noting “expressed instructions to the contrary” of this invitation, the motion went on to mention “prior performance deficiencies in resistance to corrective measures.”

“The Board will move forward thoughtfully and transparently as we determine the next steps for District leadership,” Shandy wrote in the email. “We will share additional information with our community as appropriate and as decisions are made.”

The board will hold a special virtual meeting on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to appoint an acting superintendent.

Haberer couldn’t be reached for comment.

As of Friday morning, Haberer’s information was removed from D-20’s website, and a brief message was posted that “Academy District 20 does not currently have a superintendent.” It went on to say that the position is being vacated and that the district will begin a search for its next superintendent “in the near future.”

A spokesperson for D-20 confirmed the email to The Gazette and said that nothing else could be shared publicly at the moment.

In the days leading up to the announcement, D-20’s board held three special meetings, from Tuesday to Thursday. The May 12 and 13 meeting agendas indicated the board convened in executive session to discuss “Superintendent performance evaluation” and “legal advice on specific legal matters regarding board oversight of Superintendent performance.” The agenda for the May 14 special meeting was not publicly available at the time of this reporting.

Haberer was not in attendance at the board’s regular meeting on Thursday, and the district’s assistant superintendent for learning services, Susan Field, stood in for her.

Following an executive session to receive “legal advice regarding superintendent conduct and advice regarding superintendent contract and employment,” the board then voted to serve Haberer with the notice of discharge.

Ahead of the vote, Payne announced that Haberer had been placed on administrative leave with benefits ahead of her hearing regarding her termination.

The meeting was adjourned moments after the vote.

“We understand this news may raise questions and emotions across our community. Decisions involving district leadership are significant, and the Board does not take them lightly,” Shandy wrote. “At the same time, our responsibility is to act in the best interest of Academy District 20, our students, staff, families, and the long-term strength of our schools.”

Haberer was announced in March 2023 as the next District 20 superintendent, following the retirement of Tom Gregory, who had been with the district more than three decades. Haberer came from the Ellensburg School District in Washington state.

During Haberer’s time in D-20, the district saw the passage of a new bond of over $83 million to upgrade district facilities and maintained its status as one of the highest performing school districts in Colorado, earning the state department of education’s top rating of “Accredited with Distinction” during her three academic years. For the 2025-26 school year, the district’s enrollment of more than 26,450 students made it the largest public school district in El Paso County.