GAINESVILLE - The people who turned out at the Gainesville City School Board meeting Monday night to ask for some extra time on the job for Gainesville High School Athletic Director Wayne Vickery did not get what they wanted.
Five people addressed board members and Superintendent Dr. Wanda Creel during the public comment portion of the meeting, although dozens more attended the meeting in a show of support for the 35-year city school system employee.
Last month, Dr. Creel announced the board's intention to move in a different direction for the Gainesville School System, creating the position of Director of Athletics and Student Activities for grades K through 12. That position would, in essence, eliminate the need for an AD at Gainesville High School. Creel read a statement Monday night, saying that she had met with Vickery on March 20 and informed him of the new direction, days before the position was made public.
Clay Sanders, a GHS alumnus, former athlete, and a one-time employee for the system, told board members he understood the new direction for the school system, but he didn't like the way Vickery had been treated in the process.
"My fear is the public perception that we're giving off to the highly-qualified educators we need to attract," said Sanders. "If we don't show them that we cherish a 35-year employee, that we can't send him off in a respectful manner, how do we ever hope to recruit those teachers to come and educate our kids?"
Others were concerned that the driver education program, which Vickery teaches, would be eliminated with his departure.
Susan Rossetti pointed out to board members that Gainesville High is the only school in the area that has a specialized driver ed program. She said she wanted to make sure the program stays in place, and she asked that Vickery be retained to teach the classes.
"If you do decide to keep driver's ed, I would like to see if Coach Vick could actually stay on for at least another year. He has a specialty degree in driver's ed and could continue teaching that class and then this time next year, we could send him off in the traditional Gainesville way with honor and respect," said Rosetti.
Creel told the audience after the comment period that there was no plan to eliminate the driver education classes, and she said Vickery had not been told he could not teach the courses.
Still, Vickery supporters were not completely satisfied with what they heard.
Lee Wiley felt that Vickery was not treated fairly and spoke after the meeting was over.
"I think this was a personal vendetta against Wayne Vickery. There's a small group of members of the community that had the ear of the board and the ear of the superintendent," said Wiley.
Plus, he said the plan for a system-wide athletics/activity director would not work for Gainesville.
"The new job description is a smokescreen. It's a job that no one human can really do," said Wiley. "The feeder system [for high school athletics] will never be in the elementary schools."
Creel told the audience that Vickery had been encouraged to apply for the new position. She said when the application window closed on April 17, a total of 29 candidates had applied for the full-time job.
Here is a transcript of remarks made by board member Delores Diaz and Creel at Monday's meeting:
Dr. Diaz: “Thank you for taking the time to come tonight to speak to the Board of Education. Your presence indicates to us that you care deeply about our school system and the people that make it so exceptional.
"Because of apparent misinformation circulating in the community regarding a newly created leadership position for athletics, we have prepared some remarks that we hope will help everyone understand more clearly what has transpired.
"The decision to create the full-time position of Director of Athletics and Student Activities is a change that the Board has contemplated for some time. Our system has grown tremendously over the last few years and with it the need for expanded programs for all of our students. We communicated our vision to Dr. Creel, and she has begun implementing it.
"This new district level position encompasses many more responsibilities than the current part-time position does and focuses on providing a comprehensive approach for a district-wide athletic program. The individual selected for this position will organize and administer the overall middle/high school program of interscholastic athletics while also coordinating opportunities to develop and enhance feeder programs at the middle and elementary school levels. We believe that high school athletics and activities will benefit from rising students who have gained advanced skills and experience from these feeder programs. The Director of Athletics and Student Activities will provide leadership and support for athletic personnel, keep the community aware of and responsive to the athletic programs, prepare and administer the athletic program budget and assume responsibility for the organization of all interscholastic/intramural athletic events.
"Out of respect for Coach Vickery, Dr. Creel arranged to meet with him prior to any public posting or announcement to allow him to receive the information about the change in private. Dr. Creel will now provide some details about that meeting and about the hiring process for the new position.”
Dr. Creel: “We would like to take this opportunity to clarify information that may have been presented in the community. Mr. Vickery was told that he is appreciated and that the Board of Education, myself and the community values the dedication and commitment Coach Vickery has demonstrated throughout his career. Coach Vickery was informed of our new direction and the expansion of the scope of the position on March 20, 2015 by Dr. Creel and Mrs. Christine Brosky. He was told that the new position would be in place for the 2015-2016 school year. The conversation was held to inform Coach Vickery prior to any public posting or announcement to allow him to receive the information in private. Coach Vickery was told during the meeting on March 20 and again on March 24 by Board of Education members, as well as Dr. Creel making statements twice in media outlets, that Coach Vickery could apply for the full-time position if he chose to do so.
"The districts first public announcement of the plans for the 2015-2016 school year were made on Thursday, March 26. However, Dr. Creel did respond to requests from the media beginning Monday, March 23, 2015 as a result of individuals speaking with the media. The Director of Athletics and Student Activities position was posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2015 and the posting was closed on Friday, April 17, 2015. The district received 29 interested applicants for the position. A committee comprised of community members, middle and high school coaches, an elementary school PE teacher, parents, and administrators will be reviewing the applications through a rubric paper screening process and determining which candidates will be interviewed later this week. We look forward to continuing to work with our school and community partners to provide quality athletic and student activities for the students of the Gainesville City School System.
"The topic of Driver’s Education was not a planned discussion point for the March 20th conversation. However, when asked by Coach Vickery about his Driver's Education position he was told no decisions had been made but that, as with any budgeting process, all aspects of the budget were being reviewed prior to developing the FY16 budget to gauge student interest and outcomes while also ensuring fiscal efficiencies. Coach Vickery currently teaches two Driver's Education courses and serves in the capacity of Athletic Director.”
Dr. Diaz: “The decision to go in a new direction does not reflect negatively in any way upon Mr. Vickery. On the contrary, we celebrate his accomplishments. During his tenure as coach and then as Athletic Director at the high school, he has sustained a winning tradition that has become the bedrock for GHS athletics.
"Tradition is important to all of us on the Board. Three of us are products of the Gainesville City schools, and all of us have or have had children, grandchildren, or mentees in the system. We would do nothing that would change tradition. In fact, last year during our strategic planning session, we adopted the slogan “tradition with vision.” Like the ancient Roman god Janus, who is depicted with one face looking backward and another facing forward, we must honor and build upon the past but prepare ourselves to meet the challenges of the future.
"We hope that you will continue to show your support for the Gainesville City school students as they continue to maintain our long tradition of excellence.”
