This is why I have the utmost respect for the teaching profession. Well, at long last I have an answer to my quest. As I stood in the First Baptist Church recently, discussing with my friend about our last superintendent, I realized Dodge County has only had TWO WOMEN superintendents. They were the TWO BEST superintendents Dodge County has ever had. Both of these OUTSTANDING WOMEN were treated with utter DISRESPECT and their contracts were not renewed. Now what does that tell you about OUR BOARDS OF EDUCATION? Our boards are mostly comprised of MEN. With the INTELLIGENCE these two women possessed, it must have INTIMIDATED the board enough to dismiss them. There is no other justification.
Another realization was, why was the MORALE in the schools so GREAT during these two women’s tenure? The greatest percentage of our TEACHERS ARE WOMEN and this alone made the relationships more compatible. The teachers felt at ease and could convey all their needs to a woman superintendent.
Now to a very unpleasant subject, Dr. May, our present superintendent, who has greeted these wonderful TEACHERS with threats for their very job security. Statements in staff meetings like, “If you do not like my management style then you can leave and I can replace you by the time I get back to my office.” This is the very SAME DISRESPECT I have discussed about the other two women superintendents. Some men just want to CONTROL WOMEN and Dr. May continually does this. He has repeatedly said things about me and what I have done concerning the board lawsuit and how it could have effected the accreditation of our schools. The lawsuit was dismissed, but not before Dougie Martin confessed in legal court statements that a poll was taken in executive session and Dr. May admitted to receiving unsubstantiated evidence which both is a direct violation of the Open Meeting Laws. These statements are recorded in the Dodge County courthouse for public inspection. As for the school accreditation, SACS was given a 105 page Self Assessment Report, which contained only school matters that the board and Dr. May wanted exposed. Certainly they did not admit to breaking the Open Meeting Laws and certainly they kept the board minutes hid that documented this very wrongdoing. Dr. May has accused me of trying to hurt our accreditation. If that were the case, all I would have had to do was to show them the evidence I had. My involvement with this board has never been to hurt the schools, only to make the parents, community, taxpayers, and everyone concerned see what an untrustworthy board we have governing our schools.
Dr. May has an invested interest for you to believe him over me. Dr. May was only a curriculum director before he came to Dodge County. His salary was $89,605. Our board of education gave him a $30,000 raise, not including travel expenses. So by the time Dr. May’s contract ends on June 30, 2011, he will have profited $60,000 by coming to Dodge County. This is what I meant by invested interest. Not many people can say they have received that kind of raise in these hard economic times.
Dr. May is so DESPERATE to keep this SAME BOARD so they will REHIRE him, that he recently sent the TEACHERS a letter for the FIRST time thanking them for what they do. TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. He must have realized he cannot take all the credit for the accreditation. The teachers, who are the backbone of our schools, deserve the most credit. Now the teachers can send a message to Dr. May and the board with their votes.
This school board election on November 2nd boils down to who do you trust and believe? Remember we cannot fail the school children and teachers. They need for us to do what’s right.
Diana Glass
Where I am from it is unheard of to have a closed door meeting... They are employees of the taxpayers. We pay their salaries.... After all this is a public school system. We can only pray new board members will be elected.....