Reid walks away from JC with multimillion dollar settlement

Disgraced Jamaica College Principal Ruel Reid yesterday inked a multimillion-dollar deal at the eleventh hour with the St Andrew-based boys' school he led for 14 years. The last-minute settlement was reached to avert his return to the Old Hope Road institution tomorrow, with the expiration of his special leave yesterday.

Reid had been seconded to the education ministry to take up a Cabinet appointment in 2016, but was forced to resign in March 2019 amid a major fraud probe in which he is now facing criminal charges.

The board of the 232-year-old Jamaica College had made it publicly known that it did not want Reid to return as headmaster after his special leave expired yesterday and the education ministry rejected a recommendation to extend the arrangement for five years.

Reid had been receiving roughly $5.5 million annually in salary and benefits from the Government alone. Seven years at that figure would yield nearly $40 million.

The terms of the exit deal are confidential, but Sunday Gleaner sources close to the matter are suggesting that the pact, which takes into account housing and an annual JC Foundation payment of $2.5 million, will see Reid walking away with a payout in the region of $100 million, with the remaining seven years of his contract bought out to take him to retirement age at 65.

According to well-placed sources, the Government will not contribute a penny to yesterday's settlement arrangement.

The Michael Bernard-led school board also has no intention of resigning over its handling of the matter after the ministry tossed back the contentious issue in its court, as Education Minister Fayval Williams snubbed three recommendations it had sent to her.

In a joint release yesterday, Jamaica College and Reid said that the in-limbo headmaster had agreed to demit office as of November 20.

“It is our view that this agreement is in the best interest of the parties and, more importantly, it will allow Jamaica College to focus exclusively on its mandate,” the release said.

'HAPPINESS IS NOW HERE'

Yesterday, Bernard told The Sunday Gleaner that all concerned parties were now satisfied that the matter had been brought to a close.

“We have received and accepted a letter of resignation from Ruel Reid as principal of Jamaica College. If you want to see, happiness is now here,” he said in a telephone interview.

Jamaica College is governed under Section 72 of the Education Regulations of 1980, but operates under the regime of Section 70 with a 19-member board, seven of whom, including the chairman, are nominated by a trust.

Among the most vocal opponents of the board's handling of the matter was its Old Boys' and Parent-Teacher associations.

Asked if the board would tender its resignation over its handling of the matter, Bernard quipped, “Why should we?”

Reid's departure now clears the way for the appointment of a new headmaster, with Acting Principal Wayne Robinson, who had been at the helm of the school since 2016, almost certain of a confirmation.

Bernard said that the “noise” he had referred to being in the public domain was in relation to the appointment of a new principal.

“What we were really saying to the public is that we would not allow that to prevent us and the school from allowing Wayne Robinson to be appointed as principal,” he stated.

“In other words, we would not allow the noise to really prevent us from doing what we should do in the best interest of the boys,” Bernard said. “We can't stop the public from actually expressing themselves, but we also cannot allow that to prevent us from running the school in the best interest of the boys.”

Asked about the board's decision to remove representatives of the Old Boys Association from the board, he said the past students were never under-represented.

“We have gone into a process, which would include the Ministry of Education. A request for the appointment of any member of the board to be cancelled would have gone through a process with anyone with whom we have issues. JC Old Boys Association still has a seat on the board. Who is placed in that seat is really where the issue is,” stated Bernard.

The association's president, Major Basil Jarrett, was locked out of meetings and tendered his resignation in September.

Bernard explained: “So when Basil Jarrett was not at the board meeting, you would have had a representative from the association present. If they chose not to send anybody, we can't do anything about it.”

According to him, the PTA president appointed a replacement board member.

He again dismissed reports that there had been mass resignations among members of influential bodies associated with the school, stating that only two members of the local Old Boys' Association had resigned. Those two persons were also joined by a third in also quitting the PTA, Bernard said.

'DIRTY AND SORDID AFFAIR'

One of the school's distinguished old boys, who spoke to The Sunday Gleaner yesterday, said that he was deeply disturbed over what transpired “in this dirty and sordid affair”.

He said that dissenting voices were ignored by the board when Reid insisted on being seconded to the education ministry.

“Five years later, it has come to harm the institution, its alums and reputation, leaving many asking what the hell happened. Why did distinguished Jamaica College descend into this muck that left us the laughing stock of Jamaica, which hundreds of my peers have committed to making it better?” he said with a deep sigh.

The wounds “will take a long time to heal”, said one attorney – a past student – despite Bernard's declaration last week that the school's reputation remained intact.

The old boy said that the matter had led some people to “draw a line in the sand that the school will not receive a penny more of contributions”.

“What this mess has done is to inflict deep wounds among the boys. All wanted him to go. Only special interest wanted him to remain. Some offered anything for him to go, while others said he would not get a dime more of their money,” said one businessman.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com