Divided Escambia College Board Votes To Not Talk about Superintendent’s Contract : NorthEscambia.com

The Escambia County College Board killed any dialogue about terminating Superintendent Tim Smith’s contract Tuesday night.

An agenda merchandise to debate Smith’s contract was added to the agenda on Monday, however the board authorised the agenda excluding the contract.

“I want to ask for the simply trigger for including the merchandise beneath the board motion,” board member Patty Hightower requested, with out particularly saying something about the subject material of the merchandise — the dialogue of Smith’s contract. When requested which merchandise, she referred to it as “the final minute addition that got here lower than 24 hours earlier than this assembly”, once more with mentioning the precise subject material.

“And also you have been the one which made that call, Mr. Chair,” Hightower stated to board chairman Kevin Adams.

“I did, I did,” Adams stated.

“What was the immediacy of the problem?” she stated.

“What I’m going to do is chair, and what I’ve finished is chair,” Adams responded. “I’m not going to cease anyone that desires to debate concerning the merchandise. That’s not my place…As chair, for those who come to me and say you wish to add one thing, I don’t really feel prefer it’s my duty to say no to you.”

“I feel that the lateness of the add, the shortage of communication, lower than 24 hours — I used to be fully caught blindsided. Folks calling me, asking me. They knew. I didn’t know,” District 5 member Invoice Slayton stated, including that he felt it was an error on the a part of Adams. and Fetsko.

Dr. Laura Edler requested, “I too want to know, what was the urgency to place that on the agenda on the thirteenth hour?”

The board’s legal professional instructed Adams that it was his resolution whether or not or not the dialogue remained on the agenda.

“I’m OK with leaving it on,” Adams replied.

Slayton then made a movement to approve the agenda, minus the dialogue merchandise on Smith’s contract. A second was made by Edler.

Fetsko, who requested for the contract dialogue to be added to the agenda, stated, “I’m listening to the vast majority of the board right now.”

The movement to approve the agenda with out the superintendent contract dialogue, handed 3-2 with Adams and Fetsko voted in opposition to (which might have continued with the dialogue).

The board didn’t focus on if Smith’s contract is perhaps a part of a future assembly.

In November 2018, Escambia County residents voted to maneuver from an elected to an appointed superintendent, and Smith took workplace in November 2020.