The Clarke County Board of Education approved the legal separation of former Superintendent Demond Means from the district at its July 23 meeting.
The mutual separation includes a settlement payment of over $637-thousand dollars, which the district will divide between Means for wages and compensatory damages and his attorneys at Buckley Beal, LLP. Means also waived his right to sue the district. (25)
The separation comes long after an ethics complaint was filed against Means two years into his tenure, resulting in Means announcing his resignation and the board placing him on administrative leave. Negotiations for his departure began in December. (36)
The vote passed 5-4. District 3 Representative Linda Davis voted against the motion, who also opposed placing Means on leave in December. Here’s Davis during the board meeting.
"He put in place a lot of the foundations that have allowed us to sail on during his absence over the last six months," according to Davis. "I think he chose an extraordinary staff, he built a great team, and all of that has contributed to the success that we've experienced thus far. And it's the board's responsibility to support its only employee, which is the superintendent, and so I'm finding it very difficult to support a decision to end this contract in this way."
The board has not released plans to begin selecting a new superintendent.
