Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

David Carson (center), chairman of the Roanoke School Board, announces the board's decision to fire William Fleming Principal Susan Willis during a board meeting Tuesday night at the school.

The Roanoke School Board voted 5-2 on Tuesday evening to fire William Fleming High School Principal Susan Willis.

Willis has been on paid administrative leave since June, when a Virginia Department of Education report implicated her in a scandal that kept special education students from taking Standards of Learning tests.

School board members Mae Huff and Courtney Penn voted against the motion to fire Willis, which was one of four motions the board considered Tuesday related to the grievance.

Tuesday's vote was taken during a regular meeting at the new $57 million Fleming school building in Northwest Roanoke, which opened in September.

The school board made the decision to dismiss Willis exactly five months after the scathing report was released. School officials since June have reported the testing irregularities were more widespread than the initial 30 students reported, affecting hundreds of students.

The board also approved motions advising the school board attorney to attempt to recoup costs and to make the report public. The first motion presented, which would have allowed Willis to resign willfully by Friday, was killed by a 4-3 vote. Huff, Penn and Todd Putney voted in favor.

Willis issued this statement shortly after the votes were taken: "Tonight's decision of the Roanoke City School Board to uphold my dismissal could not possibly reflect a thorough review of the facts presented during nine-days [sic] of testimony which exonerated me."

The board received the 2,000-plus-page transcript and the fact-finding panel's written recommendation Nov. 4. The board met for more than two hours Monday and nearly two hours Tuesday in closed session to discuss the personnel matter.

Willis chose Tuesday evening to release the dissenting summary of Cheryl Twine, the member of the three-person panel whom Willis chose to represent her. Twine's report states that she disagreed with the panel's majority. The following claims are included in Twine's opinion:

• The school division provided flawed data to the DOE, which resulted in an erroneous report.

• The division failed to prove "by a preponderance of evidence" that Willis manipulated schedules or directed schedules to be manipulated.

• Assistant Principals William Downie and Michael Hill admitted lying during their testimonies.

• There is strong evidence of bias against Willis by Superintendent Rita Bishop and other administrative staff.

"I will consider the outcome of the school board's decision and decide whether I will contest the outcome in future litigation to clear my name and professional reputation," Willis said.

By law, Willis has no avenues to appeal the board's decision. However, she may file a lawsuit against the school board in Roanoke Circuit Court.

Bishop declined to comment on the school board's decision or about hiring a permanent replacement for Willis.

Latasha Suggs, co-president of the Roanoke Education Association, addressed the school board Tuesday about the impact of the testing scandal on the city's children.

"I hope that the children ... know they are so much more than a test score and that their value is priceless," Suggs said.