School board confirms decision to hire Wetherington
The documents are signed and it’s official: Dr. Darrell Wetherington is set to become the next superintendent of the Polk School District when Dr. William Hunter retires at the end of the calendar year during the winter break.
School board members – with the exception of Tommy Sanders – voted together to approve the new appointment effective Jan. 1, 2017 in a second round of voting to accept the contract as signed by the board and Wetherington.
Sanders had at the opening of the meeting taken a point of privilege and asked to change his June vote from a yea to nay.
Also not voting for this round of contract approval was school board member Grady McCrickard, who school board chair Harold McDurmon said was out due to being in the hospital receiving treatment for a kidney stone.
Sanders said during his point of privilege that he thanked board members for allowing him to change his June vote.
“Had I a better understanding of what was going to happen, my vote would have been different,” Sanders said in a statement in explaining his change of vote. “The hiring of a superintendent deserves more than a day’s consideration. Polk School District has 7,407 school children, 940 employees and thousands of parents, grandparents and guardians. They deserve our best. They deserve a process that guarantees the best possible candidate.”
Following that, two speakers – one against the decision to hire Wetherington without a search, and one for – gave their thoughts to the board on the process.
Kevin King was the first to speak out during the July 12 meeting, and said he felt concerns over the hiring process of Wetherington.
“It would take a blind man not to see the feeling of growing concern and ill will toward the board of education and the current superintendent,” he said. “Not only on social media sites, but also in everyday life in community events, churches and local sports events.”
King went on to say that he and many others felt the process by which Wetherington was chosen, as the next superintendent didn’t take several issues into account. Among
those included the number of educators leaving the district, his view that the board has ignored hiring policies, and the speed at which Wetherington was selected and hired.
“This is not a slant at an individual. This outcry is not a personal attack. I’ve never met the person and know little about him. He probably is the best person to lead this district,” King said. “However the lack of process in his appointment is what I’m concerned about.”
He said he felt the hiring process of selecting Wetherington ignored potential candidates in assistant superintendents Laurie Atkins and Greg Teems, and also any potential outside candidates who might have wanted to apply for the position.
“This is a complete disregard for process, a show of arrogance from the school board, and again in my opinion, a great big middle finger from the outgoing board members to the general public,” King said.
King also added before wrapping up his comments an additional note that “there was three of us who asked to speak tonight, but I was asked to represent all three,” and from another unnamed speaker added a request for a public hearing over the issue of hiring Hunter’s replacement, and that if the request is denied that it would be within the opposition’s constitutional right to call for a recall of all the board members currently sitting.
Lee Gammage, who got up and defended the position, reminded the audience in attendance for the board meeting on both sides that “regardless of this attempt to recall the vote, I believe the Board of Education made the right decision when they selected Dr. Wetherington at that time with a 7-0 unanimous vote.”
Gammage then reminded the audience that it wasn’t the first time that the school board has chosen a candidate without a selection committee. When Marvin Williams was chosen as the superintendent, his hire was done without a committee.
“If this process was acceptable in selecting Mr. Williams as superintendent – a decision that included some of these board members – then I consider this process transparent in selecting Dr. Wetherington,” Gammage said. “The precedent for the school board to promote from within and not take applications was established in 2007, not 2016 with the selection and appointment of Dr. Wetherington.”
In making their final decision on Wetherington’s hire, McDurmon said following the meeting that what has been done under Hunter’s tenure as superintendent has put Polk School District in a better position to succeed in the future, and so will the new hire.
“He’s here to stay, and I think it’s fair that we give him an opportunity to prove himself,” he said.
McDurmon said he also hoped when con- cerned citizens discuss the issue with its facts and data “not hearsay.”
Wetherington said after the meeting he gave a brief statement following the vote, making it clear that “I’m not Dr. Hunter’s boy or crony.”
“I’m here first and foremost for the students, parents, teachers and staff of Polk School District,” Wetherington said. “I feel good about my ability to bring the community what they are looking for and that’s how I feel about the process.”
He said he understood that he would have to work with new board members coming onto the School Board following November’s election when he is hired, but said that he looks forward to the opportunity.
“There are no questions I won’t have answers for,” he said. “I work for the board, and I will do my best to support them and Polk School District.”
Wetherington will make $420,000 over the next three years as the superintendent.
Previously he has been the principal at Cedartown High School. He’s a graduate of Valdosta State University, and held teaching jobs in Brantley, Lanier, and Charlton counties, among others, before being hired in Polk School District by Hunter.
Wetherington, who will remain at his post as principal of Cedartown High School until he officially takes over on Jan. 1, 2017, said he will be working closely with Hunter over the next six months of the transition.
“Dr. Hunter is the boss until Dec. 31, but I’m going to work closely with his help with the central office staff and schools to focus our mission and vision,” he said. “However there’s going to be a learning curve, so I’m thankful to be able to work with him.”
He said he wanted to stay at Cedartown High through at least midyear out of loyalty to staff and students, and to be with the Class of 2017 on the first day of school.