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By Lynn Hotaling
Local officials Friday (Nov. 21) dismissed the
county's top school administrator, citing his "lack of leadership"
by way of explanation.
Members of the Jackson County Board of Education voted unanimously
to buy out Mack McCary, and allocated $141,326 from fund balance
to pay the former superintendent for the approximately 15 months
remaining on his contract.
After a brief statement by the outgoing superintendent, board
members unanimously chose Assistant Superintendent Sue Nations
to lead Jackson County's seven schools.
No timetable was set for the naming of the next superintendent.
A Friday statement issued by local officials listed
several reasons for removing McCary from his post, including "an
increasing lack of decision-making" and a failure on McCary's
part to follow the direction and instruction of the board.
Other reasons given for the superintendent's dismissal included
McCary's lack of rapport with the parents of students and low
morale on the part of administrators, staff and faculty, causing
personnel to retire or resign to take positions with other school
systems.
"During Dr. McCary's tenure as superintendent, our principals
and teachers in Jackson County have spent more and more time in
conferences, meetings and developing plans for the school system,
rather than in the classrooms with their students," the statement
says. "Dr. McCary has, in the opinion of the Board of Education,
spent an excessive amount of time outside of Jackson County on
meetings that were not directly related to the improvement of
the Jackson County school system.
"While conferences, dialogue and development of plans for
a school system are imperative, there must come a time when ideas
are gleaned from those conferences and dialogue and plans implemented
in a manner designed to improve the future of the Jackson County
school system and our children.
"The Jackson County Board of Education has lost confidence
in the leadership abilities of Dr. McCary to accomplish that goal,"
the statement says.
The former superintendent said Friday that he was proud of his
association with local schools.
"I'm grateful and proud to be associated with Jackson County
Schools, and I'm extremely proud of the teachers and students
and the best results ever on (state) ABC and SAT tests,"
McCary said. "Thank you for the opportunity to have worked
in Jackson County."
When reached Wednesday morning, McCary confirmed statements attributed
to him in other media reports that indicate that he is considering
a lawsuit over the school board statement, which said was "character
assassination" and termed "libelous." Those statements
were made in reaction to the school board's statement, which he
had not seen when he left Friday's school board meeting, McCary
said.
On Wednesday, however, the former superintendent told The Herald
that nothing would be gained by engaging in recriminations.
"This happens when a board and superintendent don't see eye
to eye," McCary said.
The former superintendent issued a written statement Monday, which
was similar in tone to his remarks to the board on Friday in that
it expresses gratitude to the people of Jackson County for the
opportunity to serve them and outlined the vision he brought to
his post as top administrator for the local school system. It
also referred to the school board's public listing of the reasons
for McCary's dismissal.
"The board in place now has a different vision. To work effectively
together, a board and superintendent must share a style of leadership
and vision. In order to move on, this board chose the option provided
in the contract to unilaterally terminate it by paying out the
remainder of the salary due," McCary wrote. "In this
process the board does not have to share its concerns, nor does
the superintendent have the opportunity to respond.
"By comparison, the only other option for ending the contract
would have required the board to present charges, conduct a hearing
and provide the superintendent with the opportunity to respond.
The board did not pursue this option," the statement said.
"There is certainly nothing to be gained from surfacing accusations
now when I have no opportunity to respond. I would hope the board
would allow this 'divorce' to occur without deliberately trying
to harm my professional reputation," McCary wrote. "For
my part, I intend to make no further public statements about the
situation, other than to affirm the agreement I thought I had
with the board that we had 'irreconcilable differences' in our
vision and leadership style for Jackson County Schools."
McCary, who was chosen as superintendent after a lengthy selection
process, began his duties here in February 2001. The position
was advertised for the second time after school board members
were unable to settle on a superintendent from six candidates
- a field that included local administrators Arlin Middleton,
Lib Balcerek and Nations - interviewed in August 2000.
McCary was among candidates interviewed after Superintendent Gary
Steppe of Cherokee County declined the job in October 2000.
A graduate of both Yale and Harvard, McCary began his educational
career as a first-grade teacher. He was serving as assistant superintendent
for instructional services for Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Schools
when he was tapped for the Jackson County job.
School Board Chairman James Roper praised Nations, a Sylva native
with 29 years experience in the local school system, and expressed
confidence in her ability to handle her new responsibilities.
"Sue has been a loyal employee of Jackson County Schools
as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent," Roper
said. "She knows our school system and its personnel, and
I feel she'll do a great job."
Acting Superintendent Nations, who assumed her new position immediately
after school officials' Friday session, sent a letter to all school
system personnel informing them of the change in leadership and
pledging Central Office support in their efforts on behalf of
local school children.
"I know that the real power, the real impact on student achievement
is in the schools, and it is with the everyday, ordinary activities
that translate into the extraordinary," Nations wrote.
"My point is to say that school goes on; my role is to support
you in what you do for our students, and I need your support in
doing what is best for our school system," Nations wrote.
"You make the difference. I'm honored to work for you."
Nations, who began her teaching career as a Teacher Corps intern
in 1974, was an assistant principal at Smoky Mountain High before
moving to Fairview as principal in 1994. She left Fairview in
July of this year to become assistant superintendent.
Before switching to administration in 1988, she taught fourth
grade at Fairview. A 1965 graduate of Sylva-Webster High School,
Nations holds bachelor's, master's and education supervision degrees
from Western Carolina University.
Details of Nations' salary had not been worked out at press time,
said David Steinbicker, school system finance officer. She is
currently being paid pursuant to her $93,000 contract as assistant
superintendent, Steinbicker said.
Buying out the remaining months of McCary's contract will leave
the school system with approximately $360,000 in undesignated
fund balance and unofficially with a fund balance total of approximately
$990,000, Steinbicker said.
Under McCary's initial contract, he received an annual salary
of $118,125. Some $95,000 of that came from state funds. The remainder
- a $17,125 supplement and a $6,000 per year local travel allowance
- came from local funds.
McCary's compensation will not include the travel allowance, Steinbicker
said.
The entire amount needed to buy out the superintendent's contract
must come from local funds; state funds cannot be used to buy
out an administrator's contract, Steinbicker said.
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