South Bend Schools Board President Jeannette McCullough has called a special meeting Friday to consider placing Superintendent Todd Cummings on leave. His offense? Calling students to school last Thursday.
Most South Bend area schools, public and private, either cancelled in-person classes or had a two-hour delay because of icy roads last Thursday, Feb. 6. South Bend schools had classes as usual.
McCullough is apparently angry with the decision. She declined WVPE’s interview request Wednesday.
Board member Kate Lee says she supports Cummings. She says a superintendent is paid to make the call on wintry days but he does it with a lot of input from others.
Cummings has said he plans to step down at the end of his contract, which runs through the end of next school year. Lee worries that a board who would punish a superintendent for the call he makes on a snow day will scare off the best candidates from applying for the job.
"We know that we need to start thinking about hiring a new superintendent," Lee said. "I am concerned about how this impacts the quality of candidates that we might get going forward.
"Who would want to work with a board that is going to make this kind of emergency action move in response to a superintendent doing what he thought was the best thing for the students?"
Cummings was hired in 2019. In July he became the corporation's longest-serving superintendent in the past 25 years.
The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the School Board Meeting Room at the former Brown Intermediate Center.
