Ten teacher contracts were not renewed and 10 staff positions were eliminated in what the Tiger Academy Board of Directors said was a decision to restructure.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than a dozen teachers and staff members at YMCA Tiger Academy on Jacksonville’s Westside are out of a job as the charter school undergoes a restructuring, according to the school’s board of directors.
Former employees and parents say they were unaware of the changes until the last day of school, when they were notified that positions were being eliminated and a new administration would take over.
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Jessie Ferrara had been part of the Tiger Academy family since 2011. She worked her way up from substitute teacher to student support services director.
“I have a lot of small roles, but my main role was to help the fifth-grade families find a middle school that was the right fit for them and then I get to track them through middle school, high school, and now beyond,” Ferrara said.
She said her career with the school ended May 28.
“For me it was an uneasy feeling and then it really is very sad,” Ferrara said. “We have about 250-260 kids at our school, so 20 staff members let go is the majority of the staff.”
Melinda Ross’ son graduated from Tiger Academy on the same day parents were notified of the changes.
“I’m thinking it’s just a rumor. When I looked at my email, I saw the same email and I was furious,” Ross said.
In an email sent to parents, Board of Directors Chair Ted Baker thanked the previous administration for their work and welcomed a new CEO and principal.
According to minutes from a previous board meeting, the new CEO was hired in April after originally being brought on to provide financial and curricular consulting.
In a statement, Baker said:
“The YMCA Tiger Academy Board of Directors conducted a thorough review of all YMCA Tiger Academy operations to evaluate how the school could better serve scholars and position them for long-term success. Through that review, it was determined that organizational restructuring was necessary to improve overall performance and ensure the highest-quality educational experience for every scholar. This decision reflects our commitment to our scholars and their families.”
Ross said her son was looking forward to returning to Tiger Academy, but some of his former teachers were part of the restructuring. She read First Coast News a letter her son wrote about his time at the school.
“The smiles of the principal, secretary, nurse, coach, teachers, counselors, and administrators were always encouraging. The teachers were always nice and kind, and they always encouraged us to be humble. I thought I would be able to go back to Tiger Academy and visit everyone who helped shape my life. I guess I was wrong,” Ross’ son wrote.
“I wanna know why, not some accusations. I wanna know the real reason why. Why change something that doesn’t need to be changed? That’s doing well. Because Tiger is projected to be a B school now because of the hard work and dedication of the previous staff,” Ross explained.
Ferrara will now begin the search for a new job, but she said her biggest concern is not having the opportunity to say goodbye to current and former students.
“Please continue to invite me to graduations and honor societies and sporting events, you have my number. I would still love to be in your scholar’s life. I’m just sad to be leaving you in this way and sad I wasn’t able to give more of a transitional process to that so our families would be comfortable in knowing that we didn’t choose this, but it’ll be OK for everybody,” Ferrara said.
The school is holding open houses over the next several weeks to allow students and parents to meet the new administration and ask questions about the changes.