Interim Superintendent Jim Causby resigned Friday, saying "roadblocks and interference" by some members of the Johnston County Board of Education makes it difficult for him to do his job.
Board member Ronald Johnson has alleged corruption in the district for weeks, claiming that two female employees have been sexually harassed and that district financial officials lied to the school board about the district's deficit.
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Board Chairman Todd Sutton and others blasted Johnson last week, saying he should put forward evidence to substantiate his claims or stop making public allegations that only divide the district.
The infighting appears to have been too much for Causby, who took the reins of the district in September, following the abrupt retirement of former Superintendent Ross Renfrow.
"The role of the superintendent is to operate and make decisions regarding the needs of the school system. The role of the local Board of Education is to establish and adopt policies, budgets and to oversee the governance of the system," Causby said in a statement sent to district staff and the families of students. "When I agreed to return to Johnston County Public Schools during this time of transition, I was clear that I needed to make decisions and oversee the daily operations of the school system, which was agreeable to the board.
"However, I also discussed with the Board of Education of Johnston County Public Schools that, at any time I believed the board or individual board members would not allow me to effectively perform my job as superintendent, that I would no longer agree to continue in this role," his statement continued. "I believe that there are members of the board who have fully supported me, and I appreciate them. However, there are roadblocks and interference by others on the board which have impeded my ability to effectively fulfill my role as superintendent."
Causby thanked all board members aside from Johnson and Teresa Grant for "full support."
"My integrity, honesty and skills as a leader are important and crucial to me, and it is extremely concerning when those are questioned without merit," Causby said in the statement. "The students should be our focus, and I am hopeful that the Board of Education can begin to focus on the students, current needs and to move beyond the past to find a replacement who can provide stability to the school system."
The 2019-20 school year has been a turbulent one for Johnston County Public Schools:
- Clayton High School Principal Bennett Jones was reassigned in August amid a district investigation into the school's athletic department. The probe later widened to check whether 13 Clayton High students who graduated last year completed all of their credits. When all 13 were cleared, Jones was reinstated.
- A South Johnston High School teacher was suspended for asking students about their personal beliefs in a class activity. She later apologized.
- The district has been trying to get a handle on a budget deficit, asking county commissioners for financial assistance and contemplating cuts to make it to the end of the fiscal year in June.
Grant said fixing the budget crisis remains one of the board's top priorities, and she wants to avoid laying off teachers to eliminate the deficit.
"Reducing the staff at school, that’s never a good alternative. We don’t have enough teachers as it is," she said.
"The superintendent said that's his role, not mine, to manage the budget," she added. "If handling the budget means cutting positions, then we have to be involved. So, we’re going to take a good, hard look at this and see what changes can be made."
All of the turmoil has turned the school district into "a swamp," parent Sharon Graham said.
"It’s a mess. ... [Causby] came into a mess that he cannot cleanup. He can’t because they went beyond," Graham said of the school board. "The students right now have to get the bottom-bucket education. It’s sad because that’s where it’s at."
Sutton named Brian Vetrano, the district's chief of human resources and financial services, as acting superintendent.
"While this is a difficult time for Johnston County Public Schools, we ask for your support of the school system and our Board of Education as we take the necessary steps to move the school system forward," Sutton said in a statement. "I remain positive and hopeful for the future of Johnston County Public Schools. I would like to thank Dr. Jim Causby for his tireless efforts to assist Johnston County Public Schools."