ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A former teacher is suing the Archdiocese of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ for breach of contract after she was fired from Immaculate Conception of Dardenne school three months into the academic year.
Sharon Nicholas was hired last July as a first-grade teacher at the Catholic parish school in Dardenne Prairie, which is also named as a defendant in the case. Her termination letter states she was fired for classroom management and lack of effective instructions.
“Sharon, after providing you opportunities to observe other teachers, receive feedback from administration, and providing you with professional development resources, there has been a lack of growth,†reads the Nov. 15 letter signed by Michelle Knapp, the school’s principal.
All teachers in the archdiocese are considered probationary for their first year, and “the employer has a right to terminate this agreement at any time during this probationary period as provided in the employee handbook,†according to Nicholas’ contract for the 2024-25 school year.
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Nicholas claims the school violated the contract by firing her without the promised notice of 30 days and severance of three months’ salary. The school also did not follow the contract’s stated reasons for termination: low enrollment or lack of staff to operate the school, the lawsuit states.
With more than 700 students, Immaculate Conception is the second largest parish school in the archdiocese after St. Joseph of Cottleville.
Nicholas could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese Lisa Shea and Nicholas’ attorney Bridget Halquist of Summers Compton Wells in Frontenac did not respond to requests for comment.
Nicholas is seeking damages of more than $25,000 for her unpaid salary, benefits and attorneys’ fees among other costs, according to the suit filed Tuesday in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit opens a window into teacher pay in the archdiocese, which doesn’t publicly disclose employee salaries. Nicholas made $38,705 on the 10th step of the archdiocesan scale for teachers with a bachelor’s degree. She had been a teacher for more than 15 years “with a long list of notable achievements,†the lawsuit states.
Immaculate Conception is in the Wentzville School District, where teachers with the same credentials and experience will make .
Archdiocesan leaders have said low teacher salaries are a social justice problem for the church. Salary raises were one goal of the 2023 “All Things New†restructuring plan for the archdiocese that has led to the closure of nine parish schools.
