Wilbert Woodruff, the president of the Limestone County NAACP, spoke in support of embattled Tanner High Principal James Gordon at the Nov. 9 Limestone County School Board meeting.

This is the second time a community member has addressed the board in support of Gordon, who replaced long-time administrator Billy Owens last June.

Gordon has faced criticism from some parents and teachers in the past. A group of Tanner teachers drafted and circulated an email containing 27 separate complaints that eventually reached the desk of Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk. Most of the complaints had to do with Gordon’s management style, but the teachers also claimed he had a closed-door policy with staff and was slow to answer urgent emails, sometimes taking weeks to respond.

Sisk determined that Gordon had not violated school board policy, state law or FERPA (Family Educational Right and Privacy Act) and therefore did not warrant any action.

Woodruff explained that he was approached by several Tanner parents in the weeks following the Oct. 6 school board meeting, when Tracey Cooley spoke in support of Gordon.

“I have heard it from more than one parent that some do not agree with him and were trying to sabotage his position by saying negative things about the principal,” Woodruff said. “I wanted to follow up and reiterate that there are a lot of people in this community, including me, who stand behind Gordon.”

“I would like to see him be given the chance to do his job and be given the utmost support from the Limestone community, teachers and administrators,” he added. “Principal Gordon is highly qualified and was chosen carefully for the position he is in. Regardless of who is there, it is going to take the support of the community to make the school better for everyone.”

In other items of business, Sisk presented a request to the board to continue a contract with Presence Learning. The service provides speech language services to 29 special education students at Tanner who require additional services and specialized attention. The system entered into a contract with Presence Learning at the beginning of the second semester of the 2016-17 school year. According to Tara Bachus, Director of Special Education, the students enrolled in the program showed a “marked increase in progress from January to May.” At $44,050, the contract with Presence Learning saves the district $26,635, because it prevents the district from having to hire a second special education teacher.

Rusty Bates, director of Transportation, also asked that the board consider including a pay raise for substitute school bus drivers in next year’s budget. Bates said that there is a shortage of substitute drivers because they can make $10 more per route driving for Athens schools.

Sisk said the shortage is “particularly problematic when we have multiple sports events on the same day or during major field trips like the Storytelling Festival.”

The board also approved the hiring of full- and part-time teachers, site coordinators, bookkeepers, student assistants and instructional assistants to fulfill positions created by a recently secured $1.3 million 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant. The grant money will be distributed over the next three years.

The county’s Chief School Financial Officer, Ann Swanner, plans to retire Dec. 20, prompting the board to approve a $5,000 expenditure to hire the Alabama Association of School Boards. The AASB will conduct a search and provide qualified CSFO candidates for the board’s consideration.