Her supporters had a rally, collected signatures for a petition and started a letter writing campaign — all in an effort to keep Superintendent of Schools Judith Palmer gainfully employed.
But the majority of the school board still isn’t talking to the public about Palmer’s contract.
In May, the Board of Education voted to void Palmer’s contract and extend it to June 30, which is Wednesday.
The contract was voided because it contained a clause that automatically extended her contract.
Board members said they also wanted to sit down and do an evaluation of the superintendent before deciding to keep her on board.
Time is running out and, as of late Monday, no meeting date has been set. Palmer could not be reached for comment Monday.
The Valley Independent Sentinel contacted every board of education members and only one, Paula Guillet, who has been on the board for five years, returned phone calls.
Guillet said she was told by board chairman Rose McKinnon that there would be a meeting this week, but she has not been told when. “Rose said she was waiting to hear from lawyers before calling a meeting,’‘ Guillet said.
McKinnon was not available for comment Monday.
Guillet voted against voiding Palmer’s contract. She warned the board that a lawsuit would come out of the action.
She said she thinks the board should do her evaluation as soon as possible.
Guillet is questioning the motives of some of her fellow school board members.
“I think the goal of some board members is to get rid of her (Palmer),’‘ she said.
As of late Monday there was no agenda filed for a meeting, according to the superintendent’s office.
Palmer supporter Becky Gall-Piorek, who is one of the administrators of a Facebook page called “Save Our Superintendent Dr. Judith A. Palmer,’‘ said as a “last resort,’‘ they have started a letter writing campaign to the Board of Education.
She said members of the public are asking for a written response from the board.
“We are writing letters to the BOE chair due to the fact that there have been no public meetings, no comments, no updates and no action taken on the petition that 400 plus people signed regarding Dr. Palmer,’‘ Gall-Piorek said. “Frankly, as a parent and educator, I am feeling left out and in the dark by my town’s BOE. I have two small children in the school system and I deserve to know who will be leading the schools,’‘ she said.
Gall-Piorek lost her bid for seat on the school board in November. She said her feelings are not sour grapes.
“I am upset because I have seen the good work Dr. Palmer does and I have seen the relationship she holds with teachers, administrators and children and it’s remarkable and heart warming. To lose someone of her caliber would be devastating to Oxford and our school system. ‘’
Palmer earns $134,444 a year, with the addition of a $6,722 annuity.
According to the minutes, McKinnon had argued that there had been no written evaluation of Palmer in two years.
Palmer, who attended that meeting, said she was concerned about being evaluated because the newly elected board (it changed from Democrat to Republican controlled in the November election) never set goals for her.
