February 22, 2010A Rattler Nation report points out on how dirty politics on the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) might be playing a role in protecting Developmental Research School (DRS) Superintendent Ronald Holmes.
Not long after Trustee R.B. Holmes threw his support behind Trustee Bill Jennings’ 2009 reelection bid for the board chairmanship, word spreads on campus that there’s an understanding that R.B.’s brother (Ronald) will not be summoned before the BOT to answer tough questions about the increasingly bad situation at DRS.
Jennings fails to call the DRS superintendent before the BOT for any type of public questioning throughout the remainder of Ronald's tenure.
April 19, 2010
Rattler Nation writes about recent articles in The FAMUan that show more and more students are growing upset about the Holmes problem at DRS.
In a FAMUan column entitled “Accountability dead at DRS,” staff editor Brian Wiggins observes that: “Many are questioning whether the FAMU Board of Trustees actually cares about the academic welfare of the school or their own status and position.”
Wiggins also adds a word about the appearance of selfish politics on the FAMU BOT. “Under-the-table politics are believed to have played a role in the school’s fall from grace,” Wiggins says.
FAMUan staff editor Samara Ferraz agrees with this view in her column entitled "DRS Political Battle Affecting Children's Academic Progress," asking: “With speculations of nepotism and grimy politics, how will the [DRS] children withstand the bureaucratic turmoil?”
June 1, 2010
At a Board of Trustees meeting Student Body President Gallop Franklin, II reflects student outrage over the DRS crisis during by asking tough questions about whether the university plans to extend Ronald’s contract. President James H. Ammons says he is waiting to receive FAMU’s 2010 FCAT results before making a decision regarding Holmes’ contract, which expires on June 30, 2010.
June 22, 2010
Rattler Nation reports that reliable sources on campus say certain FAMU trustees are secretly working out a deal to get Ronald a faculty position in the College of Education in the event that his contract is not renewed.
June 30, 2010
Ronald resigns as DRS superintendent. He is appointed to a “faculty/administrator” position on the College of Education’s faculty. Retired educational administrator and FAMU alumnus W.E. “Bill” Johnson steps in to replace Ronald on an interim basis.
July 26, 2010
Student anger about Ronald’s plum position at the College of Education makes headlines in the campus newspaper. Rattler Nation highlights a column by Jason Lawrence of The FAMUan which says that the Holmes brothers should be stopped from using the Florida’s only public historically black university as an easy “meal ticket.”
September 6, 2010
Rattler Nation points out the inconsistency in R.B.’s criticism of planned layoffs at FAMU. R.B. had recently bashed the university administration for planning a new degree program at a time when numerous faculty and staff members face possible layoffs. But R.B. never mentioned the fact that he said nothing when his brother, the former DRS superintendent, tried to lay off teachers in late 2009.
September 23, 2010
Ronald resigns from the College of Education’s faculty after announcing his intent to step down earlier in the month.
December 1, 2010
Rattler Nation publishes editorial urging Gov. Rick Scott to deny reappointment to R.B.
December 9, 2010
Rattler Nation reports that the FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS) has rebounded to the grade it received before Ronald’s first full year.
DRS earned a “C” combination grade on its 2009-2010 Florida School Accountability Report.
January 6, 2011
R.B.’s term on the FAMU Board of Trustees expires.
March 23, 2011
The Florida governor officially replaces R.B. on the FAMU Board of Trustees.