Michael Sentance resigns as Alabama State Schools superintendent

Alabama State Schools Superintendent Michael Sentance submitted a letter of resignation on Wednesday, just a little more than a year after taking the job and amid criticisms from the State Board of Education over his handling of the Montgomery Public Schools intervention and what they considered a lack of communication with them.  

Sentance did not return a request for comment Wednesday. In a statement released by the Alabama Department of Education, the superintendent said he had been "humbled" by the chance to work in Alabama, though he did not cite a reason for stepping down.

“There are many good things happening in public education in this state," the statement said. "My hope is that Alabama makes educating all children the state’s highest priority, allowing the state to make significant educational gains and truly becoming the jewel of the South that it has the ability to become.” 

Board member Mary Scott Hunter, one of Sentance's allies on the board, said he told her about his decision Wednesday morning.

"He explained it’s just untenable," Hunter said in a phone interview. "He had lost the support of most of the board. It’s my understanding a negotiated settlement will come to the board tomorrow to end his employment."

Gov. Kay Ivey, the president of the board, said in a statement Wednesday she would recommend accepting the resignation at the board's Thursday's meeting.

"Over the past two years, Alabama has experienced far too many changes in state government," the statement said. "As with previous changes in leadership positions, we will use the pending resignation of the state superintendent as an opportunity to move forward and begin a new chapter in public education."

The decision leaves the department seeking a new leader amid critical deadlines and ambitious initiatives. The state must submit an Every Student Succeeds Act plan shortly, and has only begun the MPS intervention, aimed at improving academic performance in the district.

Sentance, a former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, got the job last September with a mandate to raise Alabama's generally low standardized test scores. The superintendent initiated a general review of the state's curriculum and helped spearhead intervention in Montgomery Public Schools, long plagued by academic and financial issues.

But the superintendent's tenure was troubled from the start. Sentance only narrowly won approval for the job over Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Craig Pouncey, who was the target of anonymous accusations. Sentance was not involved in that process, but the handling of the accusations -- particularly by Hunter and staff members in the ALSDE — led to a legislative investigation and helped bring a lawsuit from Pouncey.  

More:Michael Sentance seeks improvement, completion of 'great task' after poor evaluation

Board members, who supported the MPS intervention, raised questions about Sentance's hires of outsiders to oversee that process, and complained generally that Sentance did not consult them on key decisions. Montgomery's representatives on the board -- Republican Stephanie Bell, the vice president of the board, and Democrat Ella Bell -- criticized him over raises for principals at schools rated as failing in Montgomery.  The Montgomery County Board of Education, which endorsed intervention earlier this year, said state officials were not consulting them on major decisions. 

Stephanie and Ella Bell did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday. Betty Peters, a school board member who represents the southeastern part of the state, said the intervention took Sentance's attention away from other issues, including years of incorrect graduation rates.

"The best thing Sentance could have done was avoid Montgomery," she said.  "It was a distraction from getting other stuff done."

Sentance acknowledged communication problems but defended his moves, saying they aimed to bring stability to MPS during a difficult process. Peters and Hunter said they were uncertain about where intervention might go. 

"The obvious issue there is that it takes a lot of resources," Hunter said. "It’s a big state, and I have a system right now that needs guidance -- maybe not intervention, but it needs guidance."

Sentance received poor grades from State Board of Education members last July in an evaluation process led by Stephanie Bell, who became the most outspoken critic of Sentance on the board. He accepted the evaluation in August but said he wanted to complete the "great task" he faced.

The superintendent's contract, signed in September of last year, said an unsatisfactory evaluation would require the board to give Sentance up to a year to address their concerns. The contract also allowed a majority of the board to vote to fire Sentence, effective 60 days after the vote. In that situation, Sentance would get the rest of his salary for the calendar year.

Sentance can also quit by giving the board 60 days’ notice of his intention to do so.