The Surrey School Board’s decision to pursue a buyout of Superintendent David Gerding’s contract was precipitated by a series of letters from the school’s staff and a vote of no confidence from the members of the Surrey Education Association.

Based on copies of the letters provided to The Minot Daily News by the Surrey Education Association (SEA), they included two anonymous letters from members of the high school and elementary staff and a third from the association itself. The SEA is the local arm of the Central Regional Education Association (CREA).

The letter from the SEA to the school board dated July 22 referred to the two previous letters and stated the association’s members had a unanimous vote of no confidence in David Gerding.

The SEA urged the school board to reach out to the North Dakota School Board Association for guidance on the policies and procedures related to the concerns outlined in them.

The SEA’s letter disputed David Gerding’s claim in his response to Webb’s exit interview that she micromanaged staff, describing her as “a by-the-rules-administrator, but willing to listen to other’s ideas.”

“It was only under Mrs. Webb’s and Mrs. Hysjulien’s clear expectations and drive for creating a positive and successful work environment that we saw staff morale greatly increase. Upon reflection of Mrs. Webb’s exit interview and Mr. Gerding’s response from what we have witnessed we find Mrs. Webb more credible,” the SEA wrote in its letter.

According to the anonymous staff letters, the staff members raised underlying concerns related to what was described as “the ongoing and increasingly problematic conflict of interest” posed by the employment of both David Gerding and Sheila Gerding.

Sheila Gerding was employed as the school’s athletic director and Family and Consumer Sciences teacher but resigned from her position in a letter submitted to the board on July 28.

The staff letters faulted David Gerding for failing to cultivate a healthy and productive work environment and alleged repeated incidents of unprofessional conduct in his interactions with teachers, administrators and other stakeholders, which the staff believe contributed to “the high amount of turnover,” at the school in recent years.

“The decision to hire Mr. Gerding’s spouse as Athletic Director has significantly worsened the climate of the school,” the high school staff wrote in its letter. “There exists no safe, credible mechanism for staff to voice concerns regarding this situation. The chain of command is fundamentally compromised when the AD is married to the superintendent and both are involved in key administrative decisions.”

The SEA drew attention to David Gerding’s alleged behavior and demeanor during negotiations, claiming he became agitated and raised his voice when the athletic director position was questioned, requiring a school board member to interrupt. Another claim in the letter referenced an alleged incident in which David Gerding attempted to force a teacher to sign a Reduction in Force nonrenewal letter in violation of a statute of the North Dakota Century Code requiring a hearing be held.

“Had this teacher not reached out to our union and upon their advice not signed the letter, she would not have a job today. It was clear by observing the March 12 School Board meeting that the process of nonrenewing a teacher was not fully understood by the board and that the board, at the time, did not understand what they were asked to do. Each SPS Board member must ensure they understand the statutes, policies, processes, and procedures they have been elected to uphold,” the SEA wrote in its letter.

The SEA went on to say it believed the school district had lost an asset with Webb’s departure and implored the board to address its concerns lest her replacement experience the same tensions and issues Webb alleged she had.

David Gerding and the Surrey School Board agreed to a buyout of his contract at the July 24 special meeting.

Clarification

Surrey Public Schools Board President Daniel Tyler clarified David Gerding agreed to remain superintendent to get the transition process started but would cease his employment when his resignation and buyout agreement is drafted and signed. Tyler said in an email to The Minot Daily News he expects the agreement will be finalized within the next week.