For a time, he had planned to continue teaching at a public school and work at Gulf Coast Academy after work.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published August 7, 2003
Joe Gatti, who helped create Hernando County's first charter school, has given up his plan to continue teaching at Powell Middle School while working part time at the new school.
Gatti resigned from Powell on Wednesday and took a full-time post at Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology, ending another round of angst at the startup school. Last week, Gatti surprised many of the charter school's supporters when he announced that he would keep his Powell position and work at the new campus after school.
"I don't know if he might have been getting some flak from parents about it," said School Board chairman John Druzbick.
"If he was, he made the right decision to go to the charter school, because he made a commitment."
School Board member Gail David, who suggested last week that Gatti had been less than honest with the board, agreed with Druzbick's assessment.
"It just sent a mixed message to the students, the parents and his fellow staff members about his level of commitment," David said. "It sounds to me like a good decision."
Gatti's change of heart came after Powell principal Michael Ransaw decided to move Gatti from the school's technology coordinator job to that of science teacher, for which Gatti is certified. Powell had two science teacher positions open, and Ransaw has said he wanted to have all core curriculum vacancies filled before school starts on Monday.
Neither Ransaw nor Gatti could not be reached for comment.
But the charter school's board president, Kevin O'Connor, welcomed the news. Even with just 110 students, the school has so much paperwork that it requires two directors, O'Connor said.
"Because of the way the School Board was handling the disposition of the teachers that left the district to work for the charter school ... he was going to be the sacrificial lamb and stay back and fight it," O'Connor said about Gatti.
The School Board refused to grant leaves of absence to teachers who wanted to teach at the charter school, which operates independently but under the auspices of the district.
Gatti, who worked for the school district more than a decade, sought to protect his accrued seniority and benefits in case he decided to return. He had vowed to fight the district's denial of his leave.
Maryann Wilson, whose son Jacob will be an eighth-grader at the charter school, said she thought Gatti had been treated unfairly on the leave issue. She said she did not really know Gatti, though, and whether he worked full-time at the school or not didn't matter much to her.
"It was more of what the school had to offer," Wilson said of her decision to enroll her son at Gulf Coast Academy.
The charter school has traveled a rocky path en route to its Aug. 27 opening day.
The School Board rejected the initial charter request, stating the school's financial plan was too precarious. Gatti and co-founder Nevin Siefert then appealed the decision to the state Board of Education, which overruled the local board.
Ensuing contract negotiations were marred by the school's lack of appropriate zoning approvals and building permits. At one point, after agreeing on terms, Gatti refused to sign the contract. He asked for and ultimately received further extensions from the board, allowing the school to open weeks later than the district's other schools.
The building to house the charter school is up and workers are finishing interior renovations. O'Connor said he expects the bulk of the construction and inspections to be complete by Aug. 18.
- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers education and politics in Hernando County. He can be reached at 352 754-6115 or solochek@sptimes.com
