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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. |
