Board President Dennis Fields on Thursday said that Cox's contract was up for yearly renewal, which is done in January each year.
Fields, who along with Dr. Arnie McGee voted in favor of renewing Cox's contract, would not elaborate on the reason the other three board members, Richard Smith, Amanda Clifton, and Dana Tracy, voted against the renewal.
But the board's decision prompted Fields to announce his plans to resign after nine years on the board. He said Thursday that while he intends to resign, he has not yet submitted his resignation.
When asked why he planned to resign, Fields replied, "It's hard to get a good superintendent. In my opinion we had a good superintendent.
"I don't want to go through the search all over again. It's a lot of work."
But board vice president, Richard Smith, pointed to a need for change as the reason for not renewing Cox's contract.
"I thing the school is needing a change to better grow," Smith said. "I think she (Cox) did a good job, no doubt about it. The school just needs a change."
While Smith cited change, Fields pointed to the school's improvement since Cox came on board at the school four years ago. He said when they hired Cox, the school's test scores were low and Gore School was considered an at-risk school.
"We are no longer at risk," Fields said, noting that test scores increased. "At this time our school is on the road to success."
He added that he didn't know where the school would be a year from now.
"She's a good lady, and she did a good job," Fields said.
According to the school's 2006 district report card from the Oklahoma Office of Accountability, the school scored above or on par with the state average in a number of student performance tests.
But according to the school's 2003 district report card, the school scored below the state average in every single student performance test, from third-grade through high school.
In the high school end-of-instruction student testing, according to the 2003 district report card, 43 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in English II, 47 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in U.S. History, and 21 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in Biology I.
Three years later, according to the 2006 school report card, end-of-instruction tests, which included a change in testing that included eighth-grade students in the testing, the school showed a vast improvement in scores. The report indicated that 72 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in English II, 62 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in U.S. History, and 74 percent of students tested satisfactory or above in Biology I.
"She has done well by our administration and teachers," Fields said. "Academically our school is a success."
Smith said that while no particular reason for not renewing Cox's contract was given at the meeting, the decision was not personal. "I think she did a lot for the school...she did her job."
When asked if a mailer sent out to residents about Cox had anything to do with the board's decision, Smith said there are a lot of rumors going around the town, but many of them are untrue.
Just days before the meeting, an anonymous mailer was sent out to residents listing reasons not to renew Cox's contract, a resident told Your TIMES. The resident said patrons received the mailer two or three days before the meeting, and in it was listed reasons not to rehire Cox, including that Cox doesn't live in Gore, she works at the school part-time, and she used school money for trips.
Fields, who also received a mailer, called it "one big rumor."
Smith said that the mailer had no impact on his decision. He said he got the mailer on the day of the Monday meeting, but didn't get a chance to look at it until later. He said the mailer was anonymous and had no name or address on it. Smith said the rumors in the mailer are unsubstantiated and said he didn't believe them.
Your TIMES was unable to reach Cox for comment. But the Muskogee Phoenix reported Tuesday that Cox refuted the allegations in the mailer.
Cox is expected to stay on at the school until the end of June.
Smith said he believes a search process for a new superintendent will start quickly in order for someone to be hired in time for the next school year.
