AUGUSTA — A letter from Augusta Superintendent Cathy Tanner was hand-delivered Tuesday to former Superintendent Ray Nassar, who is on paid administrative leave, informing him she will recommend action on his contract, the school district’s attorney said.
Donn Mixon of Mixon & Worsham in Jonesboro said Nassar has 30 days to request a hearing before the school board. If Nassar doesn’t request a hearing, the board will consider action on the recommendations in the letter, Mixon said.
Mixon said the three-page letter, delivered to Nassar at his home in Marion, outlines the reasons for the decision. Asked if it is a recommendation to terminate Nassar’s contract, Mixon said, “That’s the reasonable conclusion, but I can’t use that word.”
In a previous interview, Mixon said that under the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act — “the superintendent has to list reasons that she’s recommending the termination. Those reasons become the only reasons for the board to consider.”
The attorney previously said the district was investigating issues that allegedly occurred when Nassar was superintendent.
In the Jan. 29 Three Rivers Edition, Mixon said the district also requested the assistance of the Arkansas Legislative Audit, which conducts an annual audit of the district’s finances.
“This investigation is not solely with the auditors; it covers areas [Nassar] would have had under him,” Mixon said then. “It’s not just about money — it’s money and property.”
An audit was still underway last week, Mixon said Wednesday.
“Any kind of investigation that’s as complicated as this was, I can’t say is completely over,” Mixon said. “It’s over as far as his actions and the reasons for recommending something. There are still auditors working with the district trying to correct some issues.”
A message left on Nassar’s cellphone was not returned by press time Thursday. In an earlier interview, Nassar denied any wrongdoing. He said the situation was the result of “small-town politics.” He said a dispute arose because of an in-house promotion for federal-programs coordinator.
Tanner said she is now serving as federal-programs coordinator, in addition to being superintendent. She said Thursday that she had not been notified that Nassar received the letter.
Board President Terry Shadwick said Thursday that he was not aware that Nassar had received a letter recommending action or termination.
“I’m not even going to discuss that. I don’t know anything about what’s in the letter, so I can’t say what we would do,” Shadwick said.
The district has been paying two superintendent salaries since August. Tanner was hired July 19 at an annual salary of $82,125 and started to work in August. Nassar, whose salary is $90,000 a year, was put on paid administrative leave in September.
The board first reassigned Nassar in July to administration maintenance coordinator, a position that Shadwick said the board created for Nassar. Nassar also served as athletic director, but he resigned from that position in August.
Shadwick said the board reassigned Nassar after complaints by a group of teachers who enlisted the aid of Searcy attorney Winston Collier. Shadwick said teacher and student absenteeism was high, which he attributed to low morale.
Nassar was starting his fourth year as superintendent and has one more year on his contract after this school year.
He applied for the superintendent’s position in the Guy-Perkins School District, but the board hired Shade Gilbert, principal of grades nine through 12 in the Nemo Vista School District.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.