Lyons-Brookfield Elementary School District 103 has hired its fourth maintenance director in less than four years after the sudden and unexplained resignation of former Maintenance Director Robert Koc.
At its Aug. 17 meeting, the District 103 Board of Education voted to approve a voluntary separation agreement between Koc and the district and then voted to hire Daniel Trapp as its new building and grounds director at an annual salary of $82,500.
District 103 Superintendent Kristopher Rivera declined to comment when asked why Koc had resigned.
“That’s, I believe, in the separation agreement,” Rivera said. “I’m not at liberty to discuss.”
Koc resigned effective Aug. 13. According to the separation agreement, which District 103 provided after the Landmark filed a Freedom of Information Act request, Koc and the District 103 agreed that it was their mutual best interest for Koc to resign.
Koc will be paid his salary through Sept. 30 and will also be paid for 33.5 days of sick leave, three days of personal leave and 21 days of vacation. Koc will also remain on the district’s health insurance plan until Dec. 31.
The district designated Rivera as the sole contact for employment verification inquires about Koc. The district agreed not to make public the terms of the agreement unless ordered by a court in conjunction with the Freedom of Information Act.
The school district initially ignored the Landmark’s FOIA request, which was filed on Aug. 18. District 103 did not release the agreement until Aug. 31, shortly after the Landmark lodged a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor.
Under the separation agreement the district agreed to hold Koc harmless for any lawsuits or other causes of action brought against the district or Koc for any alleged acts of misconduct Koc may have committed as a District 103 employee. In return Koc agreed not to sue the district or make any administrative claims against the district.
Koc was hired by District 103 in April of 2020 despite having never worked in the capacity of a maintenance director anywhere before.
Trapp comes to District 103 from the Summit Park District. According to a resume the district provided to the Landmark as a result of a FOIA request, Trapp had worked for the Summit Park District as a maintenance supervisor since 2005.
From 1980 to 2004 Trapp worked for the village of Summit and served for nearly five years as Summit’s superintendent of public works and water.
The Landmark briefly talked to Trapp outside the Aug. 24 school board meeting, but Trapp declined to talk further other than identifying himself when asked and saying that he had worked in Summit. He deferred further questions to a later time.
A Landmark reporter left his card with Trapp and asked him to call for a telephone interview but the reporter has not heard from Trapp. Phone and email messages left for Trapp on Aug. 30 were not immediately returned.
Rivera said Trapp is highly qualified for the position.
“Very qualified guy, has a bachelor’s degree in business and a lot of experience, highly touted in the position he was doing,” Rivera said.
