Sheridan School Board members back superintendent's firing
A week after hearing several former School Board members say they supported Superintendent Jerrod Williams, the Sheridan School Board recommended his termination.
The board came out of a 90-minute executive session at the end of Monday’s meeting, at which time board member Jeff Lisenbey made a motion to send Williams a letter saying that the board had recommended his dismissal. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. The letter will apparently detail the reasons Williams should be terminated, although the letter was not available Monday night or Tuesday, said Andy Mayberry, district spokesperson.
Williams will apparently be given an opportunity for a hearing, although with the board sitting as the final arbiter of Williams’ fate, a hearing would appear to be a fruitless exercise. A hearing would, however, be an opportunity for Williams to respond publicly to the board’s grievances against him. Those grievances have yet to be made public.
The board suspended Williams with pay in mid-December. Dozens of Williams’ supporters signed a petition, triggering a specially called meeting that was held Feb. 7. At that meeting, several former board members took to the podium to express their support for Williams, listing the accomplishments Williams oversaw during his tenure as superintendent, which began in 2014.
Reached Tuesday, Williams said he had been unaware that the board was going to take action, although he had heard rumors that members were going to take up the matter of his contract.
He said he had not received the letter and wouldn’t be able to comment on his plans until he had gotten it and had time to talk to his attorney.
“My No. 1 concern right now is to take care of my children and my wife,” Williams said.
Williams has two children in Sheridan schools, and his wife works in the district’s curriculum department.
Interim Superintendent Jerry Guess, who was hired in the middle of January to fill out the current school year, which ends June 30, presided over Monday night’s meeting. He introduced himself to the audience and said he appreciated the opportunity to work for the Sheridan district.
“I’m honored to be here,” he said. “You have a lot of great kids out there doing a lot of good things. Thank you for letting me be here.”