Jefferson City High School principal resigns
Jefferson City High School is undergoing an administrative change. Principal Jeff Dodson submitted his resignation, effective Monday, after he claims recent complaints made him a “lightning rod for unrest.”
School officials announced Dodson’s resignation Tuesday. Sharon Longan will serve as the interim principal for the rest of the school year, and the search for a replacement will start later in the fall.
Under his agreement terms, Dodson will be paid for the rest of the 2014-15 school year, along with the first three months of 2015-16. But he will not receive any pay for the last nine months, or roughly 40 percent of his contract.
No staff member has officially filed a grievance, but instead talked about on-going complaints with students during class time, along with other employees and community members. The board says there is already a formal procedure in place so complaints can be addressed without negatively impacting students’ education.
District officials admitted no matter what, the next head principal will face a certain amount of criticism.
The school board and administrators in the central office will help Dodson find another position, after they said he performed well and greatly increased graduation rates.
