During a workshop this afternoon, Brevard Public School Board Members discussed the parameters for the job description/search for a nation-wide search of a new Superintendent. The newly elected school board members fired former Superintendent Dr. Mullins in a 3-2 vote as soon as they were elected.
In the first clip, Gene Trent hints at possibly cutting staff in order to increase the available salary for a new leader. This comes just after they voted to increase staff a few weeks ago as Jennifer Jenkins points out. Another point of contention was the range of the salary being advertised (starting at $195,000) being too low. The rationale given was for someone who may not have the experience as others to demand a higher salary, but maybe someone so talented it would be worth “taking a chance” on them.
Jenkins took issue with this and emphasized the seriousness and importance of this decision, not just for the school district, but also the entire community. She went on to talk about discussions with leaders in the business community who expressed concern and difficulty in recruitment of new employees who are hesitant to come because of the recent actions of the School Board. The infamous “Jail Video” being one of the major concerns.
Trent countered saying that he hasn’t had those conversation with anyone, and that the board made the right decision in firing Dr. Mullins. He went on to emphasize that Brevard is a conservative County, and “we respond to conservatives.” He went on to say that if you have a problem with that, then maybe this County isn’t for you.
