The estate of a former Deer-Mount Judea School superintendent has filed a lawsuit against the district. During its December meeting, the school board was served summons papers stating the district is accused of breech of contract by the estate of the late Richard Denniston. The Newton County Times reports the suit was filed in Newton County Circuit Court.
The estate’s administrator, Olivia Burden of Greenwood, lists the defendants as the Deer-Mount Judea School District and Board, current superintendent Kerry Saylors, Sharon Pierce individually and as board president, Vernie Heydenreich individually and as board vice president, Clayton Heffley individually and as board secretary and Julie Black and Dale Sparks individually and as board members.
Denniston served as the district’s superintendent for over ten years. The lawsuit claims on or about June 30th, 2015, his contract was renewed for a two-year term to run through June 30th, 2017. The suit also states a surprise special board meeting was set for June 20th, 2016, without notice to Denniston to consider a motion for his suspension. The board members reportedly did not go into executive session, but they voted to suspend Denniston with pay and hire a different superintendent, which was in effect a termination. During the same meeting, a previously undisclosed motion was made to hire Saylors as the interim superintendent on a personal purchased services contract from June 21st through July 31st, 2016. Denniston died October 13th of that year, and the district was reported to have sent his estate a pro-rated check for his services until the day of his death.
The lawsuit claims Denniston was not provided a notice of termination or a hearing allowing him to rebut or explain the reasons for his termination, and a record of the proceeding was allegedly never provided to him by the district. The document states individual board members only have the authority when exercising their responsibilities in a legally-convened meeting acting as a whole. For the meeting to be legal, Denniston would have to provided notice of the hearing, and a record of the hearing would have to be made.
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