Seven years after retiring as superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Don Martin could be poised to get his old job back, at least on an interim basis.
The school district’s Board of Education contacted Martin about the possibility of serving as interim superintendent, according to a letter that Martin sent to his fellow Forsyth County commissioners dated Oct. 25.
“I did speak with the Board and they sent me a draft contract,” Martin wrote.
Martin, a Republican, won a seat on the board of commissioners in 2014, shortly after retiring from a school system he led for 19 years.
“I think there are some short-term projects that I could help them with – get the budget process started and possibly finished, make recommendations on the classified employee salary plan, as well as monitor the day-to-day activities including the management of the virus issues,” Martin wrote in the letter.
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School spokesman Brent Campbell said that he can’t comment on personnel issues.
Superintendent Angela Hairston announced her resignation on Oct. 15, after a little more than a year in the job. Her last day is Nov. 13.
A few days after Hairston’s announcement, school board chairman Malishai Woodbury said the board would act quickly to hire an interim superintendent to lead the district until it can hire a permanent superintendent.
Woodbury did not return a text message asking for an update on the timeline.
It’s unclear whether deputy superintendent Tricia McManus is being considered for the job. She began working in the district in June after serving as an assistant superintendent for a large district in Florida.
Filling the superintendent’s post could take three to six months, according to a timeline that school attorney Dionne Jenkins presented to the school board on Tuesday.
In the letter to commissioners, Martin said he asked the N.C. Superintendents Association to review the draft contract. He has also talked with UNC’s School of Government about ethical violations. County commissioners provide millions of dollars in funding to the school system.
“If the school board officially acted to hire me and I accepted,” Martin wrote, “I would ask you for a leave of absence for three months.”
Martin quoted a statute in the letter that says county officials may obtain leave of absences with the consent of the board of commissioners. He would not receive his commissioner’s salary during that period.
The potential of a Martin appointment, which would have to be approved by the board of education in open session, has already drawn backlash. The Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem & Vicinity opposes Martin, saying it wants the district to hire Kenneth Simington, who worked with Martin for several years.
In addition, Kellie Easton, executive director of Action4Equity, asked the school board at its meeting Tuesday to look forward, not back, when choosing an interim superintendent.
“Don Martin is not a step forward,” she said.
Action4Equity is focused on issues of equity within the school district.
The district has wide gaps in achievement among its schools. Critics say that the school assignment plan that Martin helped usher in has fueled inequity while eroding racial balance in schools.
The current board has nine members, four Republicans and five Democrats. One of the Democrats, Barbara Burke, may win a seat on the Winston-Salem City Council next week. If so, the school board will need to fill that seat by December, most likely with another Democrat.
Board member Elisabeth Motsinger said Tuesday that she can’t comment on items discussed in closed session.