Superintendent Robert Runcie could get $743,052 settlement — less than he wanted
Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has reached a possible separation agreement that would give him $743,052 in cash and benefits.
The proposed deal, agreed to Monday by School Board Chairwoman Rosalind Osgood, will go before the board on Tuesday. It’s about $320,000 less than what Runcie was asking for. He had wanted the School Board to invest $400,000 into a retirement system, but now that would be $80,000.
“We want to make sure we handle this in a respectable and responsible way for Mr. Runcie as well as a way that’s going to protect the district,” Osgood said.
Runcie would stay until Aug. 9 under this proposal, but not as superintendent. An interim replacement could be named as soon as Tuesday, and Runcie would help with the transition.
Runcie offered to step down two weeks ago after he was indicted on a felony perjury charge related to a grand jury investigating the district. He’s accused of asking a grand jury witness for information and then lying about it.
The district would agree to pay Runcie’s legal fees, but the district would recoup them if Runcie is found guilty of his felony charge, under the proposal.
A sticking point in the agreement involved a retirement perk Runcie would get if he stayed in the district through his 10th anniversary on Oct. 4.
An amendment to Runcie’s contract, approved in 2017, said that after 10 years, the School Board would make an investment into the Florida Retirement System equivalent to his four years of service with Chicago Public Schools, where he previously worked. At the time, the estimated cost was quoted as $80,000. Now officials say it would be $400,000.
“For me, $400,000 is not an option,” Osgood said. “As a board member, I was given documentation that quantified that cost. It said it would be $80,000. Based on that document is how I made that decision. Had I been given the amount of $400,000 at the time, I probably would have voted very differently.”
On Monday, Runcie’s Atlanta-based lawyer, Sherry Culves, asked for an $80,000 cash payment instead. Walter Harvey, Miami Dade’s School Board attorney who is assisting Broward Schools, said that’s not allowed because state law limits the amount of severance an employee can receive.
Under Osgood’s proposal, Runcie would receive an extra $80,000 contribution to his retirement, even though he won’t be around for his 10-year anniversary. He would have to repay this if he’s found guilty in his criminal case.
Whether the School Board will accept the agreement is unknown. Three of Runcie’s critics, Nora Rupert, Lori Alhadeff and Sarah Leonardi, say they would prefer he not stay until August.
“I think in order for us to move forward, there needs to be an interim superintendent and a transition time for the handoff, but 90 days is way too long,” Alhadeff said.
If Runcie is fired “without cause,” he would be be entitled to 90 days’ notice. But Runcie and the board can agree to a different end date. If the board fires him “for cause,” he’d get no notice or severance, but an arrest is not considered a valid reason for that unless he’s convicted.
During negotiations Monday, Osgood first proposed that Runcie stay 30 days, an offer that wasn’t well received by Culves, who was negotiating via videoconference.
“I’m deeply disturbed by it,” Culves said. “I believe it attempts to undercut Mr. Runcie of what he is legally entitled to without question in his contract. The notion that he would voluntarily resign his position for less than what he is entitled to is offensive.”
Runcie has two more years on his contract, with a value estimated at $2 million, Culves said. He’s willing to continue leading the district until 2023, she said. But Osgood, a longtime Runcie ally, said no.
“It would probably be to Mr. Runcie’s benefit and the benefit of the district if we do not discuss 2023,” Osgood said. “We would not be in this situation if there was not a statement made, a very humble statement, about a willingness to separate and not have the district to continue to go through a lot of the pain it’s been going through.”
Here is a breakdown of the costs to the district under the proposal:
$112,527 for Runcie’s salary from May 3 to Aug. 9.
$87,588 for 60 unused vacation days since he started in 2011.
$145,980 for 816 hours, or roughly 109 days, of unused sick days.
$145,980 for 20 weeks of severance pay, which is the most allowed under Florida law.
$107,685 in already-agreed-to pension payments
$80,000 toward an additional pension that he would have received had he reached 10 years of service in October.
$35,200 toward two additional employee investment plans.
$7,109 for eight months of health insurance.
$25,000 toward legal fees to pay for his lawyer who helped him negotiate his exit.
The total does not include legal fees for his criminal case. Officials say they don’t know how much that will be.
Harvey, a Miami-Dade School Board attorney, has advised the School Board that it will be required to pay these fees if Runcie is found not guilty. If Runcie is convicted or pleads no contest, he’d be expected to repay the district.
Harvey said he’s not clear what will happen if Runcie is convicted of a lesser charge, such as a misdemeanor.
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