DATE: Tuesday, November 11, 1997            TAG: 9711110286

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   51 lines

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT'S FUTURE UNRESOLVED

Placing Superintendent Leon Holleman on administrative leave until a full audit of the district's books is finished has been informally discussed, county officials confirmed Monday.

But speculation that commissioners may nix a proposed buyout of Holleman's contract is only that, County Manager Terry Wheeler said Monday. And the two elected boards have had no formal discussions about the idea of a leave for the superintendent.

``I won't deny that it's been talked about,'' Wheeler said. ``But it's premature to talk about that. The Board of Commissioners can't act until the Board of Education decides what it's going to do about the superintendent. After all, he is in their employ.''

Commission Vice Chairman Stan White said he had been approached by a citizen and a school board member about placing the superintendent on leave but said no discussions with other commissioners had taken place.

Commissioners, however, are concerned about the audit's outcome, which could be known before Christmas.

``If the school board were to accept Dr. Holleman's offer, I think the commissioners would be concerned about the audit,'' White said. ``But we've had no discussions as a board about an administrative leave.''

Attorneys for the seven-member Board of Education and Holleman are negotiating a deal that would pay Holleman $146,000 in exchange for his resignation. While the education panel must first approve the deal, the commissioners must authorize funding for a buyout.

School Board Chairman Fletcher Willey said that he had heard talk about possible action by the county but declined further comment.

Holleman said Monday he would have no problem with such an arrangement. Under an administrative leave, Holleman would continue to draw a salary, but would be removed from day-to day resposibilities until the audit is complete.

``That sounds reasonable to me,'' said Holleman. ``If that's what they want to do, that's fine.''

The school board meets tonight. But a closed session is not on the agenda. The school board met in closed session last Thursday to discuss the superintendent's future but made no public statements afterward.

Negotiations began last week on the proposed settlement covering the remaining three years of Holleman's $90,000-per-year contract.

Holleman's tenure has been plagued by controversy since the defeat of a proposed $59.5 million bond issue. Financial difficulties have also crippled the school district. Last summer, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved a $305,012 bailout to cover spending overruns by the board.

The school district's finance officer, Becky Wescott, was placed on administrative leave in June. However, officials said there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

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