Jacksonville school board ousts superintendent

More than 100 Jacksonville parents booed the school board during Monday night's meeting. For more than a week, rumors swirled that superintendent Jon Paul Campbell would be replaced.  The director of curriculum said there were no resignations or terminations, but if something were to happen, it could be at the June 15 board meeting.  The board president confirmed the community's suspicions at the end of the meeting.  David Glass told the group that "Dr. Jon Paul Campbell was superintendent from 2010 to June 15th, 2015.  Dr. Campbell's contract will be honored through June 30th, 2017," The vote came before the public reading of the agreement.  As board members called for a vote on the contract's terms, many in the audience shouted requests for the board to tell them what the vote was about.  Several people made public comments to the board before the agenda item about the superintendent.  Some of the questions were about Campbell's employment.  There were 17 people on the list to make comments, but the board restricted the time to 15 minutes total.  Glass told people who were unable to speak to contact their board members individually after the meeting.  Board member Mike Poe said sometimes school systems need a change in leadership to get to the next level.  Poe said he hopes Jacksonville can find an experienced superintendent to come in.  He said there is a lot of confusion and disappointment in the board's decision, and wants to involve the community to get to a healing process.  Poe wants to get past Monday night's events and start the search for the school system's next leader.  Former county commissioner Rudy Abbott, who coached baseball at Jacksonville State University from 1970 to 2001, was on the list of people to make public comments.  Abbott said there needs to be better communication between the board and the community, and suggested a couple of board members sit down with the town mayor and some parent representatives for an open dialogue. "This is my school.  Not your school.  My school," Abbott said to the board. He turned to the crowd and told them it is their school system.  Board member Kelley Pearce wiped away tears at several times during the meeting, and clapped with the crowd on a couple of occasions following some of the individual comments before the vote on the superintendent's contract.  She was the only board member to oppose the decision, and received a standing ovation as she voiced her continued support for Campbell.