The superintendent suspended from his duties by the Ferguson-Florissant School Board now is the subject of an inquiry by the state department of education.
In a letter to the community on Monday related to Superintendent Art McCoy, School Board President Paul Morris wrote that the board “recently received information serious enough to require us by law to notify the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.â€
The information is related to “potential irregularities in mandatory reporting including district attendance,†according to the state department, which plans to review the data and work with the school district to resolve any issues.
McCoy has been on paid administrative leave from his position as superintendent of the 11,500-student district since a Nov. 6 vote by the School Board.
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Initially, Morris released a statement that said the 6-1 decision reflected difference in focus and philosophy and “was not an indication of wrongdoing.â€
On Nov. 12, Morris said “our concerns regarding compliance with Board directives are significant enough to warrant action.â€
And at a meeting last week, board member Rob Chabot spoke of issues of trust between him and McCoy, as well as budget and discipline problems in schools.
About 1,500 people attended the School Board meeting last week. Dozens spoke in support of McCoy and questioned the reasons behind his suspension. Some feel School Board members are looking for a reason to oust McCoy for good.
“The timing of this is just completely suspect to me,†said Redditt Hudson, a parent in the district and one of McCoy’s supporters, said Monday.
Morris and other School Board members have repeatedly said the situation is a personnel matter and they cannot give further details.
“We understand how difficult this is for our district community, and we want to emphasize that all of our decisions are being made with great care and with the best interests of our students in mind,†Morris wrote.
McCoy has a contract, renewed in April, with the district that runs through June 2016. McCoy’s salary is $217,644 for this school year. Another administrator, Larry Larrew, is serving as acting superintendent in McCoy’s absence.
In August, voters in the cash-strapped Ferguson-Florissant School District rejected a tax increase.
Also this summer, McCoy led the district as it accepted 430 transfer students from neighboring unaccredited districts under a controversial law recently upheld by the state Supreme Court. The only district with more transfers is Francis Howell.
