Parents, community still behind Blair Oaks principal

Some at hearing upset focus not on more important issues

A number of concerned parents, teachers and local residents sit in on Saturday's open hearing in the Blair Oaks Middle School gym regarding the school board's decision not to renew the contract of Blair Oaks Elementary principal Lorie Winslow.
A number of concerned parents, teachers and local residents sit in on Saturday's open hearing in the Blair Oaks Middle School gym regarding the school board's decision not to renew the contract of Blair Oaks Elementary principal Lorie Winslow.

WARDSVILLE, Mo. - Since hearing on Feb. 10 that Blair Oaks Elementary School Principal Lorie Winslow's contract would not be renewed for the next school year, parents have rallied around her.

About 150 parents and community members attended a standing-room-only meeting Feb. 14 that lasted until 2 a.m. the next morning, when the school board voted 6-1 not to renew her contract.

Since then, a Facebook page - Falcon Pride - has been created to keep patrons updated on the campaign of support for Winslow, and postcards were sent to all board members except to Matt Fifer, who voted in support of renewing Winslow's contract as the elementary school principal.

On Saturday, all of the information and evidence was laid out for parents and board members during a public hearing that lasted more than 12 hours.

At the beginning of the meeting Saturday morning, school board President Greg Russell told an audience of about 200 in the Blair Oaks Middle School gymnasium there would be no public resolution to the matter Saturday.

But many parents and staff members stayed throughout the day and evening to listen to about 30 people testify before the school board, including Winslow and superintendent Jim Jones.

Companion article:

Blair Oaks principal testifies at all-day hearing