The superintendent of the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) will resign as part of a separation agreement approved by the district’s governing board Monday.

Sally Downey had led the EVIT district for almost two decades.

 “Over the past 10 years I’ve experienced a culture at EVIT that’s been led by fear and one where respect often didn’t matter,” said Kim Foulger,  one of several teachers who spoke at a Monday’s meeting.

The school offers career and technical education for high school students.

The district governing board hired a lawyer to conduct an investigation in January. The resulting report turned up problems with procurement, open meeting law and other financial practices.

The Arizona Republic has reported extensively on the strain between EVIT and Mesa Public Schools. Listen to an interview about the story on The Show here.

The district will pay out Downey’s salary through February 2020, $157,177.73,  as well as accrued sick and vacation time.