The Vermilion Parish School Board and Superintendent Jerome Puyau deserve a failing grade — a big giant red F in fact.

The VPSB and Puyau failed the teachers, students and taxpayers of the parish. The failure stems from the disgraceful VPSB meeting held Monday. At the meeting, the VPSB approved a $30,000 a year raise for Puyau. And Rene A. Rost Middle School 2015-16 Teacher of the Year Deyshia Hargrave spoke during the public comments section and said, “I have a serious issue with a superintendent or any person in a position of leadership getting any type of raise. It’s absurd that we’re even considering giving someone a raise when these teachers are working this hard and not getting a dime.”

Later, when Hargrave once again questioned the raise, she was ruled out of order for speaking longer than three minutes, escorted out of the room by Sgt. Reggie Hilts of the Abbeville Marshal’s Office and placed in handcuffs. All of which was captured on camera.

VPSB president Anthony Fontana, who called Hargrove out of order at the meeting, continued to fail as a leader when on Wednesday he told WAFB-TV the following: “Everybody wants to side on the poor little woman who got thrown out. Well, she made a choice. She could have walked out and nothing would have happened.”

Yes. That the man who is supposed to lead the School Board referred to one of his parish’s most respected female teachers as a “little woman” speaks volumes about his leadership, and his view of female workers. That remark gives credence to the claims by two female board members that women are treated differently on the board.

The fallout has been massive.

Gov. John Bel Edwards publicly said he saw nothing on the viral videos that warranted Hargrave’s rough treatment, Abbeville City Attorney Ike Funderburk has said he will not pursue charges against Hargrave, the School Board’s office had to be temporarily locked down amid death threats Tuesday and approximately 100 people showed up to hold a rally Thursday.

All of this could have been avoided.

There is nothing wrong with Puyau receiving a raise (making his salary now $140,000) especially considering that even with the raise he is still making less than state average. But he, and the entire board, had to know that such a significant raise would raise eyebrows, especially considering that the teachers in the district haven’t gotten a pay hike in nearly a decade.

Why not give Puyau a 15-percent raise and then use some of those other funds for teacher raises? Yet, no one bothered to ask that at the time (Puyau has since said officials will bring up raises soon) but instead we get the mess that was Monday.

All board members need to take a long look in the mirror and figure out if they are capable of providing the leadership the parish deserves and needs, and then prove to the people of Vermilion Parish they still deserve to even have that opportunity.

RAYMOND PARTSCH III

MANAGING EDITOR