Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie Pleads Not Guilty After Resigning

Miami FL

29 April, 2021

8:43 AM

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By Bianca Marcof Apr 27, 2021 Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie formally pled not guilty on Wednesday, a day after offering to step down from his job and negotiate terms of separation. By waiving arraignment, the scheduled May 12 hearing will be canceled. His exit from Broward County Public Schools will be negotiated with the school board chairwoman along with that of General Counsel Barbara Myrick. School board members met Tuesday to discuss Runcie and Myrick's statuses following their arrests last week. All members were in favor of removing both officials -- whether by suspension, administrative leave or termination -- but a decision on how to move forward and finding an interim superintendent will be made during a Thursday meeting. "If our policy is to cover all employees with the same discipline, I can't see how we would not afford these two employees the same opportunity which should be innocent until proven guilty. However, they should not be able to continue their job at the moment because there's just too much to focus on, too much to do, and they are fighting for their reputation, they're fighting for their jobs," said Nara Rupert, District 7 board member. District 4 member Lori Alhadeff, who had previously called for Runcie's firing in 2019, said the decision is not whether to terminate Runcie -- it's whether to terminate him with or without cause. Alhadeff's daughter, Alyssa, died during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018 After much discussion, Runcie said he was willing to discuss a mutual agreement of separation and told Alhadeff that he hoped his termination would bring her peace. "I know you've been in enormous amounts of pain. If it will give you peace, I'll step aside," he said. Barbara Myrick, Broward County General Counsel. / Courtesy of Broward Sheriff's Office Myrick offered to step down as well. The school board met the day after details were released by prosecutors about how the case against Runcie is related to former Broward Schools Chief Information Officer Tony Hunter, who was arrested in January on bid rigging and bribery charges as a result of a grand jury investigation. Officials said Hunter was accused of steering equipment contracts towards an acquaintance. The investigation also revealed Runcie prepared for his testimony before a statewide grand jury by contacting witnesses in a criminal case and then lied under oath about it when asked. Before the school board was set to discuss his future at the Tuesday workshop, Runcie released a video with his first statement since his arrest a perjury charge. "I am confident that I will be vindicated and I intend to continue to carry out my responsibilities as superintendent with the highest level of integrity and moral standards as I have done for nearly 10 years," he said. "I look forward to due process being followed where individuals are treated fairly through the normal judicial system." Deerfield Beach Elementary School art teacher Suzanne Devine Clark at a memorial outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School./AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Investigators say he lied to a grand jury investigating compliance with school safety measures mandated after the 2018 school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland which led to the deaths of 17 students and staff. Runcie was arrested last Wednesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and was released on his own recognizance. Myrick was also indicted for unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings. The prosecutors filing states Runcie spoke to Myrick, who also spoke to witnesses. Black leaders in South Florida have raised claims of political influence. Gov. Ron DeSantis authorized the statewide grand jury in 2019 to investigate wrongdoing that could have prevented the Parkland shooting as well as any districts' compliance with mandatory safety requirements. The South Florida Black Prosperity Alliance, a coalition of leaders aimed at supporting Black businesses and improving equity, issued a statement saying they believe his arrest is unjustified and does not benefit Broward County students. "We stand with him. That's really why the alliance was formed, so that we can support one another and all the various issues that continue to plague our community," said founding member of the alliance G. Eric Knowles. "We would like to see due process take place, but we stand in support of him." Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie waits for the start of a school board meeting./AP Photo/Lynne Sladky According to the indictment, Runcie is accused of making at least one statement to the grand jury between March 31 - April 1 that he knew not to be true which charged him of perjury in an official proceeding, a third-degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Runcie has been superintendent of the county's public school system since 2011 after working as a chief of staff to the Chicago Board of Education. Broward is the country's sixth largest school district. The School Board appointed Myrick as general counsel in 2016 and she has been a district employee since 2002. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.