Interim chosen
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 14, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/DENNIS HILL
Members of the Wayne County School Board prepare to go into closed session to discuss personnel Thursday night. From left are Rick Pridgen, Arnold Flowers, Chris West, Chairman John Grantham and Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor.
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Dr. Sandra McCullen
Dr. Sandra McCullen will serve as interim superintendent for the rest of the school year after Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor retires next month.
But the vote to get her there split the board, 4-3, after several questioned the process.
At a special called meeting of the school board Thursday evening, the board went into closed session to discuss personnel matters.
When the meeting resumed 30 minutes later, board member Rick Pridgen nominated Mrs. McCullen, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, who had announced last month that she would be retiring Dec. 1. He recommended that she serve Dec. 1 until June 30 to give the board ample time to find a new leader.
His motion also included negotiating a contract that included the base salary she is currently making, her evaluative supplement and travel "and all the things that are included in the regular contract now with a 37 percent increase."
Board member Dr. Dwight Cannon, absent but on Skype for the meeting, seconded the motion.
"All these numbers that have been thrown at us are new numbers to me," board member Arnold Flowers said. "I sit here and wonder why you didn't say all that when we were in closed session. All of this is coming at me mighty fast.
"I feel like we're moving too fast on this. I feel like it's being crammed down my throat."
Vice Chairman Chris West was equally baffled.
"We were just in closed session and I don't know where the 37 percent increase has come about," he said. "I never heard that. Maybe I wasn't privy to that information.
"I thought that would have been something that we should have discussed before we came out. But we didn't. That's the first of me hearing it."
West said he did not see the "emergency" in making a decision only days after Taylor announced his departure date. Taylor had met with board members individually earlier in the week about his imminent retirement Dec. 1, then gathered his leadership team together Wednesday afternoon and told them.
"I think the board should have other options to consider," he said. "Dr. McCullen, it's got nothing to do with you. I just think the board should take a look at other options.
"But I'm kind of blind-sided by the 37 percent."
Board member Eddie Radford said he was in a similar situation.
"I'm not voting against any person," he said, echoing the sentiment that the process used was "quick" before adding that the acting superintendent would receive his full support.
West then turned to the chairman, John P. Grantham, and asked if he knew in advance of Pridgen's remarks.
"It just came out in his motion," Grantham replied.
Pridgen did not volunteer how he arrived at the figures and later admitted he was surprised no one asked during the meeting.
Put to a vote, the majority favored Pridgen's motion -- Grantham, Pridgen, Cannon and Pat Burden. Flowers, West and Radford opposed it.
Grantham congratulated Mrs. McCullen.
"We're glad to have some continuity in the system," he said. "We need it right now."
The meeting was adjourned without further discussion.
But outside after the 90-minute meeting dispersed, Flowers, Radford and West were still reeling from the turn of events.
"Make sure the public knows three of us voted against the process," Radford said.
"Dr. McCullen is not the issue here," Flowers interjected.
"I congratulated her, and I'm going to work with her," West said.
He agreed that the problem had more to do with the process than the candidate.
"It would have been nice to discuss that as a board," he said.
Flowers took issue with the way the salary and pay increase were introduced.
It was "not mentioned in closed session," he said, adding that they had other candidates in mind that they would have liked to have considered.
"But it was a done deal," West said.
When reached later for comment, Pridgen chose his words carefully, saying he did not want to "slam the other board members" but had simply come to the meeting prepared.
"They didn't discuss it. They never asked where I was coming from (with the figures)," he said. "All I did was my homework. I was just prepared to go in there to make a motion.
"I found it very interesting after the motion and second was carried out, nobody ever asked what the figure was and I felt like it needed to be discussed. It didn't need to be discussed in the back room. It needed to be discussed on the floor. It was public knowledge."
Pridgen said he did "extensive research" on the acceptable range for the interim position, in order to be competitive and fair.
"I called Sandy and I talked to her and said, 'If you were chosen, this is the salary range that may be acceptable,' asked what kind of things are you looking for," he said. "Including travel and the evaluative supplement, that's where I came up with the 37 percent increase."
It's actually on the lower end of the scale, he said.
The figure in question, he said, with the base salary, evaluative supplement and travel, is $120,069. Using the 37 percent multiplier, it brings the annual salary to $164,494.
He explained his stance further in a prepared statement.
"It is incumbent upon effective school board members to do the research required outside of a board meeting to ensure that the decisions made are based on sound and factual information," he said. "By law, superintendents' contracts, interim or otherwise, consider public information and can be researched through a variety of networks."
The vote changes Mrs. McCullen's pending retirement status.
"I will not be retiring," she said. "It's been a very quick process. I'm looking forward to providing continuity for Wayne County Public Schools, working with all our stakeholders to continue our quest for excellence, making Wayne County a place to be proud of and live in.
"Of course I will look forward to working with the board and setting goals and working toward what's best for our students."
Mid-October, when the 42-year veteran announced her plans, it was in part to spend more time for her growing family. That will now be delayed.
"I talked to them when I was asked to consider it. They're supportive," she said.