Jasper County School District hires interim superintendent

Larry Heath has been tapped to serve as interim superintendent for the Jasper County School District, according to a district news release.

Heath retired in 2009 as superintendent of the Chester County School District and has more than 30 years of classroom and administrative experience, the release said.

He was Jasper County's interim superintendent briefly in 2010.

Heath takes over the Jasper County position after Vashti Washington resigned earlier this month.

Washington's four-year tenure ended with the district fending off two lawsuits, criticism over low student test scores and a federal investigation of an undisclosed nature.

In a Dec. 11 statement, Washington called it "a challenging year."

She will continue to receive her $165,000 salary and serve as a consultant through 2016.

Heath is expected to start as the interim superintendent Monday.

He will be paid a salary of $10,000 per month, according to the release.

Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

Related content:

• Jasper County School District superintendent resigns, Dec. 11, 2015

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Jasper County School District hires interim superintendent ."