SF principal seat to be shared by 2

Posted: Friday, October 8, 2010 9:24 pm

By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
After fall break, two faculty members at South Fulton Middle/High School will take over interim principal responsibilities for the remainder of the school year.
Keith Frazier and Kelly Spivey will assume interim leadership positions starting Oct. 18, the Monday after the Obion County School System’s week-long fall break, according to Obion County Director of Schools David Huss.
The decision was made known to faculty members Thursday afternoon during a staff meeting.
They will replace Craig Rogers, who has been serving as the school’s interim principal since the Sept. 1 reassignment of former SF principal Adam Stephens to a classroom position at Ridgemont Elementary following an exchange of words with Huss at a meeting involving the two.
A number of South Fulton parents and students have publicly expressed support for Stephens and asked for him to be reinstated as principal, even going so far as to organize a Sept. 9 meeting where they asked school board members and Huss to meet with them to address their concerns. At the gathering, Stephens apologized and said his actions during the meeting with Huss were unprofessional and were an act of insubordination.
Huss said Rogers will return to his assistant principal position at Obion County Central High School after fall break.
“Mr. Rogers has done a fine job while he’s been over there (at South Fulton),” he said.
According to Huss, Frazier will technically serve as the interim principal and Spivey will technically be the interim assistant principal at South Fulton Middle/High School, but he said their roles will not be the typical principal and assistant principal roles. He said both will “take more of a leadership role in the school” and will assist one another in getting things done.
Frazier is a former principal who now serves as assistant principal and athletic director at South Fulton Middle/High School, while Spivey is a teacher and head football coach at the school.
“Mr. Frazier has been there many, many years and this is Mr. Spivey’s third year over there,” Huss said. “Both are very familiar with the school and I am confident they will do a fine job.
“Beginning the Monday after fall break, Mr. Frazier and Mr. Spivey will be the two to get us through the school year, both on an interim basis. At the end of the year, we will go back through the process of posting the job and seeing who’s out there (to fill the principal’s position).”
The principal position was posted on the school system’s website, but Huss said there was very little response.
“We had a couple of folks who showed some interest, but they did not formally apply,” he said. “The ones who did apply were from afar. One was from Indiana.”
He said it is also difficult to find someone to fill an administrative position this far into the 2010-11 school year.
“I thought, at this point, the best option is to have Mr. Frazier and Mr. Spivey to get us through the rest of the year,” he said. “They will both do a good job and are familiar with the school and how it operates.”
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by e-mail at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.

Published in The Messenger 10.08.10