Three of the William Fleming High School administrators named in a state report on testing irregularities at the school are leaving the school district. But another, Keith Smith, will continue to work for the school system at a lower salary.

The moves bring the school system one step closer to resolving the testing scandal that harmed special education students at Fleming, but still leaves unresolved the fate of Principal Susan Willis, whom the report said was the scheme's ringleader.

The Roanoke School Board on Tuesday approved transferring Smith, formerly a Fleming guidance coordinator, to a position teaching health and physical education at James Madison Middle School next year. Board members approved the move by a vote of 5-2 with board members Todd Putney and David Carson in opposition. Smith, who has 28 years of experience, will earn about $58,800 a year, down from about $70,500.

The school board also approved the retirements of Assistant Principal William Downie and special education department Chairwoman Brenda Hairston, both of whom were implicated in the manipulations.

Board members Mae Huff and Courtney Penn voted no on the motion accepting Downie's retirement, while Huff joined Carson in voting no on the motion accepting Hairston's retirement.

Another assistant principal, Michael Hill, who also was named in the report, had indicated in the spring, before the scandal came to light, that he planned to leave the school system and move out of the area.

Board members and other school officials declined to comment.

Last month, Willis hired a Richmond-based attorney and a Roanoke public relations firm in an attempt to keep her job. The report said she masterminded an effort to illegally change class schedules for students with disabilities in a way that kept them out of state-mandated Standards of Learning tests. That could have made Fleming's pass rates on the tests look better, the report said.

According to the report, Fleming administrators went along with the scheme because they were intimidated by Willis and feared for their jobs. It wasn't until a teacher alerted state education officials about the practices at the school that the testing irregularities came to light.

Also Tuesday, board members voted unanimously to promote Bill Birdlebough to assistant principal at Fleming. Birdlebough had been a teacher at James Breckinridge Middle School, where he led several groups of students to award-winning performances in model Formula One car designing competitions.

In another matter, the board voted 4-3 to convert part of Ruffner Middle School into administrative offices, and voted unanimously to hold culinary arts classes at Raleigh Court Elementary School.