Notter Shocks Broward Board, Gone By June 30th

FT. LAUDERDALE - (CBSMiami.com) -In a stunning move, embattled Broward Schools superintendent James Notter told a school board budget committee meeting Tuesday that he would leave his post, effective June 30th.

Notter said the decision had nothing to do with a grand jury report released last month that called the school district corrupt and inept.

"I'm telling you it doesn't have a bit to do with it," Notter told reporters. "The fact of the matter is my decision was made prior to that."

The grand jury report identified problem after problem in the district like overspending on unnecessary schools and a lack of oversight.

Notter took the blame for the report and as recently as last week said he planned to guide the district through the troubles.

"I intend to be here," he said last Monday.

But on Tuesday he switched course and said he'll step down in 90 days. Notter said he wants to spend more time with family.

"I want to take my wife and my grand kids and daughters and their husbands and go on a cruise and enjoy life," Notter said.

Notter's critics said it's time for him to go.

Donna Shubert has spent ten years teaching in the school district. She said Notter is part of the problem.

"The biggest flaw is he didn't care enough about changing anything for the kids about changing the educational system and about having a vision," Shubert told CBS 4's Carey Codd.

School board member Robin Bartleman admitted she was shocked when Notter made the announcement at the end of a budget workshop. She is sad to see him go especially with the district facing $100 million dollars in budget cuts.

"We're going through the worst budget cuts in history," she said. "We're going through the ethics reform. We're going the grand jury and there's going to a gaping hole without Mr. Notter to help us get through this process."

Teacher's Union President Pat Santeramo said Notter's decision will help to restore trust in the school system. He said it's time for change.

"I think it's time for the school board to look outside the school system," he said. "New superintendent comes in and basically cleans house."

Santeramo also blamed Notter for several years of tense negotiations with the Teacher's Union.

"During Notter's tenure as superintendent, employee morale and labor relations has reached an all-time low, for which he has continually blamed everyone except himself including the economy and state political process," Santeramo said.

But Notter fired back. He said if he were the head of the teacher's union he wouldn't treat teachers the way Santeramo does.

"It's sad that they have a president that doesn't really understand what his teachers need," Notter said. "When there was money and I was Superintendent there were significant raises -- over 3 percent."

It appears that labor negotiations are improving, however. A Union spokesperson said for the first time in 3 years the district is offering raises -- a 1% increase -- to teachers.

Notter believes many of the issues in the grand jury report have been addressed and that the district will recover. The school district has to send a response to the Florida Department of Education regarding the report by Thursday.

"This was not about malfeasance, misfeasance and all those other feasance words," Notter said. "It really wasn't. It's about systems that didn't have a check and balance in it."

IN his final 90 days, Notter says he plans to help the board through the grand jury crisis, the budget crisis and creating an ethics policy for employees.

The school board will now have to select an interim leader and determine whether to look for an internal candidate or conduct a nationwide search for a permanent replacement.