burnet44
05-28-2007, 12:40 PM
Principal tries to quit
BY ELAINE MARSILIO
May 24, 2007 - 6:18PM
Permian principal Bruce Davis ECISD’s search for a new executive athletic director has made some unexpected waves, spurring a letter of resignation from Permian High principal Bruce Davis.
Davis said Wednesday that he submitted his May 14 letter — a day before the school board was expected to vote on hiring an executive athletic director — to Superintendent Wendell Sollis because he disagreed with the hiring process.
“Evidently, I had some strong feelings about the AD and the direction we’re heading — which is no direction,” Davis said Wednesday.
Davis, hired as Permian principal in July 2006, said Sollis didn’t accept his resignation. Instead, Davis said he and Sollis would discuss Davis’ status after the school year ends.
On Thursday, Sollis confirmed Davis was still Permian principal but declined to comment further.
“I’m not going to discuss personnel issues with the media,” he said. “I am going to discuss those with the proper personnel.”
Davis said he wrote the letter out of frustration because none of the named eight AD finalists seemed qualified for the position. Davis had been among those eight.
“I really think they need to get somebody who has a lot of AD experience and a lot of success … and I didn’t see that in those eight — including myself,” Davis said.
The wording of the letter made specific references to a person being hired, though no hire has been made.
The letter — obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the OA — states, “I have very strong feelings as to (sic) negative effect on the Permian Athletic Program cause (sic) by the hiring of the new athletic director. This will be the end of Permian Athletics as we have known it. I am also disappointed in this selection based upon conversations you and I had.”
On Wednesday, Davis denied the letter was in reference to any one person. Davis said he doesn’t recall writing about “the hiring of the new athletic director.”
“Maybe I phrased it the wrong way,” he said.
Sollis didn’t recommend a candidate to trustees at the May 15 board meeting. However, Sollis told trustees former Permian football coach Randy Mayes — not one of the eight finalists — had declined the AD position.
“He didn’t tell me who, but he told me he had thoughts about who to recommend,” Davis said.
Some had said Davis wrote the letter in regard to Odessa High principal Ron Leach’s candidacy for the job, but Davis denied that.
Leach declined to answers questions about the letter saying, “It’s probably not appropriate for me to answer those questions.”
He said Sollis never offered him the AD position and also didn’t discuss the selection with him.
“There was no conversation between us,” Leach said.
Board president Randy Rives said he saw the letter this week when a copy was enclosed in the board update from Sollis, but Rives said he hadn’t read it closely.
However, he said he understood the letter to express Davis’ intent to resign over a “new athletic director,” as the letter states.
Rives said he didn’t say much about the issue.
“That’s between him and Wendell (Sollis). I don’t really have an opinion one way or another. I can’t tell you what he meant by it because I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Mr. Davis about it,” Rives said.
Other trustees said the letter left them scratching their heads.
Trustee Donna Smith said the letter didn’t make sense to her since Sollis never brought a recommendation to the board.
“We couldn’t recommend or not recommend because there wasn’t anything to act on,” Smith said.
Trustee Doyle Woodall said he read the letter several times and concluded it to mean Sollis had told Davis whom he planned on recommending.
“I don’t see any other way to read it,” Woodall said. “If there’s another way to read the letter I don’t know what it would be.”
THE LETTER:
The letter addressed to ECISD superintendent Wendell Sollis on May 14 states:
“Dear Mr. Sollis,
Please accept this letter as my intent to resign as Principal of Permian High School effective immediately. I have very strong feelings as to negative effect on the Permian Athletic Program cause by the hiring of the new athletic director. This will be the end of Permian Athletics as we have known it. I am also disappointed in this selection based upon conversations you and I had.
Please accept this letter effective Wednesday, May 16, 2007. I understand the impact upon my students and staff as a result of my action taken on this late date. My hope is that everyone will understand the reason behind this action.
Sincerely yours, Bruce Davis”
BY ELAINE MARSILIO
May 24, 2007 - 6:18PM
Permian principal Bruce Davis ECISD’s search for a new executive athletic director has made some unexpected waves, spurring a letter of resignation from Permian High principal Bruce Davis.
Davis said Wednesday that he submitted his May 14 letter — a day before the school board was expected to vote on hiring an executive athletic director — to Superintendent Wendell Sollis because he disagreed with the hiring process.
“Evidently, I had some strong feelings about the AD and the direction we’re heading — which is no direction,” Davis said Wednesday.
Davis, hired as Permian principal in July 2006, said Sollis didn’t accept his resignation. Instead, Davis said he and Sollis would discuss Davis’ status after the school year ends.
On Thursday, Sollis confirmed Davis was still Permian principal but declined to comment further.
“I’m not going to discuss personnel issues with the media,” he said. “I am going to discuss those with the proper personnel.”
Davis said he wrote the letter out of frustration because none of the named eight AD finalists seemed qualified for the position. Davis had been among those eight.
“I really think they need to get somebody who has a lot of AD experience and a lot of success … and I didn’t see that in those eight — including myself,” Davis said.
The wording of the letter made specific references to a person being hired, though no hire has been made.
The letter — obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the OA — states, “I have very strong feelings as to (sic) negative effect on the Permian Athletic Program cause (sic) by the hiring of the new athletic director. This will be the end of Permian Athletics as we have known it. I am also disappointed in this selection based upon conversations you and I had.”
On Wednesday, Davis denied the letter was in reference to any one person. Davis said he doesn’t recall writing about “the hiring of the new athletic director.”
“Maybe I phrased it the wrong way,” he said.
Sollis didn’t recommend a candidate to trustees at the May 15 board meeting. However, Sollis told trustees former Permian football coach Randy Mayes — not one of the eight finalists — had declined the AD position.
“He didn’t tell me who, but he told me he had thoughts about who to recommend,” Davis said.
Some had said Davis wrote the letter in regard to Odessa High principal Ron Leach’s candidacy for the job, but Davis denied that.
Leach declined to answers questions about the letter saying, “It’s probably not appropriate for me to answer those questions.”
He said Sollis never offered him the AD position and also didn’t discuss the selection with him.
“There was no conversation between us,” Leach said.
Board president Randy Rives said he saw the letter this week when a copy was enclosed in the board update from Sollis, but Rives said he hadn’t read it closely.
However, he said he understood the letter to express Davis’ intent to resign over a “new athletic director,” as the letter states.
Rives said he didn’t say much about the issue.
“That’s between him and Wendell (Sollis). I don’t really have an opinion one way or another. I can’t tell you what he meant by it because I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Mr. Davis about it,” Rives said.
Other trustees said the letter left them scratching their heads.
Trustee Donna Smith said the letter didn’t make sense to her since Sollis never brought a recommendation to the board.
“We couldn’t recommend or not recommend because there wasn’t anything to act on,” Smith said.
Trustee Doyle Woodall said he read the letter several times and concluded it to mean Sollis had told Davis whom he planned on recommending.
“I don’t see any other way to read it,” Woodall said. “If there’s another way to read the letter I don’t know what it would be.”
THE LETTER:
The letter addressed to ECISD superintendent Wendell Sollis on May 14 states:
“Dear Mr. Sollis,
Please accept this letter as my intent to resign as Principal of Permian High School effective immediately. I have very strong feelings as to negative effect on the Permian Athletic Program cause by the hiring of the new athletic director. This will be the end of Permian Athletics as we have known it. I am also disappointed in this selection based upon conversations you and I had.
Please accept this letter effective Wednesday, May 16, 2007. I understand the impact upon my students and staff as a result of my action taken on this late date. My hope is that everyone will understand the reason behind this action.
Sincerely yours, Bruce Davis”