After more than a 30-minute discussion in a closed-door executive session on Jan. 12 during a special board meeting, the Mesa Public Schools governing board voted to not renew the contracts for Mesa High School Principal Kirk Thomas and athletic director David Klecka.
Klecka and Thomas are under investigation for failing to report to police an on-campus assault in February 2025 at a soccer game that involved a firearm.
The board voted 4-1 to not renew either Klecka or Thomas’s contract with member Sharon Benson dissenting on both votes.
There was no discussion prior to either vote.
The audience booed the board as President Courtney Davis called for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
“You represent the public,” one audience member said.
Both Thomas and Klecka are on paid administrative leave until further notice, and their contract will not expire until June 30, 2026.
The board issued a statement saying that the decision was not one of a punishment, but rather an administrative action.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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