Personnel vote fails and is later narrowed after public outcry over teacher resignation

An initial roll‑call vote on the Personnel report failed after four trustees voted no and one abstained, touching off an extended public comment period and a brief recess. The board later reconsidered and approved the Personnel report with all resignations removed from the motion.

During the first public expression period, Jamaica Sawyers criticized the Personnel report for including the resignation of Kenisha Jenkins — described by multiple speakers as a state‑level award‑winning teacher — and framed the inclusion as evidence the district is not prioritizing teacher retention. Several trustees asked administration for a written report; the superintendent said the school attorney, Dave Dixon, was preparing a report and would provide it to the board.

When the Personnel report came to a roll‑call vote, trustees recorded four NO votes and one abstention; legal counsel explained that a failed Personnel approval would mean recommended hires lose board authorization while resignations already stand as accepted. The board recessed for five minutes to consider next steps. Upon returning, the board voted to reconsider the failed motion and then approved the Personnel report with the resignations removed from the approved items.

Public commenters during and after the vote urged the board to investigate alleged mistreatment and retaliation; Kenisha Jenkins delivered a public statement saying she had been singled out and that administrative actions and social‑media scrutiny contributed to her decision to resign. Jenkins said she had been investigated for a personal social media post and described the environment as one of retaliation and lack of accountability. "I was singled out for speaking out resulting in an investigation into my personal post by the school attorney and the executive director of human resources," Jenkins said during public comment.

Trustees asked the superintendent and legal counsel to prepare the documentation requested by board members and said personnel details requiring privacy would be handled in executive session if appropriate. The board did not reverse any accepted resignations; the final approval omitted resignations from the Personnel report vote so those personnel decisions will continue to follow usual administrative and legal procedures.