DCS board accepts Edwards’ resignation, names Coe acting superintendent

DCS’s Chief Operations Officer Dr. Dennis Coe was named acting superintendent effective immediately while the board searches for a permanent replacement.

Edwards was not present at the meeting as Board Chairman Mike Schmitz read her letter of resignation dated Sept. 8 to the board. In her letter, she reviewed the work that has been accomplished under her leadership during the first two-and-a-half years of her tenure in which she said she brought the school system up a “quality level” though she left her reasons for leaving vague.

“I want nothing but to see you succeed. As we move into another unprecedented season and one that we have no knowledge on how to specifically address, it will be critical that the board has a quality trust and level of confidence in the superintendent,” her letter stated. “I understand that times change and may necessitate a new leader, one that shares the board’s vision for success and matches the desires of the community. For this reason and for some that will remain unstated, I intend to tender resignation to the Dothan City School Board.

Schmitz and board members Amy Bonds, Susan Vierkhandt and Brett Strickland thanked Edwards for her service and rolling up her sleeves to make tough decisions for the betterment of Dothan’s public school system. All board members were present at the meeting and her resignation was accepted unanimously.

Schmitz said the board will work to iron out the details of Edwards’ contract now that her resignation has been accepted.

Afterward during a press conference, Schmitz said the resignation caught him off-guard, but he’s happy to move forward with Coe at the helm.

Coe has been in his current role since October 2019. Before joining the school system, Coe served as an educational consultant, director for the Office of Supporting Programs for the Alabama State Department of Education as well as the superintendent of education at Henry County Schools.

He said he would consider moving forward with taking the role permanently, depending on how the board feels. In addressing questions about the current state of the school system, Coe said he believes moving forward with plans that have already been implemented is the best course of action considering the amount of time and energy being dedicated to a dual-instruction structure necessitated by the state of public health.

“I think it would be premature to make any drastic changes,” Coe said, adding he doesn’t see any major changes to the plan in place for the foreseeable future.

Edwards started with the school system in January 2018 after signing a five-year contract with the board. In 2019, Edwards succeeded in executing a massive overhaul of the school system’s structure – closing three schools, repurposing a fourth, and consolidating the system’s two high schools. Edwards was the third superintendent Dothan City Schools had to propose restructuring, but others before her were unsuccessful in getting the support of the school board and the community.

The restructuring was and remains a controversial issue as many in the community are unhappy with the closure of the system’s magnet schools, which were some of the top schools in the state.

Edwards defended her decision in the process, saying more opportunities will be given as a result of consolidation.