- February 25, 2025
Interim superintendent has taken over the job.
It seemed like the most reluctant votes in the history of public meetings when the Volusia County School Board approved a request by Superintendent Margaret Smith on Jan. 27 for a severance agreement, allowing her to resign, effective immediately.
Two weeks ago, Dr. John Hill, who was elected to the board last year, made a motion to fire Smith based on charges of financial “unaccountability” and allowing curriculum department employees to take a trip paid for by a business.
At the Jan. 27 meeting, about a dozen people spoke from the audience praising Smith, saying she worked hard and was always accessible. Some criticized Hill for making the surprise motion to fire Smith in the comments portion of the meeting.
“Thank you, Dr. Hill, for taking us back 300 years where you yell, ‘witch’ and we go gather wood for the fire,” one speaker said.
Another person said they believed it was time for a change, but he didn’t agree with the way it was done.
Judy Conte, of Ormond Beach, a former school board member, thanked Smith for her lifelong dedication and consistent professionalism. Andrew Spar, also of Ormond Beach, president of the Volusia Teachers Organization, said he and Smith sometimes had disagreements, but always talked and worked together.
Smith, 74, presented the board with a printed copy of her investigation of Hill’s charges and said they were without merit and based on misunderstanding. She said she disciplined the members of the curriculum department but would not comment on the discipline.
She then asked the board to approve the release agreement, without spelling out reasons for her wish to retire.
After board attorney Ted Doran read the agreement he had worked out with Smith, board member Melody Johnson, holding back tears, said, “Upon her request, I motion she be released.”
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, the motion was seconded by Hill.
The board then voted to approve the release unanimously and called for a recess. Reporters and others stepped forward to talk to Smith, but she disappeared through a door and was not seen for the rest of the evening in the meeting room. She had been superintendent for 10 years.
The agreement calls for 20 weeks of severance pay and benefits, which would total about $85,000 to $95,000, Doran said. She asked to be released from the 12-month notice required in her contract.
Also in the agreement is a clause that prevents the board and Smith from making derogatory comments about each other.
After the recess, the board picked a person to assume the superintendent position in the interim until someone can be hired by the board. Doran had spoken to several people and offered names of four Volusia County Schools employees, Tom Russell, area superintendent for West Volusia; Robert Moll, deputy superintendent for financial services; James Tager, deputy superintendent for instructional services; and Don Boulware, executive director of technology services.
The board elected Russell, who took the seat at the dais and said, “This is the first time you’ve seen an Irish man speechless.” He thanked Smith for “all she did” for Volusia County schools and said he was committed to working diligently to help students succeed.
Chairman Linda Costello, of Ormond Beach, said she has confidence in the team that Smith put together.
“Everything is going to be OK,” she said.
