06/23/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Albemarle Republicans Call on Matt Haas to Donate Severance Pay to Support Students
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (June 22, 2026). The Albemarle County Republican Committee (ACRC) is calling on former Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Haas to donate his severance pay to an ACPS Student Recovery and Victim Support Fund for elementary students and families affected by the criminal case involving former ACPS employee Michael Swiney.
ACRC is asking the Albemarle County School Board to support this dedicated student fund so children affected by the sexual abuse allegations can receive the help they need and deserve.
The School Board announced over the weekend that Haas’s resignation is effective immediately, but that he will continue receiving his regular pay and benefits through June 2027, including more than $257,000 in base salary. Haas will receive one year of severance pay despite six out of seven School Board members reportedly voting to ask for his resignation.
“Former Superintendent Matt Haas has an opportunity to do the right thing,” said Phil Riese, Chairman of the Albemarle County Republican Committee. “He has an opportunity to show whether he cares more about Matt Haas, or helping the children and families affected by this crisis. Haas is no longer leading ACPS, but he can still choose to put these children first.”
Riese said the issue is deeply personal for many Albemarle parents.
“I have two children who went to Hollymead Elementary, and my youngest child will enter kindergarten at Hollymead next year,” Riese said. “Parents send their children to school trusting that basic safeguards are in place. Matt Haas should not walk away with a big payday while parents are left asking why stronger child-protection policies were not put in place sooner.”
ACPS reportedly became aware of allegations involving Michael Swiney in January 2026. Yet ACPS does not appear to have issued a clear, divisionwide policy restricting one-on-one, closed-door meetings between elementary students and staff.
“The moment ACPS became aware of these allegations, every elementary school should have been given clear rules to prevent staff from being alone with young children behind closed doors,” Riese said. “That should have been obvious. That is basic child protection.”
ACRC believes ACPS must dramatically improve communication with parents, accountability for staff and administrators, and openness with the public. These problems have existed for years and go well beyond the allegations involving Michael Swiney.
“For too long, ACPS has hidden behind personnel confidentiality in a way that leaves parents in the dark,” Riese said. “Parents do not need private personnel files of ACPS employees. But when an employee violates policy, when children may have been placed at risk, or when serious allegations arise inside a school, parents deserve timely, honest, and useful information. Silence protects the system. Openness protects children.”
“This is about putting students first,” Riese said. “ACPS needs to stop hiding behind process and start proving to parents that student safety comes first.”
