THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 1, 1994 TAG: 9408010040
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Four years ago this fall, the School Board fired a man who was considered at once an education leader and a human-relations disaster.
Superintendent E. Carlton Bowyer had been on the job for little more than a year when he had teachers and parents on the brink of revolt.
For most, Bowyer's tumultuous reign is now a distant memory. Superintendent Sidney L. Faucette, appointed in 1991, has concentrated on pleasing teachers and making parents feel involved in school decision-making.
Still, at least one Bowyer legacy remains: a $500,000 lawsuit against the school system. Bowyer alleges that the School Board violated his rights by firing him just three weeks after giving him a vote of confidence.
The suit was scheduled to be heard in Virginia Beach Circuit Court last week, but was continued until January.
Bowyer's attorney, John W. Drescher, and the school system's Richmond attorney, D. Patrick Lacy Jr., were out of town Friday and could not be reached for comment.
Bowyer would not say why the suit was continued. ``I have no comment, period, on these matters.''
At least once since the suit was filed in May 1991, attorneys have come close to settling out of court.
Bowyer said Friday, however, ``I'm frankly not interested in settling. I'm interested in getting on the stand and nailing some people.
``It's not going to be pleasant, I can tell you that. They've tangled with the wrong guy.''
The School Board fired Bowyer in November 1990, citing ``ineffective leadership'' and ``lack of effective communication with personnel.''
Bowyer had pushed a major curriculum reform, had set new grading standards and had called for better performance from teachers and administrators. Parents and teachers criticized him for moving too fast with reforms.
Bowyer had spent 30 years working for the school system. Several months after he was fired, he was named executive vice president for Forterra Corp., a construction firm in Norfolk. He was there for less than a year, and it is the only job he's had since he was superintendent, he said. ILLUSTRATION: Former schools chief E. Carlton Bowyer was fired in 1990.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD SUIT by CNB