Hill retires from Wayne County Public Schools
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 26, 2010 1:46 PM
The man who spearheaded many of the facilities plans for Wayne County Public Schools has quietly retired.
Sprunt Hill, assistant superintendent of auxiliary services, retired effective March 1, officials confirmed Thursday.
Hill, of Mount Olive, had been placed on administrative leave with pay, effective Dec. 18, during an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation. This week, the News-Argus learned that the investigation is ongoing, and is being handled by the FBI.
School officials have remained mum on the particulars of the situation, calling it a personnel matter.
In late December, Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor said the district was conducting its own investigation and was cooperating with all law enforcement agencies involved.
That has not changed with Hill's retirement status, said Ken Derksen, public information officer for the school system.
"The district investigation remains open until this matter has been resolved," he said this morning.
Derksen could not, however, speculate on whether Hill's retirement benefits would be affected should charges be made against him in the future.
Hill was with the school system for more than 32 years, having been hired in August 1977. During his career, he had worked at several schools, including a stint as principal at Southern Wayne High School.
As assistant superintendent of auxiliary services, he was responsible for day-to-day operations in the district, which included custodial work, maintenance, technology support and transportation. He was also instrumental in creating the schools' facility plans and overseeing construction and renovation of the schools' facilities.
Since his departure, Hill's duties have been divided up among staff members at the central office, officials said, with ongoing construction projects to continue as scheduled.