Higley district may rescind incoming superintendent's contract following audit
The Higley Unified School District's governing board is set to vote Wednesday on a recommendation to rescind the employment contract of its incoming superintendent, who was placed on administrative leave from his superintendent job in Texas in March following an audit report.
Nate Carman was selected as the southeast Valley district's next superintendent in February from among 30 candidates, seven months after the district's former leader resigned. The district hired an outside recruitment firm to lead the search and selection process.
The district's May 8 governing board meeting agenda includes a recommendation for the board to rescind Carman's employment agreement with the district, select a superintendent for the 2024-25 school year and enter contract negotiations with the selected candidate. The meeting follows four closed-door governing board sessions that have taken place since March.
The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wednesday's meeting will begin with an executive session regarding "discussion and consideration of possible contract extension." The district's interim superintendent is Sherry Richards, who joined the district in 2011 as an elementary school principal and became executive director of elementary education in 2017. Carman was set to start as superintendent in July.
In March, Carman was placed on paid administrative leave from his role as superintendent of Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, following the presentation of an audit report that identified a "potential conflict of interest" related to his role in selecting a district vendor. Carman denies any wrongdoing.
Reach the reporter at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Higley district may rescind incoming superintendent's contract
