Greene deserves contract with high pay, without no-cause termination clause

Manatee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene has been a breath of fresh air to a district trying to recover from a dark past. Greene has proven she understands the dynamics of Manatee County and that she cares for the employees and students of Manatee schools.

Not only does Dr. Greene deserve a four-year contract with pay that is equal or higher than that of her predecessor, she deserves a contract that does not give the board the right to terminate her without cause. It is an unfair employment practice to allow a contracted employee the possibility of being terminated without cause.

There's a reason for contract start and end dates. If at the end of Greene's contract term, the board or the superintendent choose not to renew the contract, that's business life.

Unless the superintendent does something so egregious it warrants removal before her contract ends, it is outrageous to think that she could be terminated at any time, for no valid reason, with a simple majority vote.

Although it is unlikely this current board would seek to terminate Greene without cause, board members do change. We are guaranteed at least one new board member after this next election cycle.

Manatee County has a history of elected officials playing politics and working with hidden agendas. What if a future board member decides they have a personal grudge against Greene? Under this clause, it would only take that board member convincing just two other board members and Dr. Greene could be terminated.

Dr. Greene deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully; this clause shows neither.

Thank you, Karen Carpenter, for standing against this clause. With Dr. Diana Greene at the helm, Manatee schools will again be a district with "A Tradition of Excellence."

Michael Boswell

Bradenton

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Greene deserves contract with high pay, without no-cause termination clause ."