HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Educators, parents and even a school board member are questioning Hillsborough County Superintendent Addison Davis’ leadership amid teacher layoffs.
School board member Jessica Vaughn tells 8 On Your Side it’s shocking to see how a lot of this unfolded and says she has various reasoning to doubt Superintendent Davis’ leadership.
“From the lack of communication to the board members that it was even going to happen. From the miscommunication about when the final cuts needed to be made by to the understanding of whether these cuts were even necessary,” Vaughn adding. “I wonder if he’s the right fit for our district.”
She’s also received an overwhelming outcry from staff and parents that has gone as far as a petition with more than 4,000 signatures demanding the removal of the superintendent.
“That was completely parent-led. I have seen that. I have read that. I’ve kept an eye on how many signatures it’s gotten and what the comments are just to get a feel from our community about where they stand,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn told 8 On Your Side during next week’s work session, the board will create a plan to assist Superintendent Davis.
“In lieu of whether or not we want to pull his contract, maybe expectations weren’t made clear to him and what would be more appropriate would be to put him on a corrective action plan,” Vaughn said,
In response to what has recently transpired, district leaders sent in this statement from Superintendent Davis:
“I was hired to transform Hillsborough County. And in that process, we had to make some very difficult decisions. We changed instructional focus. We changed instructional frameworks. We’ve increased accountability. I led this district through a pandemic, successfully. And on top of that, I’m facing budget downfalls over and over again. And while you’re cutting 2,000 people it’s hard to build relationships. It’s hard to build trust but I am committed to working to improve.”
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor will be hosting a town hall meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on Facebook. Castor will be joined by State Senator Janet Cruz and other local leaders to discuss any issues or questions parents, teachers and staff may have.