Ronald Holmes’ days as a FAMU employee are coming to an end. He recently announced his resignation from the College of Education’s faculty effective Thursday, September 23, 2010.Holmes’ one sentence letter to the FAMU administration stated that he is leaving for “personal reasons.”
“We appreciate all that Dr. Holmes contributed to the FAMU DRS (Developmental Research School), and we will be building on all that he did during his time as superintendent. He was not in the College of Education long enough for his departure to have an impact,” Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Holmes’ appointment as DRS superintendent back in 2007 brought a flurry of bad headlines to the university. Many Rattlers openly questioned whether President James H. Ammons actually had a choice when it came to the hiring decision. Ronald Holmes’ brother is FAMU Trustee R.B. Holmes. There was no doubt that as one of the seven critical votes that Ammons needed to become FAMU’s president, Holmes had the power to twist Ammons’ arm and make personal demands during the selection process.
The crisis Holmes created at DRS made FAMU supporters even more upset about the situation. DRS fell from a “C” to a “D” on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test during the Holmes years. Holmes also failed to boost DRS’ student numbers enough to bring in the money required for the 2009-2010 year’s budget. Enrollment only reached 544 after Holmes projected 600. The new DRS building is designed for 764 students. In January, the FAMU Board of Trustees approved a $425,802 bailout for the school.
FAMU students grew tired of what Holmes was doing to DRS and used the campus newspaper to voice their anger over his performance. FAMUan columnists Brian Wiggins and Samara Ferraz blasted the Holmes brothers and Board of Trustees for playing dirty with DRS.
Student Body President Gallop Franklin, II also stepped up to the plate and asked tough questions about Holmes’ three-year contract. He ended up being the only trustee who ever demanded answers about what was going on at FAMU’s K-12 school.
The deadline for Ammons to decide whether to extend Holmes’ contract was June 30, 2010. On June 22, 2010, Rattler Nation reported that reliable sources said certain FAMU trustees were secretly working out a deal to get Holmes on the COE’s faculty in the event his contract was not renewed. Sure enough, Holmes resigned and was named a COE “faculty administrator.”
Many DRS parents were not sorry to see Holmes leave.
“I am anxious to see the new leadership at FAMU High school,” DRS parent Precious White told The FAMUan. “Students deserve to receive a better education and I think the progression starts from leadership.”
FAMUan columnist Jason Lawrence said that FAMU’s supporters need to get serious about fixing the real problem that led to Ronald Holmes’ two appointments in the first place.
“This PR blunder can only be made right if Holmes and his trustee brother are disallowed from continuing to use FAMU and its patrons as a meal ticket,” Lawrence said. “Removing Ronald Holmes is a simple fix for Ammons—it’s only a matter of issuing him walking papers. But giving the younger Holmes the boot may diminish support from the older Holmes and could stand in the way of Ammons’ plan to steer FAMU in the right direction. It is up to Ammons and FAMU’s politically-savvy supporters to ensure that those who serve the university have its best interest in mind.”
R.B. Holmes’ term on the Board of Trustees ends on January 6, 2011. He will be eligible for another appointment of up to six years.