Horry County School Board Owes Public Answers

By Paul Gable

The Horry County School Board has completely mishandled the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Cindy Elsberry.

To pay someone who has resigned their position nearly $430,000 of taxpayer money with no explanation and then to use a disparagement clause in the negotiated agreement as the excuse for not talking is the height of arrogance.

Board chairman Joe DeFeo may be influenced by his New Jersey roots in thinking ‘Silence is Golden’ on this issue but it isn’t playing well among voters.

You are spending public money people and the public has a right to know just how and why this $430,000 severance package was arrived at.

The clause in the agreement where Elsberry states she will “fully cooperate with any pending federal, state or local agency investigations involving the District’s programs and operations” is also raising some eyebrows.

That clause does not sound like a ‘catchall’ for possible lawsuits when it specifically addresses “investigations.”

Several board members I have spoken to said there presently is no investigation they know about.

But this entire resignation issue does seem to come close on the heels of the 11th hour arrival of a green energy company that led to the deferment of portions of the school district building program several months ago.

Nothing in politics happens in a vacuum and these are political, not educational, issues.

And in the political arena, the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ silence routine always leads to more questions.

 

 

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