Embattled Broward County schools chief Robert Runcie is expected to step down after the school board voted Thursday to negotiate a separation agreement following his indictment on a charge he lied to a grand jury investigating the 2018 mass school shooting in Parkland.

The decision came during an anticlimactic board meeting just two days after Runcie, who has served as superintendent of the country鈥檚 sixth-largest school district for nearly a decade, offered to resign during an emotional workshop where a majority of the board members said he should be placed on administrative leave or fired. Thursday鈥檚 vote allows board chair Rosalind Osgood to negotiate the terms of separation agreements with both Runcie and the school system鈥檚 longtime lawyer, Barbara Myrick, who was also arrested on a felony charge last week.

鈥淚鈥檓 on a mission today to move this district forward, to move this county forward in peace and love,鈥� Osgood said.

Runcie was arrested last week and charged with felony perjury for allegedly lying under oath to a statewide grand jury impaneled in 2019 by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 dead. Myrick was charged with felony unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings. Runcie has pleaded not guilty and has asked a judge to dismiss the case.

When Runcie offered to step down Tuesday, he pointed to political infighting and the proliferation of 鈥渨ildly inaccurate conspiracy theories鈥� after the 2018 killings that rocked the nation rather than the felony charge against him.

鈥淭his cannot be the world that we want our children to inherit, it just can鈥檛 be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly not an environment that I can effectively lead this district for the long term unless there鈥檚 a real desire for reconciliation and to move forward 鈥� and it doesn鈥檛 seem like there is.鈥�

He said he loved each of the nine board members and those in the community who came to his defense with full force. But for the board members at that point, it was clear that the love was no longer mutual.

The terms of the separation agreement, which the school board must approve before they鈥檙e finalized, could allow Runcie to stay in his post for up to 90 days. Runcie鈥檚 exit from the district could be delayed if he and the school board fail to reach an agreement. The board is expected to vote on it next week. Runcie, whose base salary is $335,000, has a 20 weeks of severance pay worth more than $135,000 and nearly $200,000 in accrued sick and vacation leave. The district is expected to pay Runcie鈥檚 and Myrick鈥檚 legal fees, but both would ultimately be required to reimburse the school system if they鈥檙e convicted.

After the 2018 school shooting 鈥� the worst in U.S. history 鈥� DeSantis created the grand jury to investigate school security issues at the district, for the tragedy. The grand jury, which is expected to drop its final report in the near future, has since taken a more expansive look into district practices. In fact, Runcie鈥檚 arrest doesn鈥檛 center on gun violence, but instead on flat-screen televisions.

In , prosecutors said that Runcie contacted witnesses in a pending criminal case to prepare for his grand jury testimony, held just days later, and then lied about connecting with them when questioned under oath. Myrick also contacted witnesses in the pending corruption case and discussed them with Runcie, prosecutors alleged. Though Runcie stated under oath that he had no contacts with the witnesses including via phone, email and even 鈥渟moke signals,鈥� prosecutors said that telephone records tell a different story.

The pending criminal case involves former chief information officer Anthony Hunter, who was arrested in January after an investigation by the South Florida Sun Sentinel found he to a friend, who reportedly sold two cars and a house in Georgia to the school official at a discount. Hunter has pleaded not guilty. The purchases were part of an $800 million bond program approved in 2014 to update school buildings, including enhanced security.

鈥淥thers may be willing to simply overlook multiple barefaced falsehoods and obstructive statements under oath,鈥� Richard Mantei, the designated assistant statewide prosecutor, wrote in a court filing Monday. But the grand jury 鈥渨as not.鈥�

Just hours before agreeing to step down, Runcie claiming he would be 鈥渇ully vindicated鈥� in the criminal case and had no intentions of resigning. 鈥淚 look forward to due process being followed, where individuals are treated fairly through the normal judicial system,鈥� he said. His attorneys, along with numerous business and religious leaders who rallied in his defense, held that Runcie鈥檚 indictment was politically motivated.

The Broward County schools community has been caught up in controversy and infighting since the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine鈥檚 Day more than three years ago. Several shooting survivors and victims鈥� families have become Runcie鈥檚 biggest critics. Among them is former Parkland student Kyle Kashuv who survived the shooting and became a conservative activist in support of gun rights. In a tweet following Runcie鈥檚 arrest, Kashuv blamed the shooting on 鈥渓ocal officials鈥� corruption.鈥�

In 2019, Runcie survived a school board motion to have him removed as superintendent by a 6-3 vote. His attempted ouster was led by Lori Alhadeff, who secured a school board seat after her 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was killed in the shooting.

Alhadeff again became a leading voice in favor of Runcie鈥檚 ouster during Tuesday鈥檚 board workshop, arguing that her efforts were not 鈥渙f political nature,鈥� but because Runcie鈥檚 incompetence and lack of leadership was the source of 鈥渁 plethora of problems鈥� in the district, including deteriorating campuses.

In announcing his willingness to resign Tuesday, Runcie spoke to Alhadeff directly, acknowledging that her daughter鈥檚 death caused 鈥渆normous amounts of pain that none of us can ever imagine,鈥� and that he hoped his resignation would provide 鈥渢he peace you鈥檙e looking for.鈥�

鈥淢s. Alhadeff, I鈥檓 immensely sorry for your loss,鈥� Runcie said. 鈥淚 hope that your future is better. I can鈥檛 erase the past, but we鈥檒l try to move forward.鈥�

鈥楬is day in court鈥�

Runcie has led Broward County schools since 2011, after then-Superintendent Jim Notter retired early during a moment of intense scrutiny. Runcie鈥檚 hiring was portrayed as a fresh start after accused the board of being corrupted by contractors and lobbyists and two school board members were charged with bribery. Before heading south to Florida, he was chief of staff to then-CEO of Chicago Public Schools Arne Duncan, a of Runcie鈥檚 who would later go on to serve as U.S. education secretary during the Obama administration.

Runcie鈥檚 time with the district was for superintendents of major urban school systems, and he built a network of local and national allies who flocked to support him following his arrest. Some called the grand jury a witch hunt and others questioned whether the charges against Runcie, who is Black, were racially motivated.

Last Friday, several dozen business, government and religious leaders spoke out in Runcie鈥檚 defense, portraying his tenure as a boon for Broward schools, including an uptick in student achievement and graduation rates. Bishop C.E. Glover of Mount Bethel Ministries in Fort Lauderdale said that 鈥渁n indictment is not proof of guilt.鈥�

鈥淚 challenge the school board today not to attempt to take any punitive action against our superintendent without him having due process,鈥� Glover said. 鈥淚t has been said that a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich. Why? Because they only hear one side of the story. They only hear the prosecutor鈥檚 argument.鈥�

Runcie also received public support from Mike Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan national network of reform-minded education leaders. Runcie sits on its board of directors and members include district leaders from Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. In a statement, Magee said that Runcie 鈥渉as always shown himself to be a person of the highest integrity鈥� whose decisions at the helm of Broward County Schools were made 鈥渨ith students鈥� best interests at heart.鈥�

In an interview on Thursday, Magee said he hasn鈥檛 spoken to Runcie since his arrest but that education leaders nationwide continue to think highly of his leadership. During his tenure, district efforts to bring 鈥渃oherence to instruction and curriculum鈥� were among 鈥渢he best in the country,鈥� Magee said, and that his work to address students鈥� mental health after the shooting was 鈥渇irst rate.鈥�

鈥淚 hope he gets every opportunity to lead another system,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ecause he鈥檚 one of the best in the country at it and it鈥檚 his calling.鈥�

Magee added that divisive politics is par for the course for the leaders of major school systems, including in Broward County. However, he couldn鈥檛 say whether politics played any role in Runcie鈥檚 arrest.

鈥淭here are times where the politics are overwhelming,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you have a politically charged issue, like in the aftermath of something like Parkland, and a highly contentious community and statewide debate about gun control and school safety, there鈥檚 no avoiding the worst elements of politics.鈥�

But as other backers maintain that divisive politics are to blame, board member Debra Hixon asserted that the grand jury process has been conducted fairly. In , she noted that the grand jury included community members who were 鈥渁rbitrarily selected鈥� from three Florida counties.

鈥淲hen you look at who made up this grand jury and how they were selected, I鈥檇 like to believe that the process is going through the proper steps,鈥� Hixon said. 鈥淣ow he鈥檒l have his day in court to decide whether he鈥檚 truly guilty.鈥�

Runcie, 59, was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents and charged with perjury. Also arrested was Broward County School Board General Counsel Barbara Myrick, 72, who was charged with felony unlawful disclosure of statewide grand jury proceedings. Both officials face felony charges related to a statewide grand jury that launched a probe into the country鈥檚 sixth-largest district after 17 people were killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis created the panel in 2019 to investigate possible failures by the district to follow state school-safety laws and to properly manage money earmarked for school safety initiatives.

Runcie鈥檚 indictment, provided to 蜜桃影视 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, alleges that he gave false statements to the grand jury as it was investigating whether the district was following school safety laws, whether officials committed fraud by accepting state school funds while 鈥渒nowingly failing to act,鈥� whether officials committed fraud by mismanaging school safety funds and whether educators underreported 鈥渋ncidents of criminal activity to the Department of Education.鈥� The indictment against Myrick, the district鈥檚 longtime lawyer, alleges that she disclosed confidential information related to the statewide grand jury proceedings. Information relating to the grand jury is sealed and officials didn鈥檛 release additional information about the charges.

Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina Petty was killed in the Parkland shooting, told 蜜桃影视 he felt relief at Runcie鈥檚 indictment, saying it reflects a 鈥渢hree-year process trying to drive towards some accountability鈥� from district leadership.

In arguing that educators have failed in their obligations to keep students safe, Petty pointed to approved in 2014 to update school buildings including security upgrades. As of 2019, 97 percent of district schools were still waiting for repairs, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

鈥淭he promises had not been kept,鈥� said Petty, who has served on the state Board of Education since last year. 鈥淭he killer walked through an open gate which should have been locked, through an open door which should have been locked and then began to indiscriminately kill students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, all of which was preventable, all of which was avoidable.鈥�

Runcie鈥檚 lawyers said their client will plead not guilty and called it a 鈥渟ad day鈥� when 鈥減olitics become more important than the interests of our students,鈥� and said that the superintendent has 鈥渇ully cooperated with law enforcement throughout this statewide grand jury process.鈥�

鈥淭his morning, we received a copy of an indictment that does not shed any light on what false statement is alleged to have been made,鈥� according to the statement from the firm Dutko & Kroll, P.A. 鈥淲e are confident that [Runcie] 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 10 years in his role as superintendent.鈥�

School board chair Rosalind Osgood said in a statement that the nearly 261,000-student school system will 鈥渙perate as normal under the District鈥檚 leadership team鈥� as the legal proceedings unfold.

Runcie and Myrick aren鈥檛 the first public officials to face criminal charges in relation to the Parkland shooting. Scot Peterson, a school-based police officer assigned to the campus, was charged with neglect and perjury in 2019 after he failed to engage the gunman head-on as shots rang out.

The district鈥檚 school safety and security efforts have been highly scrutinized since Broward County schools were thrust into the national spotlight by the tragedy. Among the most controversial has been the PROMISE program, a diversion initiative that seeks to keep students out of the criminal justice system for committing certain offenses at school. Runcie repeatedly claimed that the suspected Parkland shooter had 鈥渘o connection鈥� to the program but WLRN, the local public radio station, to PROMISE for vandalism in 2013, though it鈥檚 unclear if he ever attended. Critics of the program argue it led officials to take a lax position on school discipline.

Runcie has also faced sharp criticism for his response to the shooting and has fended off efforts to oust him from his $335,000-a-year post. His contract, which expires in 2023, allows a majority on the school board to terminate his employment without cause, .

Petty is among Runcie鈥檚 toughest critics. Though specifics of the charges against the veteran superintendent and Myrick remain unclear, Petty said he felt optimistic about the grand jury investigation.

鈥淚 certainly take no pleasure in seeing somebody indicted, but I can鈥檛 help but feel that we鈥檙e moving in the right direction with regards to getting accountability,鈥� he said. 鈥淗opefully this will lead to change.鈥�

Read the indictments: