Document: Norfolk superintendent's departure wasn't so mutual

NORFOLK

The School Board's depiction of Superintendent Richard Bentley's abrupt departure as a mutual agreement last month may have been a public relations tactic, according to a division document.

Bentley’s termination contract, dated Nov. 14, states that:

"The board agrees that the termination is an 'involuntary separation not for cause,' for internal, VRS and contract purposes. For public relations purposes it will simply be characterized as a separation 'by mutual agreement.' " VRS stands for the Virginia Retirement System pension fund.

The contract, known as a term sheet, also stipulates that "Dr. Bentley will submit a written separation letter by November 16, 2011."

Bentley hung up when contacted on his cellphone about the agreement. He has not spoken publicly or answered several phone messages about his departure. His last day with the division is Saturday.

Chairman Kirk Houston, who said in November that Bentley "was not forced out" by the board, wrote an email to The Virginian-Pilot on Tuesday in response to questions about the termination contract: "Regarding the departure of Dr. Bentley, we have communicated with you directly and forthrightly. This is a personnel matter that the board believes should be handled with respect and dignity. Dr. Bentley has a right to reasonable privacy and a respectable transition."

The contract's distinction between "internal" and "public relations" characterizations could feed a perception that division leaders did not share with the public the entire story about Bentley's departure - a perception that was raised last month by several speakers who told the board that they wanted the superintendent to stay.

"We deserve to know the reason behind this travesty," Douglas Knack, a Norfolk resident, told the board at its Nov. 16 meeting when Bentley's departure was discussed.

After viewing the term sheet last week, Knack said the document was "proof positive that our council selects people, like themselves, more interested in the public perception of what is going on than in what is correct for and best for the city they are supposed to lead."

"They also select people, like themselves, who believe that the public has no 'right to know,' " he said.

In Norfolk, the School Board is appointed by the City Council.

Peggy Scott, a Norfolk Council of PTAs officer, said the document paints a different picture than a "mutual separation."

"You're telling someone to leave, but you're going to tell the public it was a 'mutual agreement?' It can't be both ways," Scott said. "They're putting out spin."

Ginger White, a Larchmont Elementary School parent, said, "the section about involuntary separation and having the need to call it something other than a duck for PR purposes absolutely raises a red flag for me."

Bentley was hired in 2010 as the division tried to recover from a testing scandal that former Superintendent Stephen Jones kept undisclosed from the public and the board. Jones announced his retirement amid the scandal, and left at the end of the school year.

Bentley, an experienced school administrator from the Ysleta district in El Paso, Texas, promised more communication with the community and employees. He took charge in Norfolk in August of last year. Some residents who spoke at the board's November meeting commended Bentley for constantly visiting schools, civic leagues and community groups. "Teachers and principals knew their opinions were being heard," Scott said.

Calls and emails to other board members, including Suzan Kaufman, Stephen Tonelson, Warren Stewart and Linda Horsey, were not returned. Brad Robinson deferred to Houston for comment.

Houston also wrote in his email that the board is now focused on hiring "a superintendent that can provide the leadership that NPS needs to educate our students to become successful, productive contributors to society."

The board has said it will conduct a nationwide search for a replacement who would take charge by July 1. It set a Jan. 6 deadline for receiving contract proposals from superintendent search firms.

Bentley's annual salary was $200,000. His severance package, which included a year's pay, was $236,540.

Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com