FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Broward County judge entered a not guilty plea on behalf of embattled Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie and the school’s general counsel Barbara Myrick.
Runcie is charged with perjury, while Myrick is accused of illegally disclosing grand jury proceedings.
Runcie’s attorneys are hoping to convince a judge to throw out the charge of perjury. In the motion to dismiss, attorneys said that the state has not declared specifically how Runcie allegedly lied under oath. That motion to dismiss hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 2.
On Wednesday, Runcie’s wife, Diana, defended his character before the Broward School Board finalized his $754,000 severance package in a 5 to 4 vote.
“His honesty, his integrity, his sheer hard work and love of all things good is second to none,” Diana Runcie said.
Here’s what’s in Runcie’s separation agreement.
- He will be given 90 days notice
- Accrued vacation and sick time
- 20 weeks severance pay
- The district will pay his attorney fees for the separation agreement
- The district will pay into his Florida retirement account
While the payout is pricey, Rosalind Osgood, Broward County School Board member, said that the first offer made by Runcie’s attorney to the board would have cost the district much more.
“If we had continued to 2023, which was the first offer of Mr. Runcie’s attorney yesterday, we would have been looking at about $2 million,” Osgood said.
The school board is hoping to name an interim superintendent by June 15. Runcie’s last day on the job is Aug. 10.