By Ryan Nicol
After Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested last week on perjury charges, his attorneys said he would not resign. On Tuesday, he changed his tune and offered to negotiate a separation agreement.
“I’m willing to discuss a path of mutual agreement of separation,” Runcie told the Broward County School Board during a Tuesday meeting.
“I will step aside so you can have the peace that you are looking for,” he added, addressing two members of the school board who ran and won for seats after losing loved ones during the 2018 Parkland shooting.
Last week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Runcie and Barbara Myrick, who serves as general counsel for Broward County Schools. The charges stem from their statement to a grand jury, established in 2019 to investigate school safety measures following the attack at Stoneman Douglas High School. Runcie and Myrick are accused of lying to that body.
Runcie’s legal team originally pushed back, arguing Runcie has “fully cooperated” with those grand jury proceedings.
“Mr. Runcie will enter a plea of not guilty to the charge,” read the statement from Runcie’s attorneys. “We are confident that he will be exonerated and he intends to continue to carry out his responsibilities with the highest level of integrity and moral standards, as he has done for nearly ten years in his role as Superintendent.”
Runcie echoed that sentiment with a video statement responding to the charges.
“I am confident that I will be vindicated and I intend to continue to carry out my responsibilities as superintendent with the highest level of integrity and moral standards as I have done for nearly 10 years,” Runcie said.
That tone changed Tuesday, as Runcie said he would consider negotiating a separation package with the School Board.
