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Principal and Zephyrhills High both have histories of issues with leadership

 
Zephyrhills High School where principal Andy Frelick is on the hotseat. [Eric Glasser | WTSP]
Zephyrhills High School where principal Andy Frelick is on the hotseat. [Eric Glasser | WTSP]
Published April 23, 2015

ZEPHYRHILLS — Once again, a Zephyrhills High School principal is on the hot seat.

Andy Frelick is the latest in a string of Zephyrhills High leaders to capture attention for the wrong reasons.

His short-lived decision in March to have administrators escort students to restroom breaks caused parents to cry foul, prompting superintendent Kurt Browning to reassess the school's operations.

Before him, Steve Van Gorden, whom Frelick replaced, resigned in 2012 amid allegations that he sexually harassed some staff members. The state has since banned Van Gorden from working in public schools.

Van Gorden took over in 2009 after Gerri Painter unexpectedly walked off the job months before her scheduled retirement.

Painter became principal in 2004, taking over for Jim Davis, who left as his administration was under investigation for test tampering. Davis, who spent 12 years at Zephyrhills, later became an assistant superintendent.

Students and the community deserve a school that is safe with high standards, Browning said.

"Obviously, I'm doing a lot of thinking," he said. "I will tell you, it would be incredibly disruptive to Zephyrhills High School and the student body, particularly as we approach the end of school, for me to even contemplate any change at Zephyrhills High."

That doesn't mean the pressure isn't mounting.

The school had the district's worst outcomes on a Gallup survey released in January, with just 7 percent of employees saying they were "engaged" with their work and school. A United School Employees of Pasco teacher climate survey, completed in March, detailed strong discontent with the principal's leadership. Among the results:

• 85 percent disagreed with the statement that "the climate at your school is positive."

• 68 percent disagreed that they had the "latitude to do their jobs without undue direction and/or questioning."

• 80 percent disagreed that "the day-to-day operation of the school promotes a feeling of confidence."

"Mr. Frelick has run ZHS into the ground," one unnamed teacher wrote in comments.

"Please help us," wrote another. "We are drowning!"

Frelick acknowledged the challenge.

"I'm not perfect," he said. "We'll try to work on what peoples' concerns are."

The year has been hectic, he admitted, with lots of moves aimed at improving the school's academic performance. Over time, the school also has struggled to control rifts among groups of students, as well as its share of fights and bullying.

But after facing criticism from teachers, he said, he convened a committee and listened to its recommendations. That's where the restroom policy, along with changes to rules on cellphone use and tardies, came from.

"Some teachers feel like, 'If we make things bad enough, we'll chase another one out,' " Frelick said. "My goal is to say, 'Let's meet in the middle. I'd like to work things out.' "

Parents have started taking sides.

Myra Binniker, whose daughter attends the school, sent Browning scathing emails over the restroom policy. She called the rule an "overly harsh" way to deal with isolated incidents.

She praised the school's teachers as "amazing" and said they made her daughter's time there positive. So she trusted their judgment on the principal.

"I have another daughter in the local middle school, and it is like night and day dealing with the (administration) between the two schools," Binniker added. "If the teachers are saying there might be a problem, it should merit further discussion."

Brian Blackburn, who also has a daughter at Zephyrhills High, was dismayed with the student discipline changes that came after spring break with no notice. But he contended the principal reacted positively, and figured the teachers who oppose Frelick are in the minority.

"In my opinion, Mr. Frelick has handled himself admirably, especially at the meeting with students and parents, even when the tone of the meeting became adversarial toward Mr. Frelick," Blackburn said. "As the appointed principal of ZHS by our elected superintendent of schools, I support Mr. Frelick. He has given me no reason not to."

Browning has met with teachers and Frelick as he ponders his next step. After one recent visit, the superintendent said he hadn't learned anything he hadn't discerned from reams of emails and the recent survey results.

He's also listening to his own inner circle, some of whom have pressed for changes. The latest spat over student procedures was just the tip of the iceberg.

Some with long memories recalled other actions in Frelick's past that could factor in.

In one key incident, University of South Florida officials discovered student transcript changes that deviated from district policy. Only Wesley Chapel High had this happen, and a football player whose mother worked for the district stood to benefit.

Frelick was reassigned from Wesley Chapel High to Ridgewood High after the discovery.

Shortly after arriving at Ridgewood in 2009, Frelick also imposed the bathroom escort policy. It did not create the outcry that occurred in Zephyrhills.

When confronted with highly negative teacher surveys at other schools in the past, Browning has not acted hastily. He offered principals the opportunity to get mentoring and adjust their methods.

Some survived and thrived. Others, such as Garry Walthall at Sunlake High and Terry Holback at Hudson Middle, lost their posts.

Frelick, who has mentored some principals himself, has said he wants to stick with his school.

"There's a lot of potential here," he said.

Whether he stays or goes remains an open question, Browning said. Either way, one thing is certain, he added: Zephyrhills High will run differently from here on out.