Dickey v. Crawford County School District

928 F. Supp. 2d 1342, 2013 WL 820493, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30505, 117 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1608
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Georgia
DecidedMarch 5, 2013
DocketNo. 5:10-cv-356 (CAR)
StatusPublished

This text of 928 F. Supp. 2d 1342 (Dickey v. Crawford County School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dickey v. Crawford County School District, 928 F. Supp. 2d 1342, 2013 WL 820493, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30505, 117 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1608 (M.D. Ga. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

C. ASHLEY ROYAL, District Judge.

Before the Court is Defendant Crawford County School District’s Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 30], Plaintiff Iwanda Dickey contends Defendant unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of her race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq. (“Title VII”). After fully considering the matter, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 30] is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Specifically, the Court finds that triable issues of fact exist as to whether Defendant intentionally discriminated against Plaintiffs race (1) when it issued her a two-year contract as Superintendent of the Crawford County School District and (2) when it failed to renew her contract; thus, Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED as to those claims. However, Defendant is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs claim Defendant discriminated against her by directing her to appoint John Douglas as her assistant superintendent; therefore Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED as to that claim.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, the first African-American school Superintendent for Defendant Crawford County School District (“School District”), claims that the School District unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of her race when the Crawford County Board of Education (1) offered and issued her only a two-year contract for Superintendent, as opposed to a three-year contract like her Caucasian predecessors; (2) forced her to hire John Douglas (Caucasian) as her assistant superintendent; and (3) failed to renew her Superintendent contract. The School District argues that all of Plaintiffs claims fail as a matter of law.

Aside from the time, place, and persons involved in the incidents giving rise to this case, the parties’ accounts of material events differ. Although Plaintiffs version of the facts may not be the “actual facts of the case,” the Court is required at this stage of the proceedings to credit Plaintiffs version if there is any evidence to support it.1 Thus, the relevant facts in the [1346]*1346light most favorable to Plaintiff are as follows:

Plaintiff Iwanda Dickey worked for the School District for almost 30 years, from August of 1977, until December 2006.2 Over those nearly 30 years, Plaintiff rose through the ranks of the School District, from a school teacher, assistant principal, administrator, principal, and finally, for her last two years, to Superintendent.3

The School District is run by the Crawford County Board of Education (“School Board” or “Board”).4 There are five members on the School Board, with three votes constituting a majority.5 The Board employs the Superintendent under a written contract.6 Because the School District operates on a fiscal year from July 1st to June 30th,7 the School Board prefers to have employment contracts for Superintendents coincide with the school year, ending on either June 30th, at the end of the school year, or December 31st, at the end of the mid-year school break.

Due to the early resignation of Dr. John Harper, the Superintendent immediately preceding Plaintiff, the School Board began interviewing candidates for the Superintendent position in May of 2004.8 The Board interviewed six potential candidates, including Plaintiff, who is African-American, and John Douglas, who is Caucasian.9 At the time of the interview, Plaintiff and Douglas both worked at Crawford County Middle School. Plaintiff was the principal; Douglas was a math teacher.10 Plaintiff was Douglas’ supervisor, and unlike Plaintiff with her years of experience in administration, Douglas had never worked in school administration.11

While interviewing for the Superintendent position, the Board discovered that the State of Georgia had allocated funding for an assistant superintendent position in Crawford County.12 Unlike the Superintendent position, the Board can neither independently hire an assistant superintendent nor initiate a recommendation for the position. The assistant superintendent position must be filled like all other positions in the School District, requiring a majority vote by the Board on the Superintendent’s recommendation.13

Initially, there was a split amongst the five School Board members as to whom they preferred for the Superintendent position. Three preferred Plaintiff; two preferred Douglas. In order to unanimously offer Plaintiff the position, the Board decided to give Douglas the assistant superintendent position.14 In June of 2004, the School Board offered and Plaintiff accepted a two-year, probationary contract for Superintendent, from June 4, 2004, [1347]*1347through July 1, 2006, becoming the first African-American Superintendent of the School District.15

Prior to the early 1990s, the office of Superintendent was an elected, four-year position. In 1993, the Georgia legislature adopted the current law whereby Superintendents are employed by the local board of education under written contracts for a term of not less than one year and not more than three years.16

Since the current law went into effect, the School Board had offered all of Plaintiffs Caucasian predecessors three-year contracts, with the exception being to accommodate a Superintendent’s early departure, resulting in a contract for slightly less than three years.17 None of Plaintiffs Caucasian predecessors was issued a probationary contract.18 Ms. Sandra Neal served as Superintendent under two three-year contracts, beginning in 1997 until July 2003.19 However, in the fall of 2001, Ms. Neal left the position a year and a half early, in the middle of her second three-year contract.20 Thus, the School Board hired Dr. John Harper as Superintendent under a 31-month contract, from November 15, 2001, through July 1, 2004, the longest term practicable without having the contract expire mid-school year.21 Had Dr. Harper’s contract been for three years, it would have expired mid-semester. After approximately one year into his initial 31-month contract, the School Board renewed Dr. Harper’s contract for a three-year term, beginning December 31, 2002, until December 29, 2005.22 Dr. Harper, however, resigned early in April of 2004, and the School Board hired Plaintiff that June.

At least one member of the School Board, Raymond Dickey,23 opposed giving Plaintiff a two-year contract.24 Board Chair Judye Sellier explained that Plaintiffs two-year contract was a result of the “tumultuous experience” with Dr. Harper’s early resignation.25

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Bluebook (online)
928 F. Supp. 2d 1342, 2013 WL 820493, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30505, 117 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickey-v-crawford-county-school-district-gamd-2013.