Accused school administrator resigns in Louisiana

FROM THEADVERTISER.COM  -

Charles Moore, a St. Landry Parish School Board administrator accused of embezzlement, resigned Tuesday afternoon during a scheduled hearing to discuss his employment.
When the tenure hearing began, Moore asked that the meeting be held in public and visiting attorney Robert Hammonds went through the procedure. There would be two charges brought against Moore in an attempt to remove him as a principal and tenured teacher, Hammonds said.

Opening arguments, witness testimony and closing arguments would be heard. Then the board would deliberate in private before making a decision. It was not clear if that was in compliance with the Louisiana Open Meetings Law.

Moore told the group that he had attended the hearing alone, and board attorney Gerald Caswell took Moore aside. Caswell asked for a 10-minute recess, and when the meeting began again, Moore offered his resignation.

Caswell simply told Moore that he could resign, Caswell said, but Moore said there was a little more to the conversation.

"He came out and he said that if I resigned that all the charges would go away and I'll be able to find another job," Moore said. "He meant that the charges with the School Board would go away. The problem with the criminal charges is that is the kind of thing that stops me from having representation from the principal organization."

Moore, 59, was arrested on May 27, 2010 for theft greater than $500 and malfeasance in office while principal of Grand Prairie Elementary School during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. Moore was accused of writing himself checks from the school's fund and using the cash to pay his cell phone bill, buy an iPhone and eye glasses.

That case still is tied up in court, with a hearing scheduled for November.

Moore's monthly income was $5,000, according to court documents, which the School Board continued to pay when Moore was placed on leave with pay directly after his arrest.

The school board accepted Moore resignation by a vote of 9 to 2, with board members Quincy Richard and John Miller voting against.

Moore's resignation was effective immediately, meaning he will keep the 15 months of pay he received while on administrative leave.

Moore left before board members voted, but told the group that he was "in over his head" with the hearing.

He said he was not sure with what the board was charging him and why it differed from his criminal charges.

"You can't run your school system with different rules for black administrators and white administrators," Moore, who is black, said during his resignation. "I'm going to resign and I think it's in my best interest to do so."

After the meeting, Hammonds would not disclose Moore's charges, calling them "confidential."

"Had they gone forward with the hearing, then they would have been discussed in public," Hammonds said.