Late-night Facebook post from Myers prompted teacher to speak out

The teacher who denounced a Muscogee County School Board member’s criticisms has now identified that representative. He says an after-midnight Facebook exchange with Frank Myers prompted him to speak up.

Jacob Elliott, the magnet coordinator at Dimon Elementary Magnet Academy, addressed the board during the public agenda portion of Tuesday night’s meeting.

“I see some of the posts that some of the board members might put out there," Elliott said, "and calling a school in this district horrible based on one score should not be tolerated.

In an email Wednesday night, Elliott said he was referring to a Jan. 19 exchange he had with Myers on the District 8 representative’s school board Facebook page.

In a debate about whether MCSD teachers should have received a raise of 2 percent or 3 percent last year, Elliott posted at 12:42 a.m., “I am happy to have a job with no furlough days, that’s what I can count on.”

Myers posted at 12:55 a.m., “So you work at Dimon. Your school gets a D on the latest CCRPI – yeah, why would that bother you? Why would you care that you have a leadership position at a ‘below average’ school? You don’t care about the 1/3 part of the raise you got cheated out of because you have a cushy job and make plenty already. And it’s politically expedient for you to start a fight with me on Facebook because the new Chair will love it – after all, Dimon is one of the horrible schools in her district. Good night, and good luck sir.”

Elliott told the Ledger-Enquirer he has received positive reaction from colleagues after he spoke out. “They have been enthusiastic and are glad that someone stood up for teachers,” he said in the email. “Educators often get criticized, yet are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet. No educator is in it for the money. They truly want to make a difference, and they get tired of being picked on when they are continually trying to meet the shifting demands thrust upon them.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Late-night Facebook post from Myers prompted teacher to speak out."