Woodland Hills Superintendent James Harris’ contract terminated via 8-1 vote
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Woodland Hills School District officials voted Wednesday night to terminate the contract of Superintendent James Harris effective Dec. 17.
The vote was 8-1, with board member Andre Patterson casting the lone dissenting vote. Patterson participated via Zoom.
Harris was present in the meeting room, sitting next to board president Jamie Glasser. Harris walked out and Patterson signed off shortly after the vote.
Harris has been the district’s top administrator since 2018. The school board did not give a reason for his firing, which seemed to come abruptly.
There were multiple speakers both at the meeting and via Zoom who offered support and criticism of Harris.
School board director-elect Darnika Reed was among several who questioned why the board was quick to act on the termination, considering it was the final meeting for three of the nine board members.
“I don’t understand why this is rushed,” Reed said. No one on the board responded.
The Rev. Richard Wingfield, of Unity Baptist Church in Braddock, said Harris has worked diligently with students and the church. He was shocked to hear about the possible termination on the Wednesday morning news.
“I’m disappointed at what has taken place,” Wingfield said.
Kareem Sarvis, president of the Woodland Hills Midget Football Association, talked about how Harris encouraged children and became very involved in the program.
“A lot of the people in the community are upset about it,” Sarvis said about Harris’ termination. “I think it’s a bad look for Woodland Hills.”
Sarah Murphy, who is involved with after-school programs and a day care in the district, said she believes the firing is not related to job performance.
“To have a district that’s full of young black males (and) remove the only one who interacts with the community is completely insane,” she said. “From this side of it, it looks like racism. It doesn’t look like he’s going because he failed at his job.”
Several speakers referenced fights in the high school that broke out last month.
The district moved to remote learning for a couple days as a result of the fights and again for what were described as “credible threats” made Oct. 20.
In September, fans were barred from attending a Woodland Hills-Penn Hills football game amid concerns about “unresolved feelings and emotions” after a 15-year-old was killed and another was critically wounded at a North Versailles haunted hayride attraction.
Natalie Watson, a parent of three children in the district, said Harris’ termination was not over a fight or two earlier this year, but the result of multiple incidents.
“He has misled the community,” she said. “He has misled the media. He has grossly lied about things he saw with his own eyes. He said children were not injured when they were.”
She claimed Harris also promoted his own interests on the taxpayers’ dime.
A high school student and another parent also spoke at the meeting in favor of Harris’ departure.
Prior to the meeting, Harris said board President Jamie Glasser, Vice President Mike Belmonte and the solicitor came to his office Tuesday afternoon to ask for his resignation.
“They said they wanted to go in a different direction,” Harris said. He said he was enjoying his time in the district working with students and staff, and was surprised by the board’s actions.
Calls to Glasser made late Wednesday went straight to voicemail.
The board released a statement about what took place.
“After much discussion, the board has opted to go in a different direction with district leadership,” the statement read. “This is not a decision that was taken lightly, but it is one that the board believes is necessary for the district to move forward. We thank Mr. Harris for his service as the district superintendent and will work with him to ensure a smooth transition.”
A search for a new superintendent will begin immediately, with the next school board meeting scheduled for Dec. 6. It will be a combined reorganization and legislative meeting.
The board voted in August 2018 to hire Harris for a three-year term at an initial salary of $150,000, according to school board documents. His contract was recently renewed through December 2023.
Harris served as superintendent for the Daniel Boone Area School District in Berks County for three years prior to coming to Woodland Hills. That district had 3,357 students during the 2017-18 school year, according to state Department of Education documents.
It is not immediately clear who will serve as superintendent after Harris or if there is any buyout clause in his contract.