While she considers options, don’t expect to hear from Susan Willis any time soon

  As now former William Fleming high school principal Susan Willis considers all her options, don’t expect to hear from her any time soon.

  The Roanoke City school board dismissed Willis immediately last night after a vote of 5 to 2.

  A state department of education report, compiled in May, implicated Willis in a class schedule switching scheme.

  The report accused Willis and others at Fleming of switching the schedules of weaker students from SOL tested classes into the non-SOL tested classes, the implication being the moves would pad the school’s final SOL scores.

  A spokesman for Willis said she would not do any interviews this week.

  Legal expert, Victor Cardwell, an attorney for Woods Rogers PLC, told me the city does not have a legal right to seek any of the pay Willis received while she was on paid leave, a period of about five months.

  However the city could decide to sue Willis for the costs incurred from the fallout of the state report, or in other words, sue Willis for the costs of cleaning up the mess.

  The school system has had to pay employees for extra time spent finding and tutoring students an internal investigation found had the right to those services.

  Willis has the option of appealing the board’s decision to terminate to a judge on the Roanoke city circuit court.