SIMON HAS ALIENATED AND LOST THE CONFIDENCE OF DISTRICT PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS
October 14, 2021
A Superintendent is expected to engage and involve parents, teachers, and administrators in District functions and decisions. Unfortunately, Dr. Simon has alienated the community. Externally, her poor choices have created hostility and resentment with many district parents. Internally, her arrogance and heavy-handedness has created an environment of autocracy and intimidation toward teachers and administrators.
Too often, Simon allows her personal preferences and political ideals to interfere with the District’s proper role. The District’s governance is not meant to be disconnected from parents. In fact, State law and the superintendent’s job description require her to work with district parents—all parents. Unfortunately, she is ‘unavailable’ to parents who have serious concerns regarding District policies, particularly those who have opposing views.
Simon’s poor leadership has also shattered morale within the District. Many teachers, administrators, and staff express disdain for her arrogance and dictatorial policies. They reluctantly follow orders and obviously cannot speak out for fear of retaliation. Whether Simon’s leadership shortcomings are due to poor self awareness or lack of executive experience (or both), our students and dedicated teachers are the ones who ultimately suffer.
In May 2021, a petition was started expressing a “Vote of No Confidence” in Dr. Simon (view and sign here). The petition states:
“Throughout the past 6 months, we have witnessed Dr. Simon’s abrupt interim appointment to the swift permanent appointment, we have had concerns regarding Dr. Simon’s leadership, specifically concerning trust, collaboration, decision-making, vision, communication, her lack of respect for parents and staff, and her inability to create positive working relationships with staff members and the community. She has created an environment of intimidation that makes staff and administrators afraid to speak out on behalf of our students and community.”
As evidence of the District’s collective sentiment, as of the date of this post, 1,580 people have signed the petition. The number of people who have lost confidence in Dr. Simon — over 1,500 and counting — should be compared to the number of similar signatures that triggered the Board’s removal of the previous superintendent, which was only about 700.
Overall, Simon’s many bad decisions and hostile personality have created a rancorous atmosphere. She has created a climate of division, rather than inclusion, making it impossible to effectively do the superintendent’s job.
Take Action
The Alliance for Responsible Government encourages you to voice your opinions with the Board Members of Alachua County Public Schools.
- All five Board Members, boardmembers@gm.sbac.edu
- Dr. Leanetta McNealy (Chair), mcnealy@gm.sbac.edu
- Mrs. Tina Certain (Vice Chair), certain@gm.sbac.edu
- Dr. Gunnar Paulson, paulson@gm.sbac.edu
- Mr. Robert Hyatt, rob.hyatt@gm.sbac.edu
- Mrs. Mildred Russell, russellmc@gm.sbac.edu
- Phone: (352) 955-7546
- Mail: 620 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601
Please be aware that emails and letters received by School Board members, the Superintendent, or School Board employees may constitute “public records” within the meaning of F.S. 119.011, Florida Statutes, which would require that the School District make them available for inspection and copying on the request of any person, except for personally identifiable student information, which is confidential and exempt from disclosure without your knowledge and consent. In addition, under Florida law, F.S. 668-6076, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.