The 205 School Board voted tonight in its first steps to dismiss Director of Curriculum and Bright Futures Principal Tammie Bolden.
Bolden made an impassioned speech prior to the vote.
In her speech Bolden said that she had a great relationship with previous Superintendent Bart Arthur, even reading a letter of recommendation, but says she was never welcomed by Supt. Ralph Grimm.
She claims Grimm told her she didn’t need to attend closed session board meetings after she had been previously.
“I am the only member of the CO (central office) team that was not invited to close door sessions,” Bolden says. “I don’t know if it’s obvious but I am the only African-American member of the CO team.”
She claims she was never alerted to any problems with her job performance until she received an evaluation on February 26.
“Egregious” is how she described some of Grimm’s citations in the evaluation particularly one that says she was sleeping during a meeting to interview candidates for Director of Finance.
“On April 2, 2015 I was in Springfield, Illinois having surgery,” Bolden says. “I wasn’t sleeping in those interviews.”
Grimm declined to comment on Bolden’s dismissal.
Also tonight the board approved eight RIFs that include seven coaches and one teaching position.
It was also revealed by Director of Finance Jennifer Bloyd-Hamm that the GHS Band Director Brianne Hankes is being reassigned to teach English and that Fine Arts Coordinator Dean Petrie will be stepping into the role next year.
