Ousted Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan has sued the county Board of Education, contending that “no good reason exists” for her abrupt firing in a closed-session meeting last week.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday said Dewan, who supports school districts in the county and oversees the county’s Office of Education, was fired without cause or explanation and that she was not provided with a 30-day notice required by her contract.

“The board took this action during closed session during a time that it knew her lawyer was out of town and observing the Rosh Hashanah holiday,” the lawsuit said. “The board has never offered an explanation for its decision. No good reason exists.”

Dewan’s lawyer declined a request for comment from this news organization.

Kelly Wylie, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, confirmed that Dewan’s lawyer was not present at the board meeting and that the board had not offered an explanation for its decision.

“Her evaluations have been positive, so that infers that there is ‘no good reason,’ ” Wylie said.

The board, a group of elected officials tasked with appointing the superintendent, operates independently from the county education office.

A news release from Board of Education President Maimona Afzal Berta last week announced Dewan was removed from her position on a 4-2 vote on Oct 3. Berta and board members Joseph Di Salvo, Grace Mah and Don Rocha voted in favor for the firing, Victoria Chon and Tara Sreekrishnan voted against, and Raeena Lari abstained from the vote.

It’s unclear why Dewan — who was recently awarded an Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the National Association of Educational Services Agencies — was fired. Dewan began her career as a fourth-grade teacher and has worked in education for more than 33 years. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership from Indiana State University.

Dewan and the county’s education office are being investigated by the Office of Head Start for allegedly misusing the program’s federal funds to pay employees. Wylie declined to discuss the investigation, but NBC Bay Area reported that the office described the issues as “an accounting error.”

At a news conference last week on Dewan’s firing, a group of fewer than 10 people said “justice was served” after Dewan was terminated. But more than 100 people also showed up at the conference in support of the superintendent and demanded that she be reinstated.

“It’s unacceptable that even after widespread community outrage over Superintendent Dewan’s abrupt closed-door termination, the board has yet to schedule a public hearing on this,” Sreekrishnan said in a statement Wednesday. “This lawsuit only reinforces the need for transparency and accountability. Our community deserves a voice in decisions that affect our schools.”

State Sen. Josh Becker, who represents Menlo Park, also issued a statement praising Dewan for her work and urging transparency in her firing.

“The termination of this highly regarded superintendent without cause and without public input by four members of the Board of Education deeply concerns me,” he said.

Berta said in a statement that Dewan was terminated “per her employment contract without cause upon 30-days written notice” and that the board of education’s process relating to her employment is “consistent with past practice over many decades by the board.”

But Dewan’s lawsuit argues the board “purported” to place her on a 30-day administrative leave instead of giving her the required notice, violating her contract.

Dewan also argues that her position as county superintendent was an appointment, not employment, and the board had no authority to terminate her — with or without cause — or place her on administrative leave.

Troy Flint, chief communications officer for the California School Boards Association, said the situation was “somewhat unconventional” because Dewan was appointed instead of elected, like most county superintendents.

“Santa Clara is one of five counties out of 58 in California that have an appointed superintendent,” he said. “There’s something of a gray area where appointed superintendents are concerned. There’s an argument over whether the superintendent is an employee that can be terminated prior to the end of term.”

Dewan was appointed superintendent in 2018 with a base salary of $337,000. Her 2018 contract said that she could be terminated at any time by mutual agreement with the board, by herself with at least 30-days notice or without cause by the board with 30-days notice.

Her contract said the board could vote to fire her with cause by a majority vote and would have to meet with her in closed session to give her an opportunity to respond to any matters raised. The contract does not mention administrative leave procedures.

Berta said Dewan “signed and voluntarily entered her employment agreement,” which explicitly stated the terms for her removal.

Dewan’s lawsuit asks the court to declare her termination null and void and allow her to continue to work as the Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools.

Nollyanne Delacruz contributed reporting to this story.