Memphis-Shelby County Schools allowed embattled Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray to resign with a severance package. The school board voted 8-0-1 to accept his resignation.
Ray was placed on administrative leave in July after allegations of extramarital affairs with MSCS employees surfaced.School board members agreed to stop their investigation into a sex scandal that threatened to blow up the state’s largest school system.
The school board is expected to extend him an 18-month severance package, equal to about a year and a half’s worth of his salary, or around $450,000, LocalMemphis.com reports.
Not a single board member raised concerns about stopping the investigation or rewarding Ray’s alleged behavior. And the golden parachute has caused anger among some in the school system who point out that the investigation is not even finished.“This is disgusting and it smacks of a cover-up,” said KWAM radio host Todd Starnes. “What’s even more appalling is that the school board squandered our tax dollars on an investigation that will never be completed — and we have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in severance to reward a man’s alleged heinous behavior. Sickening.”
An outgoing MSCS board member confirms to @WMCActionNews5 the investigation into whether Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray violated district policy has NOT been completed yet. The school board is holding a special meeting tonight to vote and discuss Dr. Ray’s employment relationship.
— Bria Bolden (@boldenbria) August 23, 2022
Standing room only for MSCS special call meeting regarding employment relationship with Supt. Dr. Joris Ray. @ABC24Memphis pic.twitter.com/nxdc7g6TFk
— Rudy Williams (@RudyReports) August 23, 2022
Board member Billy Orgel told The Commercial Appeal the board would not release findings of the external investigation.
“No, the investigations not complete,” Orgel told the newspaper.
KWAM News Anchor Ben Deeter will have full coverage beginning at 6 a.m. on Wake Up Memphis With Tim Van Horn.
