Saugus School District Superintendent Quits : Education: The trustees accept the resignation of Chris Wilson four months after two of his severest critics were elected to the board.

Citing “irreconcilable differences,” embattled Supt. Chris Wilson has resigned from the Saugus Union School District and will receive more than $89,000 in severance pay and health benefits.

The school board voted 4 to 1 late Tuesday to accept his resignation, which comes four months after two of his severest critics were elected to the panel, shifting the balance of power on the board against him.

Wilson, whose management style had sparked the ire of some district employees, board members and parents, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

But he signed an agreement with the district on March 17 that cites irreconcilable differences between him and the majority of the board. The district released the document after The Times requested it under the Freedom of Information Act.

The agreement calls for Wilson to resign his post April 20, about two years earlier than under his contract, which expires in 1994. In exchange, he will receive $89,484 in severance pay and health benefits through Aug. 31. The total package is worth about $101,515, according to the agreement.

Wilson earns an annual salary of $92,777 to administer the 10-campus elementary school district.

Under the agreement, the district will not furnish any derogatory information to Wilson’s future employers.

School board member Al Nocciolo, a former district administrator who was elected in November after retiring last year when Wilson tried to demote him, said Thursday that Wilson left voluntarily.

“We were willing to work with him, but he wasn’t interested in staying,” Nocciolo said.

During the November election, Nocciolo and Deme Clare Larson were highly critical of Wilson, but said they would not seek his ouster because they estimated it would cost the district about $350,000 in severance pay to break the superintendent’s contract.

The election of Larson and Nocciolo shifted the balance of power on the board, which formerly supported Wilson’s policies by a 3-2 margin.

School board member Eileen Connolly, the only one to vote against accepting Wilson’s resignation, said Thursday that the rest of the five-member panel “chose to spend their energies to get rid of Dr. Wilson.

“Paying for his resignation is an inappropriate use of public funds,” Connolly said.

Until a permanent replacement is selected, Assistant Supts. Arthur Clark and Neva Meinhardt will be in charge of the district, school board President Marilyn Blaylock said.