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VALDOSTA – Valdosta City Schools parents questioned the conduct of the school board in recent issues, such as controversies involving high school football and coaches, and stressed the priority should be education.

Brevard Hinton, a 20-year Valdosta resident, said two of her children have been in the Valdosta school system for at least 12 years.

She said the Valdosta Board of Education should work toward the common goal of giving children within the school system tools for their future, but said given the events of the past few months, there’s been an issue of poor school governance.

She mentioned the Superward West District vacancy on the school board.

“For more than three months, the Superward West districts have not had representation on the board,” she said. “Therefore, the taxpayers in these districts have not had the same voice in meetings as the rest of the city.”

Hinton said that’s taxation without representation and the board vacancy needs to be filled immediately.

Ashley Daniel, a Valdosta resident and parent, piggybacked off of Hinton’s message. She questioned the decision behind the non-renewal of the contract for former Valdosta High School football coach Alan Rodemaker followed by the decision to hire Rush Propst, a “questionable” coach.

She said she hopes the school system could move past the coach situation but the “irrational” decisions keep on coming.

“It’s affecting more than football. It’s affecting our kids’ educations,” Daniel said. She asked board members if they aren’t floored at how many personnel resignations they’ve been receiving.

Just this week, the VBOE unanimously approved the resignations of 16 staff – four teachers from J.L. Newbern Middle School, three teachers from W.G. Nunn Elementary School, three teachers from Valdosta High School, a counselor from Valdosta Middle School, a teacher and paraprofessional from S.L. Mason Elementary School, a teacher from Maceo Horne Learning Center, a custodian from J.L. Lomax Elementary School and a bus monitor from the transportation department.

Why are they leaving? Daniel asked.

“I’ve spoken with many of them (and) they’re not happy with the direction this board is taking,” she said. “If they can openly fire a popular and successful man like that for no reason, no documentation (and) no answer to us, they can do the same to us.”

Parents Eleanor Clark and Todd Wilson spoke on board conduct. He said there’s been a manipulation of the public’s time.

“Time is wasted because things like called meetings are made, of course, for specific reasons and then the surface act begins and the agenda is thrown out,” Wilson said.

The same goes for board members, too, he said, as they have families that want them home if not for the intervention of other members. The only reason the board is here is to conduct the people’s business, not their own.

“Let your character shine through what you’re being pressured into doing when you know the right thing to do is for the whole community,” he said.

As per the rules of the public participation section of the meeting, no school board members responded to the public speakers. Business at the meeting went as usual otherwise.

In other business, the school board approved Draft A of its tentative budget for Fiscal Year 2022.

Trey Sherwood, District 5 board member, led the budget talk, speaking as the financial committee chair, reporting the general fund revenue and expenditure at $75,177,787.12.

The budget’s draft, known as Draft A, was chosen over Draft B in favor of its hourly wage increase of $12.28.

The total estimated revenue – which contains the general fund, special revenue funds and capital projects fund – is set at $135,608,562.

The estimated expenditure, which contains those funds, too, is set at $135,295,352.

This estimated budget is $34,679,886 more than the current budget which comes from CARES Act funding. It’s the only difference between the current and tentative budgets.

School Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason gave an update on the strategic plan, saying to expect work to be completed on it by June 1 with Phase 2 starting in June or July.

The school board discussed a moment of silence at sporting events.

Cason said the school board received a letter from the Freedom of Religion Foundation in 2020 asking the school system to cease and desist praying at sporting events.

No action was made on the matter as it was information only but Cason said the school board has three options: adopting a policy similar to model versions in Texas and a neighboring district, allow a moment of reflection as per constitutional rights, or continue allowing student-led prayer.

“I think it’s important for us to make a final decision as we quickly approach a new, I guess, football season because that’s where the issue arose, a football game,” Cason said.

Kelisa Brown, District 2 board member, presented an update on the personnel committee and discussed the superintendent’s evaluation.

Brown said the evaluation used previously won’t be feasible since there’s no data for the current year. She said the committee will work with the superintendent and board to choose what evaluation to use in the future.

It also discussed the superintendent’s contract and the need for it to be updated, Brown said.

The school board approved other personnel matters, more than just the resignations.

Three staff members are retiring – two teachers from VHS and one intervention specialist from S.L. Mason. One teacher from VHS is being transferred.

Four staff members are being promoted – an academic coach at VHS, a reading/math interventionist and a gifted teacher at Pinevale Elementary School and a custodian at Horne Learning Center.

Eighteen new hires were approved – six teachers and a counselor at VHS, two teachers at W.G. Nunn, two teachers and two custodians at J.L. Newbern Middle School, a teacher and two custodians at Valdosta Middle School, a teacher at S.L. Mason and a bus monitor.

The VHS boys and girls tennis teams were recognized as 2021 Region 1-6A Regional Champions, and finalists for the 2020 and 2021 Governor’s Honors were recognized by the board.

The board gave reminders as well: The last day of school, May 21, will have early dismissal and graduation will be held 8:30 p.m., May 21, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.