White Rock School Board members’ attempt to not renew Supt. Alicia Ebers’ contract for the 2025-2026 year has prompted nine teachers and staff to submit their resignations in apparent protest.
During a regular board meeting on March 11, 2025 the board voted 2-1 following an executive session not to renew her for the 2025-2026 school year. However, that action reportedly was in violation of the State’s Open Meeting law because the executive session didn’t state what the board was to discuss before going into it.
Following the executive session board members returned to open meeting and a motion was made by Vice President David Brockman to renew Ebers for the 2025-2026 school year and Clerk Dustin Stattion seconded the motion. The minutes show Board President Peyton Peters and Statton voted no and Brockman voted yes.
The motion was denied, 2-1. The board met again in special session three days later on March 14. The agenda for that meeting shows an action item to discuss and for possible action to rescind the board action of March 11, 2025 to not renew the superintendent’s contract.
The minutes show Peters made the motion to rescind the non-renewal of Ebers that took place at the March 11, 2025 meeting. Statton seconded it and all three voted to rescind the board’s action from three days prior.
Peters was appointed to the board in February of 2023 and elected in April. Statton was appointed in May 2024.
Ebers was contacted for any response to what has gone on, but on the advice of her attorney declined to comment at this time.
She has been with the school district nine years and is in her sixth years as superintendent/principal at White Rock.
White Rock currently has an enrollment of about 163 students.
The board held a regular meeting on April 15. According to the agenda for that meeting, the following submitted resignations to be accepted include Dana Browning, Amanda Cloud, Alysha Fletcher, Nikki Hankins, Leslie Hobaugh, Penny Maull, Dlisa Morris, Leslie Rollins and Vick Yates.
According to a source who asked not to be identified, the board held up on accepting those resignations.
On the April 15 agenda there is an item that states, “Discussion and possible vote to have confidential communications with the board’s attorney about a pending claim or matter, upon the advice of the board’s attorneys that disclosure will seriously impact the ability of the board to respond or to process the claim or matter, in the public interest.