Public hearing scheduled for fired Canton superintendent

The attorney for former Canton Superintendent Ike Haynes said a public hearing will be held next month for her client.

The Canton Public School District fired Haynes last week. Haynes' attorney, Lisa Ross, said the hearing is set for December 17 and December 18.

Beverly Luckett, the district's public relations officer, released the following statement about Haynes' termination:

"The Canton Public School District Board of Trustees terminated Superintendent Ike Haynes," the statement read. "This is a personnel matter, therefore, the board is not at liberty to go into detail. However, after reviewing recent test scores, the trustees decided that in order to advance the district it was necessary to seek a new superintendent."

Ross said the reason for her client's firing has not been been made known but she is aware of the test scores allegations. However, Ross refuted claims that Haynes was responsible for tests taken last year.

"For years, the test scores have left much to be desired in Canton," Ross said. "This idea about fallen test scores, this is not something that happened when Ike Haynes got to the district. It's been the norm."

She added, "It would be unreasonable to expect a superintendent to correct the deficiency in the test scores in less than 18 months. That's an unreasonable expectation."

Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or (601) 961-7303. Follow @FowlerSarah on Twitter.