Board questioned about principal’s firing

 RED OAK — Around 30 students and community members spoke on behalf of Red Oak High School principal Jedd Sherman in a special portion of last Monday’s school board meeting.

Following a student protest the previous week, Superintendent Terry Schmidt agreed to allow students the opportunity to ask questions of the board regarding its recent vote to consider the termination of Sherman’s contract. 

More than 100 people were in attendance for the two-hour session.  

Numerous questions were in relation to the motives behind the board’s vote. 

“From the time that I’ve known Mr. Sherman, and my family as well, it’s all been nothing but positive. I think the majority of the students would agree with me on that,” senior Nick Black said. “So the question I have is, what are the 

negative effects Mr. Sherman is having on the school?” 

In response to Black’s question, and several others like it, board president Lee Fellers declined to answer due to the confidentiality of an employee’s evaluation. 

Other questions included whether teachers have complained about Sherman, if Schmidt and Sherman have any sort of personal relationship impacting the vote, why the board voted 5-0 to consider Sherman’s termination and the cost associated with a possible court date.  

The district’s legal representation, Ron Peeler, said specifics on Sherman’s employment would not be discussed in a public setting until a hearing. 

“What can be discussed here tonight is the process and I think that’s what the board was intending to help discuss with the students,” Peeler said at the meeting. “The process for tonight is not to go into a debate into Mr. Sherman’s performance or go into his personal, confidential documents and discuss the relative merits of his employment. That is a process that is under code set to go before an administrative law judge and that’s where those issues are heard by a neutral third party and information that comes back to inform the board on any final decision that’s going to be made.”   

Following the May 5 school board meeting in which the board made the initial vote to consider Sherman’s termination, the district sent Sherman a letter, giving him formal notice of the termination process. 

The notice stated five reasons behind the board’s vote. Reasons include: “1. Failure to develop and maintain a satisfactory working relationship with the superintendent of the district; 2. Failure to develop and maintain a satisfactory working relationship with other administrators of the school district; 3. Failure to develop and maintain a satisfactory working relationship with outside consultants or auditors; 4. Failure to develop and maintain a satisfactory working relationship with teachers subject to [Sherman’s] supervision; 5. Failure to meet the expectations of the board and superintendent in the performance of [Sherman’s] school district management responsibilities.” 

After receiving the notice, Sherman requested a hearing by an administrator law judge, as outlined by Iowa Code as the next step in the termination process of a school administrator. A list of possible judges has been sent to both parties, and once one is agreed upon, a hearing, which will be open to the public, will take place within 30 days.