MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — The Montgomery County School Board released a statement Tuesday addressing comments made by former Superintendent Dr. Mark Miear after his dismissal last year.
The statement was released after a school board meeting and says the board believes several of his claims about his firing are “inaccurate or misleading.” They also say he took $55,000 in overpayment for salary and benefits that he was not entitled to.
“The School Board has been advised that Dr. Miear knew of his retirement eligibility at the time of his termination but nevertheless continued to draw pay and benefits from the Montgomery County Public Schools. Dr. Miear has recently repaid the full amount of the overpayment.”
– Montgomery County School Board
Dr. Miear previously spoke to WFXR News about his dismissal, saying it had to do with an argument over his transgender child with former Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Annie Whitaker.
“As a parent who shares joint legal and physical custody of my child, who I love more than anything, the school should not be allowed to change my child’s name without my permission,” said Dr. Miear in January.
The board’s statement says they exercised their right to terminate Dr. Miear’s contract “without cause” and with a unanimous vote.
“Dr. Miear has commented publicly that a precipitating event giving rise to his
– Montgomery County School Board
termination involved him “raising his voice” with a subordinate employee. In the School
Board’s view, that characterization grossly understates Dr. Miear’s conduct. His conduct, directed to a subordinate, lasted for more than 45 minutes, included profanity, was perceived by multiple witnesses to be aggressive and threatening, and led them to contemplate calling law enforcement. The incident ended only when a school board member arrived at the office. This type of conduct is unacceptable.”
The statement goes on to say that the former superintendent’s conduct didn’t align with the district’s values and that he “inappropriately attempted to exert his authority as
Superintendent to direct School Board policy matters impacting his family.”
The statement also responds to claims by Dr. Miear that he did not have an opportunity to respond to accusations about his conduct; the school board claims that he was represented by legal counsel before his eventual termination.
Finally, the statement said that the district is still investigating operational concerns during Dr. Miear’s time as superintendent.
WFXR reached out to Dr. Miear for comment after the statement was released.
“I do not have a response tonight. If I choose to [respond], I will be taking time tomorrow to [formulate] my response,” he said over text.
