Roanoke principal says she was vindicated by testimony before grievance panel

Principal Susan Willis of William Fleming High School said nine days of testimony from a dozen witnesses poked enough holes in a state Department of Education report to prove her innocence.

The June report implicated Willis as the ringleader in an initiative to manipulate the schedules of more than 30 special-education students to keep them out of state-mandated Standards of Learning tests.

On Wednesday, the Roanoke School Board received a recommendation from the three-person panel who heard Willis' grievance, and now it is up to the board to determine whether she will remain a school-system employee. Chairman David Carson said a special meeting will be scheduled for today, which gave the board about five days to dig into the recommendation, transcripts and associated documents.

Willis was placed on paid administrative leave June 11, one day before Fleming's Class of 2009 commencement.

"That is when my world changed, at that moment," Willis said.

She said she kept quiet since then to allow herself to study the data, focus and prepare herself for the hearing. Now that it's over, Willis says she was framed.

"I feel vindicated, and I don't know what the outcome is going to be," she said.

Superintendent Rita Bishop was hesitant Wednesday evening to discuss the recommendation because it is personnel-related.

"It is not my report," Bishop said. "It belongs to the board. There is a great deal more [at stake] here than the DOE report."

Later this month, Willis plans to travel to Richmond, where the Board of Education is expected to determine Fleming's accreditation status.

The School Board may make a determination today on Willis' employment status, but for Willis the battle may not end there. She has vowed to keep fighting to clear her reputation. If the board opts to fire her, she has the right to appeal the decision to circuit court.

Two of the other four Fleming administrators named in the state report -- assistant principals William Downie and Michael Hill -- were called to testify during the nine-day hearing at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Since the state report was issued in June, Downie retired, and Hill followed up on plans to leave the school system, which he had announced before the state probe.

Brenda Hairston, the former chairwoman of the special-education department, and former guidance coordinator Keith Smith did not testify, Willis said. Hairston also retired, and Smith was reassigned to a position teaching physical education at James Madison Middle School.