Phenix City Board of Education announces retirement of embattled superintendent
The Phenix City Board of Education announced Friday it has accepted the retirement of superintendent Janet Sherrod, effective Dec. 31.
The announcement concludes a rocky relationship the board has had with the embattled superintendent since she was hired two years ago.
Randy Wilkes ended his eight-year tenure as Phenix City Schools superintendent in June 2022, when he resigned to become the first superintendent of a new school district in Orange Beach. After a yearlong search, the PCBOE voted 4-3 in May 2023 to hire Sherrod from Tuscaloosa City Schools, where she was executive director of learning support.
During that meeting, the board emerged from a closed session of approximately 15 minutes and, without public discussion, appointed Sherrod in a split vote. Katrina Collier-Long made the motion, seconded by Elliott Patrick. Board chair Yolaunda Daniel and Florence Bellamy also voted yes. Brady Baird, KeAnthony Brooks and Jonathan Taylor voted no.
Job on the line
One year into her Phenix City tenure, rumblings about Sherrod’s job performance came to a head at a standing-room-only meeting July 1, 2024.
The board met in closed session for approximately an hour to discuss what was described as “pending or threatened litigation.” Then, following a contentious discussion in open session about two undisclosed personnel items (identified by only numbers), Taylor made an announcement when the agenda item titled “superintendent’s contract” came up.
“I asked this to be put on the agenda,” Taylor said. “And I’m requesting that, after further thought and consideration, this item be removed. We’re going to begin to strategize and set goals for Dr. Sherrod at our soon-to-be-scheduled retreat. The future is bright.”
The crowd applauded that news.
After the meeting, Taylor declined to specify to the Ledger-Enquirer any details about the dispute, citing what he said was advice from the board’s attorney, Bob Meadows.
The Ledger-Enquirer asked Sherrod for her reaction to the support as she was surrounded by well-wishers.
“My work speaks for itself,” she said.
Evaluations of Phenix City superintendent Janet Sherrod
According to the June 13, 2024, PCBOE meeting agenda, the board’s seven members rated the superintendent in 10 categories. On a scale of 1-4, their average rating was a 2 in all the categories, assessing Sherrod in:
- Being the CEO of the school board
- Educational leadership of the school system
- Personnel management
- Community relations
- Management of pupil and personnel services
- Communication, interpersonal relations and partnerships
- Professional development and leadership
- Technology management
- Facility management
- Financial management.
More than a year later, on July 17, the board’s second evaluation of Sherrod was presented. Her overall average score slipped to 1.7. But another evaluation of the superintendent presented during that meeting, this one from 17 of her direct reports in the administration, showed a different opinion. Sherrod’s overall average score from that assessment was a 2.9.
Current issue with Accelerated Academy
The current conflict between Sherrod and some board members is about the PCS Accelerated Academy, which invites the top 180 qualified students coming out of elementary school, starting in sixth grade, to take courses at higher grade levels after showing mastery of the content at their current grade level.
Baird told the Ledger-Enquirer this week that he and some other board members are upset with Sherrod’s “failure to effectively plan” for how the state’s curriculum changes would affect the the Accelerated Academy,
Despite the Alabama State Department of Education announcing its new curriculum standards “years and months prior to the changes being implemented,” Baird said, Sherrod didn’t provide the state proper documentation to continue the Accelerated Academy this year.
“Our system was completely unprepared to incorporate these changes into a program that has served academically motivated students and families for over 11 years,” Baird said, “and I cannot, for the life of me, understand how we would allow that to happen.”
Sherrod hasn’t replied to the Ledger-Enquirer’s requests to respond to that criticism.
Thursday night’s meeting
The PCBOE and Sherrod again were scheduled to discuss her job performance and contract during Thursday night’s meeting.
That didn’t happen.
In a surprise move, board member Florence Bellamy opened the meeting with a motion to amend the agenda: Delete the item about discussing Sherrod’s job performance and contract.
The seven-member board approved the motion — without public discussion — with five “yes” votes. Baird voted no, and Patrick abstained.
The discussion was delayed from Tuesday to Thursday night after board attorney Bob Meadows told the board “new information … came to my attention within the last hour and a half, and I need to fully develop that in order to properly present that to the board.”
After Thursday night’s meeting, Sherrod and board members the Ledger-Enquirer approached either didn’t stop to answer questions or declined to answer them.
“All I can say is she’s still the superintendent for right now,” Meadows told the L-E after the meeting.
Asked whether he is negotiating with Sherrod’s lawyer, Meadows said, “I can’t tell you that either.”
Sherrod’s thoughts about her tenure in Phenix City
In the news release Friday, Sherrod said, “Serving Phenix City Schools has been the honor of my career. From the beginning, my focus has always been on students and ensuring they have every opportunity to succeed. The progress we’ve made is a testament to the hard work of our principals, teachers, staff, families, and scholars. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and confident that the systems we built will continue to move this district forward.”
PCBOE chair Yoluanda Daniel said in the news release, “On behalf of the Phenix City Board of Education, I extend our profound appreciation to Dr. Sherrod for her instructional leadership, her unwavering commitment to student achievement, and her focus on building educator capacity.
“Under her guidance, the district deepened its commitment to academic excellence and equitable opportunities for all learners. A hallmark of her tenure was the advancement of the E3 initiative, designed to ensure every scholar graduates fully prepared to be enrolled in higher education, enlisted in the military services, or employed in a meaningful career. We are confident that the solid foundation built by Dr. Sherrod will continue to guide the future success of our district for years to come.”
Phenix City Schools will begin the search process for a new superintendent in the coming months, the news release says, with updates to be shared with the community.
Janet Sherrod’s contract with Phenix City Board of Education
Sherrod’s three-year contract, with an annual salary of $185,000, runs through June 2026. The contract may be terminated at any time by mutual agreement of the parties. The superintendent may unilaterally terminate the contract for any reason if she gives the board written notice at least 90 days in advance.
In such circumstances, the board must pay Sherrod any compensation due until the effective date of the termination.
