BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–On Tuesday night during the Berkeley County School Board meeting, Dr. Mike Turner, Interim Superintendent for Berkeley County School District, recommended that the school board terminate the employment of Amy Kovach.
The board then approved that recommendation.
Kovach had served as the district’s communications director. In early 2014, she was indicted on ethics charges associated with the 2012 ‘Yes 4 Schools’ campaign.
In late August, Kovach pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and use of government resources to influence an election. She was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.
Following the recommendation for Kovach’s termination, BCSD board chairman Jim Hayes issued the following statement Tuesday:
As you know, Amy Kovach has reached a settlement with the State regarding an on-going investigation. And that matter has been concluded. At this evening’s meeting, the Board voted to accept the Superintendent’s recommendation that Ms. Kovach’s employment with the District be terminated.
At various times during the investigation, questions were raised with respect to the District’s payment of her legal fees. As we repeatedly noted, that is a statutory obligation, because South Carolina law explicitly states that if any school districtemployee is prosecuted for any act committed in good faith in the course of their employment, it is “the duty of the school district…to appear and defend the action in his behalf.”
That’s the law.
We even sought outside counsel on this matter. Former Circuit Court Judge Vic Rawl and University of South Carolina Distinguished Law Professor Emeritus John P. Freeman studied the facts and drew the same conclusion.
The law makes no preference to the ultimate outcome of a prosecution. Which is to say that the outcome of the prosecution is irrelevant to the Board’s statutory obligation to provide legal representation.
Accordingly, we stand by our actions, as they were completely consistent with the laws of the State of South Carolina.
We in the District want to move on. We have new leadership, energized students, teachers, and staff members. Our focus is and always will be on providing an outstanding learning environment for all.
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