Brunswick County School Superintendent Edward Pruden has been terminated by the Brunswick school board in a 3-2 vote in a closed-door session this week.
The reason has not been given to the public and apparently not given to Pruden either.
See part of the report from WECT:
Pruden said he was not given a clear reason why he was being terminated.
“I was not given a reason and I will leave it to the board members to explain why they took the action they did,” the superintendent explained.
Pruden did give a few speculative hints as to why he may have been fired.
“I think it’s the cumulative effect of a number of tough issues over the years. Public education is in a time of change and growth. We’ve had budget issues,” he explained.
The vote of termination comes seven months before Pruden intended to step down from the job. The superintendent announced in July that he would retire when his contract ends at the end of June next year. In July, the board gave Pruden a score of “proficient” on his performance evaluation, but would not give a reason for Pruden’s termination.
– WECT, 11/12/14
‘Proficient scores and retiring.’
This sounds more like a grudge than a valid termination.
According to his contract, termination of him requires the charges in writing, a hearing before the board and at least a 10 day notices of those charges in writing. It also says the Superintendent can request a transcript of the hearing proceedings.
Pruden’s contract information via WRAL:
School system: Brunswick CountySuperintendentEdward Pruden
Read the full contract: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/745558-brunswick.html
Contract length: July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2016
State salary$131,220
Local salary$29,740
Total salary$160,960
Enrollment12,295
Pay per student$13.09
Bonuses and perks
• Board will provide Pruden with a school-owned vehicle
• Board will pay Pruden’s moving expenses – the lowest of three bids
• Board will pay for Pruden’s membership and travel for professional organizations
• Board will pay for one medical exam per year
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