Two more Sussex Tech school board members resign

Three months after Sussex Tech High School teachers asked five incumbent school board members to resign, four have stepped down.

Sussex Tech Public Information Officer Dan Shortridge said Teresa Carey resigned at the Sept. 10 school board meeting. Judy Emory told staff she will not seek reappointment when her term ends Nov. 3, and that Sept. 10 was her last meeting, Shortridge said.

At the June 11 school board meeting, teachers asked President Pat Cooper, Vice President George Torbert and board members Carey, Emory and Warren Reid to resign, citing the board’s poor oversight, false promises, and a lack of support for teachers and students.

Teachers referenced the June 2017 State Auditor of Accounts report which found Michael Horsey’s construction company, Common Sense Solutions LLC, profited from financial arrangements with the district.

The report stated, “The school board entrusted Sussex Tech administration to make decisions regarding the construction projects without the school board’s involvement which created a lack of accountability.”

Cooper resigned before the the school board’s annual reorganization meeting July 9, when teachers again asked incumbent board members to resign. After the meeting, Torbert said he would not seek reappointment when his term ends Nov. 3.

Reid was elected school board president at the Aug. 13 meeting with a vote of 4-0-1. Hayes abstained from the vote; Emory was absent.

Sussex Tech’s seven-member school board is not elected by the community; board members are appointed by the governor to seven-year terms.

Teachers did not ask newly appointed board members Gregory Johnson and Marcel Hayes to resign.

When Torbert’s term expires, only three board members will remain, unless Gov. John Carney appoints new members before then. Carney could not be reached for comment.

English teacher Virginia Forcucci said several teachers met with Carney in July to discuss the school’s future.

“We’re very excited to be able to focus on our students and their success,” she said.