The Los Gatos Union School District terminated its contract with Superintendent Diana Abbati Monday night, the board of trustees voting unanimously to place her on paid 90-day administrative leave. After that, she is no longer an employee, but her contract specifies that she does get a severance payment that’s equivalent to 12 months pay, Board of Trustees President Peter Noymer said in an email.

Abbati’s contract was set to expire June 30, 2019. Her 2014 contract set her salary at $227,000 and included provisions for annual raises.

The Los Gatos Union School District serves Daves Avenue, Blossom Hill, Van Meter and Lexington elementary and Fisher Middle schools.

She was superintendent for seven years, overseeing construction of the new Lexington Elementary School, the Fisher Sports Complex and the 2013 extension of the $290 parcel tax.

Abbati’s problems started with the 2016 overlap parcel tax election. If approved, it would have doubled the annual tax to $580, but the measure narrowly failed at the polls. Critics said the school district tried to dupe voters into thinking the election was an extension of the old $290 tax, as opposed to doubling it.

In June 2017, members of the Los Gatos Elementary Teachers Association gave Abbati a “no confidence” vote, the teachers saying she had a “history of uncollaborative behavior.”

Last October, chief business official Tom Gray was dismissed for overpaying some employees’ benefits, leading to renewed criticism of Abbati’s leadership.

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The decision was made in closed session Monday night, with Noymer issuing a post-meeting statement that said the vote was “the culmination of a thorough deliberation and ongoing performance evaluations, among other things.”

“The search process for a new superintendent for LGUSD will begin as soon as possible, with a goal to have a new superintendent in place for the start of the 2018-19 school year,” the board statement said. “As in the past, various stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to provide input during the search process.”

Assistant Superintendent Marla Rodriguez will serve as the district’s “point person” for now.

Abbati said she was disappointed in the board’s decision and will “miss the students and people I have come to know.”

What she won’t miss is being separated from her husband, who continued to live in San Francisco after she was hired in Los Gatos.

“After seven years devoted to Los Gatos as the superintendent and living apart from my husband, I am looking forward to exploring new opportunities, seeing my husband more than on the weekend and spending time with my beloved dogs,” Abbati wrote in an email.

The board’s statement said a new superintendent will “re-energize and re-vitalize” school district operations.