CMS paid $12,000 for outside lawyer to investigate former Superintendent Winston

WFAE | By Ann Doss Helms

Published June 20, 2022 at 3:24 PM EDT

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio

The CMS board voted April 19 to release part of Superintendent Earnest Winston's personnel file after voting 7-2 to fire him.

Ann Doss Helms

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board paid $12,000 for an outside lawyer's report on former Superintendent Earnest Winston's performance, a recently released bill shows.

This spring, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board hired Asheville lawyer K. Dean Shatley to investigate concerns about Winston’s performance. Shatley’s report, released when the board fired Winston in April, documented mistakes and flawed decisions. But Shatley found no clear breaches of Winston’s contract that would have allowed the board to fire him without severance pay.

Education

Letter shows internal strife between CMS board, ex-superintendent dates back to last year

Sarah Delia

A letter from the attorney for former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston complains of actions the CMS board had taken that he says undermined Winston. The letter to the general counsel for the board reveals that Winston was asked to leave before he was fired, and reveals there were tensions dating back to at least late last year.

In response to a public record request from WFAE, CMS recently released the tab for Shatley’s work. His firm billed CMS $12,050.

The board voted to fire Winston for convenience and pay him almost $577,000 over the coming two years, as his contract requires. The board released parts of his personnel file, including Shatley’s report and Winston’s most recent evaluation, to explain that decision.