NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Almost a week after firing the superintendent of New Hanover County Schools, the board chair released a statement about its actions and included well-wishes to Charles Foust.
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“We would like to thank Dr. Foust for his service to the NHCS system over the past few years and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Pete Wildeboer wrote on behalf of the school board.
The board took a 5-0 vote last Tuesday — Stephanie Kraybill and Josie Barnhart absent — after an hour-and-a-half closed session to terminate the superintendent’s contract. The chair’s press release is the first statement made to media and the public, aside from when he went on the Nick Craig show last Wednesday morning, explaining the board will work with the state school board association to help find an interim superintendent. Chris Barnes became the acting superintendent the same night the board voted to fire Foust.
Port City Daily has reached out to the board multiple times to ask about the procedure moving forward and regarding where the money to pay out the superintendent’s contract would come from. The chair acknowledged in the letter he and the school board received multiple inquiries, from media and the public, regarding the board’s reasoning to let go of Foust and the financial implications it can have on its budget.
The board faced a $20-million shortfall for the 2024-2025 school year, a depleting fund balance and needed county commissioners to help pad it. Despite asking the county for $10.1 million, commissioners allocated $9.2 million.
Board member Kraybill told PCD Friday many commissioners said in the past they would not help pay out the superintendent’s contract. This would include his quarter-million salary, vacation accrual, etc.
Wildeboer wrote in the released statement Monday, upon the closing of the 2023-2024 budget on June 30, “the school system had sufficient fund balance which can be used for this purpose.”
He added no money would be spent that is appropriated for teachers, textbooks, classroom materials, supplies or equipment.
This comes as the school board said it depleted its fund balance during this year’s budget sessions. For several years, the district has been supplementing its budget by pulling a little over $2 million from its fund balance each year. That practice had to come to an end this year upon the fund being drained to around $1.3 million.
In a statement sent to PCD over the weekend, Foust’s lawyer, Gary Shipman, indicated his client was looking forward to moving ahead upon the board taking care of the contract.
“We accept what the Board did because that’s what the contract provides,” he wrote in a text message. “Assuming that the board complies with its obligations under Dr. Foust’s employment contract and other mandatory obligations imposed by law on the board and each of its members, Dr. Foust is ready to move on. We hope that the Board feels the same.”
The board has not floated a reason for Foust’s dismissal, citing state statute regarding it a personnel matter. Monday’s press release noted the same.
“However, we can tell you that this decision was not undertaken lightly, and, in light of our current budgetary situation, it was a difficult one,” the chair wrote. “The Board concluded that a change in leadership was necessary to put the district on track to accomplish our goals for academic progress as well as college and career readiness.”
The board voted last August to extend Foust’s contract through 2027, with Melissa Mason dissenting. Yet, Pat Bradford brought up rescinding the contract earlier in the winter.
The board’s vote last week was made after it heard a presentation regarding a teacher and staff climate survey conducted in the spring. Around 72% did not feel the district created an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, while 44% did not think it was a good place to work.
Survey responses were also critical of the board and can be read in full here.
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