Superintendent Bulson Fired By Harford County School Board

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — After recently finding himself embroiled in a controversy over missing school property and personal conduct at an education conference in Louisiana two years ago, Sean Bulson has been fired as the superintendent at Harford County Public Schools.

The Harford County Board of Education announced at its meeting Monday night that it was terminating its contract with Bulson effective this month. Bulson has been at the helm of the school district for almost eight years. He will be paid through June 30, newly elected board president Lauren Paige said during the meeting.

The board voted 6-3 to pay out Bulson’s contract during a closed meeting last week, Paige said. She announced Monday night that the search for a new superintendent will start immediately.

“The Board of Education acted in accordance with its governance responsibilities and after thoughtful consideration,” said Lauren Paige, president of the board of education, in a statement. “We remain committed to providing thoughtful oversight and upholding our responsibility to serve our students, staff, and community.”

Bulson, who earns $293,220 annually, has been on paid leave since January, when numerous officials lobbied for his resignation after a 911 call of an incident in his hotel room in New Orleans, La., raised eyebrows.

Dyann Mack, one of Bulson’s deputy superintendents, is currently serving as acting superintendent.

Bulson made a 911 call on April 6, 2024, to New Orleans Police to report school equipment missing from his room. The 911 call's transcript has been posted by the law firm Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group on Facebook.

During that 911 call, Bulson reported a theft and said a woman was in his room and left while he was asleep. When he awoke, he discovered the items were missing. According to Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group, the items reported stolen by Bulson included phones, an iPad, a laptop, an Apple Watch and technology that "appears consistent with employer-issued devices."

In an interview with the inspector general's office, Bulson said he thought the items had been stolen and after searching his room for them, he went to the deputy superintendent's room to use Davis' school-issued phone to call his wife and then the New Orleans Police to report the items as stolen.
Bulson then contacted the school district's information technology director to disable access to the school laptop and phone. After he gave an 11 a.m. scheduled presentation, Bulson told former Harford County School Board President Aaron Poynton about the missing items.

In his interview with the inspector general's office, Poynton said Bulson told him he believed he had been "rolled" in the night and that the aforementioned items might have been stolen from his hotel room. Poynton said he didn't pursue the matter further after learning that the school devices had been found in the room safe and returned to Bulson.

Davis wasn't interviewed by the inspector general's office but was placed on leave. Filling Poynton’s seat is Liliana Norkaitis, who was appointed by County Executive Bob Cassilly and approved by the council at the Feb. 3 meeting.

Related:

• Harford Co. Superintendent On Leave Amid Controversy
• 2nd Harford Co. School Leader Placed On Paid Leave: Reports
• Harford Co. Education Board President Resigns
• Interim Superintendent Of Harford Co. Schools Graduated From Joppatowne HS
• Harford County Executive Cassilly Calls for Resignation of Schools Superintendent Bulson