Simmons band parents and students were invited to a "meet and greet" this past Sunday in order to "meet" Mr. Aycock.  
Ken Jarnigan, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Cain and Harry McAffey were there to show their support of Mr. Aycock.  It seemed very much like a "show" and it didn't make the parents I spoke with any more confident this is a good move for our kids.  It is clear the board made this decision and everyone else has to "go along" because he has tenure and they don't want to fool with AEA.  Perhaps the SP band had 120 students at one time, BUT NOW there are around 50.  Something clearly happened to cause the demise and if it wasn't him, then why are they moving him?  
Simmons has 3 times the students he has been working with.  He's not used to that much work.  We were told that Mr. Mc Affey is going to adjunct and help with Simmons.  
It seemed as though they were trying too hard to make us comfortable with the "shaft" when clearly Mr. Aycock is getting a"gold mine".  
Now where is the best interest of the students considered in this decision?  It is "clearly" again, what is best for adults at the board to keep them out of a lawsuit.  Who gave this guy tenure anyway? How can we find that out?  Dr. J ,Mr. F , Mr. Mc. are super and Mr. Cain is a very good principal.   Our kids will survive, but they deserve MUCH better.  I hope he gets another job before this experiment begins and I would hope the board has sense enough to include a parent representative in the hiring process. The high school had over 50 applicants.  We should have more of a choice.  If the board is so convinced of Mr. Aycock's greatness, why did we not see any of them at the "meet and greet"?
Oh, I forgot. We are on the wrong side of the tracks.

Quote from CrystalClear on 05/17/10 at 6:48pm:

 
Mr. Broadway would have been the one to recommend Mr. Aycock for tenure.
 
Does anyone know if Mr. Aycock's salary will be reduced from his SPHS salary?

Check out Aycock's history.  He was a Birmingham City Schools employee before he went to Georgia for a few years and then was "discovered" to start the band program at Spain Park.  There was a reason he left Birmingham in the first place.  Another fine example of the "good old boy" network in place allowing "boys to be boys" before Alabama passed the laws requiring background checks.

The post said he went to Georgia, not that he taught in Georgia.

Quote from Hoovergal on 05/18/10 at 3:45pm:

 
Okay....Mr. Aycock never taught or "went" to Georgia for a few years.  Parents have a right to be concerned about their children in any matter.  But folks should also have some responsibility to speak the truth and that post is just completely WRONG.

Quote from hibousage on 05/17/10 at 8:43pm:

 
The 7th and 8th grade students didn't like him BECAUSE he tried to teach instead of allowing them to watch movies for an easy "A" as the previous director allowed.  The 6th graders loved him and are now seniors.  They sent pictures to him of his first beginning band group since he is leaving.  Most kids I know can spot a winner or loser when they see one.  We are protecting our kids as best we can, and are praying for the best.

Quote from hibousage on 05/17/10 at 8:43pm:

 
 
That was a nice little slap.  Thanks for that.

Quote from PurpleSocks on 05/19/10 at 6:05am:

 
I hope I can ease your worry about a few things.  Mr. Aycock is a highly ethical and moral man, a devoted husband and father, and deacon and leader in his church.  Fingerprinting and background checks were required by Hoover City Schools when he was hired.   I think he will work very hard to earn everyone's respect.  Please encourage your child to continue band and you should stay involved as a parent.  Band offers tremendous opportunities and I think you will be happy with the end results.

Quote from 86bamafan on 05/18/10 at 11:13pm:

You don't think working under Mr. Cain instead of BB will be different?  You don't think working with parents at Simmons will be different than working with SPHS parents?  Each school has it's own personality, and it can't help but be different.  Even working with the parents at HHS would be different than Simmons...I was talking about finding a good fit.  Didn't really mean for you to have to feel the need to duck.

Parents of Simmons Band received an email last Thursday from Mr. Cain that Mr. Aycock has accepted a position in another system and his position is now posted.  With the number of teachers vs. number of jobs, I'm sure there should be many applicants.  Mr. Cain will form a hiring committee of parents, teachers, and Dr. Jarnigan.  I commend Mr. Cain for including parents in this decision.  Many parents were praying for this situation and will continue to pray that the excellent band program will have an excellent leader.  The students deserve it.