Knox High School Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff is officially stepping down at the end of the school year. The school board accepted her resignation by a vote of five-to-zero Monday.
A number of students, parents, and community members were there to express their support for keeping Ratliff, with three offering comments. “She is dedicated to Knox,” Leslie May told board members. “She is dedicated to our high school. She is dedicated to our kids. She is dedicated to these teachers! And you can’t tell me that anything that has happened should override that and shouldn’t have been the first thing in your mind when all this stuff started.”
Those who spoke accused school officials of coercing Ratliff to resign and called on board members to reconsider accepting her resignation. They cited her longevity and track record at the high school, pointing out that the school has earned A’s in the state’s accountability grades and that it’s been attracting out-of-district students. One community member felt if board members had concerns that were serious enough, they should have fired her outright.
Following Monday’s action, Ratliff will continue as principal until her administrative contract ends on June 30. She will then be offered a classroom teaching position for the 2020-2021 school year.
Several of the Knox Community School Corporation’s top positions have seen turnover in recent years. Ratliff was the only principal who remained in her position, when all other principals and assistant principals were reassigned at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. The school corporation also had four different treasurers between April of 2018 and March of 2019.
Neither Ratliff nor Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart offered any additional comments on the board’s action. Board members Kurt Kemble and Mary Lynn Ritchie were not in attendance when the vote was taken.
