During a termination appeal hearing for former deputy superintendent Craig Shannon at Columbus Municipal School District Tuesday, Superintendent Cherie Labat said she did not trust Shannon to be honest with her.
The Dispatch reported in October through off-the-record sources that Shannon received his termination letter from the district earlier that month. Shannon, who has worked for the district for 10 years, is appealing the firing, saying he had no knowledge of his job performance before receiving the letter.
During Tuesday’s hearing, which Shannon requested be open to the public, Labat testified to multiple incidents when she felt Shannon demonstrated unprofessional and deceitful behavior. She claimed she tried to work with Shannon on his job performance since arriving at the district in June.
“I was trying to give him corrective actions of expectations of what I expected of him,” Labat said. “I was trying to work with Mr. Shannon and tell him my expectations. But there’s not a plan for lying. I can’t teach him that. There’s not a professional development for that.”
Labat was the permanent replacement for Shannon, who served as interim superintendent after former Superintendent Philip Hickman’s termination in February. Shannon reverted to his deputy superintendent role when Labat came on board.
At the hearing, school board attorney David Dunn read from a transcript which stated Shannon went to Simpson County to interview and “feel out” a potential district employee. Shannon testified previously he and Labat collectively decided he should “seal the deal” with the applicant if she was a good fit. Labat claimed the conversation was a lie.
“He said he was at Simpson County feeling the applicant out,” Labat said. “I never asked and I would never have condoned that behavior. …I was taken aback by it and told him that that’s not how we approach recruiting applicants to the Columbus Municipal School District.”
Labat said she spoke with Shannon afterward and discussed his expectations in the district and professional behavior.
“I was trying to work with him and I hoped his behavior would change, that he would start being more honest, but that did not happen,” Labat said.
Dunn also listed Shannon threatening district employees’ job security and lying to Labat regarding another potential hire for the district as reasons for his termination.
“I asked him several times and he continued to let me know that he was untrustworthy and I could not rely on him to make critical decisions for the district,” Labat said. “I needed him to be honest with me. I think it just showed me that he would continue to not tell the truth.”
Shannon claimed he had no knowledge of his job performance, good or bad, before receiving his termination letter. Labat refuted that, saying she had approached him on numerous occasions whenever issues arose.
The school board was not present for the hearing but will receive hearing officer Dolton McAlpin’s report before voting on Shannon’s appeal. McAlpin will not give an opinion but will report to Labat the facts “as he sees them.”
From that point, the board will have 30 days to review the transcripts and information and then vote to either uphold or overturn the termination.
Neither Shannon nor his attorney, Preston Rideout of Greenwood, would comment to The Dispatch. Labat would not speak to The Dispatch, citing “personnel issues,” and Dunn did not comment and later did not respond to calls.
The Dispatch has filed a public information request for Shannon’s termination letter, which was brought up as evidence during the hearing.
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