Back when Ronald Holmes was hired as the superintendent of FAMU DRS, public outrage swept throughout Rattler Country. The university’s two longest serving trustees immediately made President James Ammons the scapegoat for all the blame.Trustee R.B. Holmes, Ronald Holmes’ brother, was quick to point his finger at Ammons. In an interview with St. Petersburg Times reporter Ron Matus, he said he had no role in the hiring and actually discouraged his brother from applying for the job.
R.B. Holmes’ claims were met with laughter all across the FAMU family. 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.
This negative public perception doesn’t seem to matter to Holmes. His Times comments showed that he has no intention of taking any responsibility for any of the problems his brother has caused.
Board chairman Bill Jennings has joined Holmes in setting Ammons up to be the fall guy for any and all management snafus Ronald Holmes creates.
Matus reported that Jennings said “he asked Ammons if the Rev. Holmes or other trustees had talked to him about the selection, and Ammons assured him they had not.”
Ever since R.B. Holmes threw his support behind Jennings’ 2009 reelection bid for the board chairmanship, word has spread on campus that there’s an understanding that Holmes’ brother will not be summoned before the BOT to answer tough questions about the increasingly bad situation at DRS.
Rattler Nation has learned that some high-ranking employees in the Ammons administration are happy Ronald Holmes is being shielded from public scrutiny in front of the BOT. However, these individuals should know that this is not a tactic to protect Ammons. It’s a tactic to help the trustees plead ignorance about the crisis situation at DRS and eventually blame Ammons for not informing them.
It's easy to see why Holmes, Jennings, and other trustees are sticking with their "blame Ammons for everything at DRS" strategy. Morale is plummeting at the school. Teachers have complained about the lack support they received from the administration as they worked to prepare students for this year’s Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Faculty members previously blamed Holmes for not heeding their suggestions to help DRS maintain the progress that improved the school’s FCAT grade from an “F” in 2007 to a “C” in 2008. DRS dropped to a “D” in 2009.
RN,
ReplyDeleteDo BOT members hire the superintendent, or consider the recommendation of the president who considers the recommendation of the screening committee and I assume the dean of COE. I ask because while I understand your assertion that Ammons may have felt some obligation to support RB Holmes' brother since Holmes supported his return to FAMU as the president, Ammons should be held responsible for all major hires on campus, including that of Superintendent Holmes. In fact, Ammons and the dean of COE should be asking some tough questions of S. Holmes concerning DRS's performance on FCAT and the morale, as well as the problem that was recently reported about contractors not being paid for work completed on construction; the latter concern was not published on RN but was published on the Democrat.
Conspiracy theories all around LOL. The way for DRS to improve is for Dr. Ammons to unveil a plan to improve the school--period. You could resurrect MAtthew Estaras and the results would be the same if the university does not find a way to pour the necessary dollars into the school to recruit and retain top faculty, provide greater skills enhancement classes for kids who are deficient, merit pay and bonuses for top performing DRS teachers and staff, more money for non-athletic extra curricular programs. Until they do that, the results will be the same no matter who sits in the superintendents seat.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicken Comes Home To Roost!
ReplyDeleteDo BOT members hire the superintendent, or consider the recommendation of the president who considers the recommendation of the screening committee and I assume the dean of COE.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like one particular BOT member had a big hand in hiring the current leader of DRS. We all know what really happened behind closed doors. We have got to clean up this BOT. FAMU deserves better trustees, period.
Isn't FAMU DRS is on separate school district and funded by the state on a per pupil basis, sorta of like a Charter school lite kind of arrangement?
ReplyDeleteGiven, that and the additional financial support it receives from the University, including the free rent, free utilities, and the bailout they got when they didn't hit their enrollment projections...
With proper leadership in place, shouldn't DRS be able to make it?
Leadership is critical. A competent DRS leader will know how to use the existing resources more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteHolmes got the hook up from his big bro. Clean house get rid of all the administrators. FAMU High will be better off starting fresh... Get!!!
ReplyDeleteTo whoever said getting Chief (Estaras) up, you have no Idea, that was the man of men the school would be an A School if he was still around. RIP Chief
ReplyDeleteThis is all grade a chit. Yes, Ammons is ultimately responsible for hiring Holmes - even though Holmes was NOT selected by the selection committee and even had members of the selection committee essentially asking if they were being punked when he was being interviewed. Those in the know still believe we're getting punked. If they rehire him and bring him and his unqualified "administrators" back next year, we'll all know that the University doesn't give a chit about DRS. And it's not about them not having the money because they do. They just don't know how to budget it. The school has had lower enrollment and none of these money issues before. They just don't know what the ell they're doing. Yes, morale is down. Chit, wouldn't your morale be down if your supervisors didn't know what the ell they were doing and blamed you? The teachers are working their azzes off but they're working with the understanding that no one is safe at the school because of how vendictive the admin is. Just FYI everyone, when a team does poorly they get rid of and replace the coaches, not the players.
ReplyDeleteas well as the problem that was recently reported about contractors not being paid for work completed on construction; the latter concern was not published on RN but was published on the Democrat.
ReplyDeleteActually the contract is between Sam Madison (the sponsor) and the Contractor. It has absolutely nothing to do with the University or FAMU DRS.
I also concur with 3/30/10 12:21 PM. The faculty and parents have been working tirelessly to increase student test scores on the FCAT. The faculty even proposed several ideas collectively to increase student morale and to give a boost to the curriculum, but the Administration shot their ideas down. The students mention all the time that they hardly ever see the Superintendent! They even booed him at a one of the basketball games that he rarely attends or he'll leave early...pretty sad! On to the next one...In with new please!
Y'all need to chill. The man ain't goin nowhere fast. His contract is ironclad and there isn't anywhere else he could work on campus.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the DRS campus is crumbling around him