NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Former Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sharon Byrdsong will receive a year’s severance pay after being terminated by the School Board without cause.

Chair Sarah DiCalogero confirmed the severance agreement on Tuesday, adding it was spelled out in Byrdsong’s last contract which was agreed to in 2022.

DiCalogero was one of four board members who voted in June to fire Byrdsong from the school district’s top job after leading it for more than five years.

While DiCalogero said she didn’t know off the top of her head the exact payment Byrdsong was due, a Freedom of Information Act request revealed Byrdsong’s most recent base salary and deferred compensation totals to more than $293,000.

“If a period of twelve (12) months or more is left on the term of this Contract, the amount of such severance pay shall be equal to the amount of the base annual salary and deferred compensation in effect for the previous twelve (12) months and the costs of the Superintendent’s family health insurance plans to include vision and dental coverage,” Byrdsong’s contract reads.

It was to expire June 30, 2026.

However, some who closely follow Norfolk School Board activities question why the severance details weren’t made public prior to the vote.

While the superintendent’s contract was publicly posted in 2022 and spelled out the severance details, a section of the Virginia Code seems to call for a more defined announcement from public bodies.

When the Newport News School Board voted to fire Superintendent Dr. George Parker following the Richneck Elementary School shooting in 2023, the amount was a part of the vote and school board members publicly commented on the amount.

“How did the Norfolk City Attorney’s Office allow the School Board to take a vote on the termination of Dr. Byrdsong’s contract when State Code requires public notification of the details of a severance prior to the public official’s departure?” Liz Albert and Charla Smith Worley, who regular attend Norfolk School Board meetings, asked.

Deputy City Attorney Jack Cloud, who is assigned to the school board, said he had “no comment” on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Norfolk School Board is moving forward with recruitment of a new superintendent.

“We are going to use the Virginia School Board Association,” DiCalogero said. “We are a member of the Virginia School Board Association and we have a proven track record with them. They will conduct a national search for us. There will be stakeholder engagement, prior to the search starting and I feel I feel pretty good that we have made a good decision and are on the right path.”