Cummings out, South Bend school board to name interim superintendent

6 PM UPDATE--  Todd Cummings and most school board members would not comment Tuesday, but ABC57's Annie Kate did hear from at-large member Marcus Ellison, who doesn't support ousting the current superintendent.

"Why did it get to this point?" he said. "All I can say is in my opinion, it didn't need to get here. It shouldn't have gotten here, I'm disappointed by it."

The South Bend School Board seems to be moving forward with plans to oust Superintendent Todd Cummings. The tentative deal, confirmed by ABC57 Tuesday, comes after an emergency meeting was called for Friday, Feb. 14.

But it was recessed before it could start, disappointing much of the crowd in attendance.

"There were two action items. One was about whether to place superintendent Dr. Cummings on leave temporarily, due to our schools not being closed on Tuesday."

Ellison is referring to Feb. 6, when one student reportedly slipped and fell, breaking their wrist.

But Ellison feels this was a ridiculous reason to call an emergency meeting to oust Cummings.

"Personally, I was against the need to have that meeting at all from the very moment that other board members told us they wanted to schedule that emergency meeting," Ellison said. "Simply because I think it was pretty clear there wasn't any evidence or anything that would suggest or support that there would need to be any type of- need to place him on any leave at all."

Still, ABC57 confirmed a tentative deal for Cummings' departure Tuesday Morning. His $186,000 a year contract runs through June 2026.

Plus, the board's Wednesday, Feb. 19, agenda now lists an action item to approve an acting superintendent.

I am told there are three candidates on the table, but Ellison said he doesn't think there is a question--- he thinks the deputy superintendent is best qualified to fill in. 

Overall, he doesn't think any of this drama needed to happen.

"[I] did not at all support an emergency action, that's my opinion," Ellison said. "And so, we definitely should not be here. We already have a deputy superintendent that's been vetted and voted on and approved by this board twice and meets all the qualifications, so we definitely should not be here on this issue as well. But if that's what the majority wants to do, that's what the majority wants to do. The public should again come out and ask them, 'why?'"  

ORIGINAL: 

According to Wednesday’s school board meeting agenda, the board plans to vote on an interim superintendent Wednesday, choosing from candidates Sarita Stevens, Mansour Eid, and Davion Lewis.

ABC57 was told to expect an official press release Wednesday, and the board meeting begins Wednesday evening at 5:30 at Brown Administration Building at 737 Beale Street.