Teachers say: Make Wilcox pay for part of search

Concerned over a $43-million budget deficit that could impact 16,000 school district employees, the head of the Pinellas teachers union said Friday that outgoing superintendent Clayton Wilcox should be held accountable for at least part of the district's cost to find his replacement.

Speaking on behalf of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, executive director Jade Moore acknowledged to the Gradebook that asking Wilcox to pay the up to $60,000 that his contract stipulates in the event he leaves the district before June 30 would be unreasonable. Wilcox likely would stay until that date rather than leaving on June 3, the date the board has agreed to let him go, thus negating the obligation.

Asking him to cover the full cost of a Florida School Board Association search – $6,000 plus expenses, for a total of up to $25,000 – also would be a poor business decision for the board, Moore said, since the district would have to pay Wilcox $28,000 in salary to cover the additional weeks of his employment.

But that doesn't mean the board shouldn't ask for any reimbursement at all, Moore contends.

"Wilcox has put the board in the position of having to conduct a search three years earlier than they had planned," he said. "The very least the board should do is ask him to pay the $6,000. Asking him to pay that much is the responsible thing to do."

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

Comments

[Liza]

Yes. Shut up and TEACH! I gotcha. We can teach the core subjects AND teach your children about character, respect, responsibility. Yes! In the short time we have with your children we can do our job and YOUR job too. Thanks! Maybe if you did YOUR job, then we WOULD have more time to do ours...TEACH!

[Tim]

Teachers are such cry babies. Shut up and teach. I am so glad that my kids are out of school and I don't have to deal with whining teachers anymore. Wilcox wasn't paid enough to deal with the disfunctional Board and whimp teachers. Good luck to Mr. Wilcox.

[TechRider]

As a responsible taxpayer and member of the community, I will be willing to take on Wilcox's job, starting June 4th, for half of what he was being paid.

This job is not rocket science it is common sense. I vow to do a better job, for half of the money. I have no axe to grind and no cronies to pay off. Just common sense and good judgement. I can be reached at hdm1138@hotmail.com.

[pat from pasco]

Maybe Pinellas could hire Pasco County's Superintendent, Heather Fiorentino? Oh wait, she's not qualified to be hired as a Superintendent. Her qualifications for Pasco Superintendent are name recognition and a county which insists on an elected Superintendent.

[Gilbert R. Ford]

In America we can choose whatever endeavor we want. Obviously, Mr. Wilcox has chosen his. He was more smoke and mirrors. Wilcox rather than assist the Teachers, parents and students he chose to assist is own self serving fettish. He was a bully, Pinellas will be off without this charleton.

[Ron]

Tony, Dale, the problem with promoting from within is the "old boy - targeted selection technique" that has been used since Hinesley. You are not going to get the fresh thinkers we need out of the current staff of upper level admins. They have been trained to scratch backs and think alike. Janssen understands that and realizes that she can get a ton of good resume fodder from this part time caretaker slot for her next job. Hiring the guys Dr. Wilcox put in the top will only get you more guys/gals who can play the Wilcox game. 3 yrs and out!

PCSB needs a new set of minds. The current top level boys and girls drove us to the train wreck. Why does good sense indicate they have the ability to drive us back?

Wilcox didn't steer the ship alone. Hire another EdD if you want another four years of chaos and strife. We need a leader, regardless of high level education, and perhaps a person with sound reasoning, would be better. Someone with a BA/BS or MA/MS that understrands the classroom is far better for this district than another crusader wanting to spread literacy. Please no more over educated "diploma mill" folks. Just a good planner and thinker, not polluted by the jargon and politics.

[johnny]

This dirt bag should be made to pay....

What search? Scrap the position as part of a budget cut.

[Bryan]

Dale, it's in his contract. That's why there's all the stink about it.

I say let him go without making him pay (as much as I would love to see him have to) because I think he'll stay through the allotted time stated in his contract so he doesn't have to pay. The school district needs to move on ASAP.

I DO think the district should promote from within. Not only does this save money, but it shows others already in the system that you CAN move up within.

--I should proofread before I post.

[El Guapo]

Paying for a protracted search is a waste of taxpayers/district $$. What's the average tenure of a superintendent anyway? I guarantee there are people within the organization that are qualified for the position, and it won't take them as long to get up to speed on the issues...

[Bryan]

Dale, it's in his contract. That's why there's all the stink about it.

I say let him go without make him pay (as much as I would love to see him have to) because I think he'll stay through the allotted time stated in his contract so he doesn't have to pay. The school district needs to move on ASAP.

I DO think the district should promote from within. Not only does this save money, but it shows others already in the system that you CAN move up within.

[Tony]

DALE - It is in his contract. That's why this has become an issue, did not read the articles?

Cut and run!

[gloucester]

I have an idea. Let him stay. Then you can deal with someone that does not want to be there, the Board can fire him and then pay him more.

[Tony]

I am glad they are so free with my tax dollars. he signed a contract, hold him to it. He asked to be released on June 3rd, let him go, insist that he go on the day he asked to go.

[Dale]

Should have thought ahead and made it a condition of his employment in his contract. You can't just tell someone who resigns to pay for the company he's leaving to find his replacement. Can you imagine the outcry if businesses were allowed to do that?

[kde]

I agree! This district has employees who are highly qualified for this position.