NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The New Hanover County School Board unanimously has terminated its superintendent in a 5-0 vote.
The school board — sans Josie Barnhart and Stephanie Kraybill, who were absent from the meeting — made the motion after it went into closed session for more than an hour-and-a-half Tuesday evening. Chris Barnes, the administration’s assistant superintendent of human resources, was named the acting superintendent.
Foust’s firing comes on the heels of a climate survey taken by almost 2,000 employees in the district. Board member Stephanie Walker presented its findings to the board Tuesday (Port City Daily reported on the survey here), revealing a majority of respondents, 70%, expressing dissatisfaction with district leadership and 80% finding the school board is “out of touch.” Many indicated morale is at an all-time low.
Walker noted the results were “troubling” and representative of a large swath of people — roughly 87% of teachers — not just a select few. Some board members also added it was “eye opening.”
Around 44% disagreed the district was a “good place to work and learn,” most also citing lack of support by its leadership. The survey showed more than half didn’t feel valued for their contributions to the district’s success, did not think it fostered a positive workplace environment, and believed trust and mutual respect lacked. Over 60% didn’t think they could address concerns with the district for fear of retaliation, with 76% claiming their input wasn’t valued.
One anonymous surveyor wrote in the comments: “I have worked in the district for 24 years and I feel the least valued, trusted, and supported this year by our superintendent and instructional leadership than I ever have.”
Another blamed the superintendent for their reason to retire and go into the private sector, while many claim Foust “blatantly disrespects teachers in his district” and cares more about image than the hard work it takes to run a classroom.
“When I give a low score, I am talking about the superintendent, not my principal or other senior staff,” another wrote about the survey.
Foust was hired in 2020 to take the position after former Superintendent Tim Markley resigned amid being investigated in years-long sexual abuse coverups and scandal miring the schools district. Foust started at an annual salary of $225,000, which reached almost $250,000 by his contract renewal in August 2023.
Last summer, the board voted 6-1 — Melissa Mason dissenting — to extend his contract four years. Mason has been particularly outspoken against Foust’s performance, accusing him of allowing obscene materials in schools that go against state statute, putting forth discriminatory policies, executing poor oversight in the district, and violating parents rights by “excluding them from the process.”
Other Republican school board members have been vocally against the superintendent’s performance as well, including Pat Bradford. After voting to renew his contract, she announced in the winter she would bring forth a motion to rescind its approval. This came amid the district’s controversial consideration to close the Career Readiness Academy at Mosley — yet neither the school closure nor the contract termination happened.
Foust has overseen a district facing some of its most challenging moments, including the Covid-19 pandemic and virtual learning, as well as bouncing back to in-person classrooms. In 2022, more than a third of NHC schools scored low-performing; it improved last year with five of the roughly dozen schools that received D or F grades moving up to passing scores.
Yet, Foust maintained in March this year that the district’s reading scores were outpacing the national average. NHCS also received the first statewide “Champion of Change” Award from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for the district’s “extraordinary and comprehensive efforts to improve student literacy.”
“Our district looks like we’ve never been in pandemic mode,” Foust said at the time.
The termination comes as Foust was named 2024-25 Regional Superintendent of the Year, decided upon by the 12 school district superintendents in the southeast region. He was slated to face off in the state-level competition against seven other regions and compete for the A. Craig Phillips State Superintendent of the Year award.
On Tuesday evening, Mason seconded the motion brought forth by board member Bradford who moved to “unilaterally terminate” Foust’s contract, effective immediately. There was no discussion and everyone on the board voted yay, except absentees Kraybill and Barnhart.
Port City Daily reached out to Barnhart and Kraybill to ask if they supported the move and were aware this action was going to take place Tuesday.
Kraybill responded she had been in contact with some board members Tuesday and it never came up. She added she was unaware of anything the superintendent has done to elicit immediate termination.
“Terminating the superintendent’s contract in this manner is the most unprofessional decision this board has made to date,” Kryabill added. “I did not know it was going to happen. The board chair is supposed to alert each board member of important information and impending action needed prior to each board meeting. This did not occur with me tonight. He knew I was not going to be at the meeting. What a lack of leadership and cowardice to allow a decision of this magnitude to be made without all board members present and fully informed. Our new attorney certainly got indoctrinated by fire!”
Barnhart sent a statement to PCD as well: “My goal is always to focus on opportunities for our students and there is still work to be done. I plan to work with board members to secure new leadership.”
Per contract stipulations, the board can fire Foust for a “good and just cause,” but the superintendent is entitled to an appeal hearing before the board. However, if the board agrees to pay his contract out — which would be the salary he would have earned for a year — a hearing is not allowed.
According to WECT, Foust said his termination was unexpected and he will release a statement.
[Ed. note: The article was updated after press to reflect the correct language in Foust’s contract, per appealing the board’s decision.]
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