Two small-district superintendent suspensions have coincided in recent days with the departures of two higher-profile K12 leaders.
Michael Retzlaff was suspended indefinitely by the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District’s school board for undisclosed reasons, Board President Amanda McDonnell said on the district’s Facebook page. The district’s director of special education has been named interim superintendent, the Olean Times Herald reported.
In Pennsylvania, a state ethics investigation has resulted in the suspension of Blackhawk School District Superintendent Robert Postupac. Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission found that Postupac and a school member in the nearby Moon Area School District used their influence to get each other’s children hired, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
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In 2016, Postupac’s daughter was hired to teach at a Moon Area elementary school while Scappe’s son became a PE teacher at Blackhawk, according to the Post-Gazette.
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring’s contract will not be renewed when it expires in June 2024, the district’s school board announced on Friday. In a statement, school board President Eshé P. Collins did not give any reason for the decision for dismissing Herring, who took over in 2020 after serving as superintendent of Birmingham City Schools.
In a response to the news, Herring noted that Atlanta Public Schools had made progress over the last three years despite challenges. “I received my last performance evaluation and satisfactory feedback with an emphasis on the focus of additional engagement and stronger communications efforts,” Herring said. “Our community will need the time and opportunity to plan a focused and balanced transition for our organization.”
In South Carolina, Colleton County School District Superintendent Vallerie Cave resigned last week after having been placed on leave in May, WCSC reported. At the time of the suspension, a divided school board said it was investigating information in relation to the superintendent.
Other superintendent departures:
- Chris Peterson has resigned from Southern Door County School District in Wisconsin, WBAY reported.
- Frank Redmon is stepping down from the Quilcene School District in Washington, according to The Port Townsend Leader.
- Rick Westfall is retiring from Keller ISD in Texas, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
