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C: The two other school board members at that time were [Dr.] J. A. [Jesse Albert]
 Goode from Alachua and Earl Gay from Hawthorne.

J: I remember the names of all of them, but I do not particularly remember the
 personalities. I did not have enough dealings with them. One dealing that I had
 with them directly was in making the survey on capital outlay on the buildings
 here in the county. I reported to the board and discussed it with them, and then
 I would be off in another county. I worked on state programs, and Alachua
 County only pertained to certain ones.

C: During the Citizens Committee studies, was there a local committee within the
 community that was formed to study the schools? Do you remember anything
 about that?

J: Well, there may have been in certain counties, but it was a state committee. I
 do not recall any in particular, although some of the superintendents undoubtedly
 did engage some committees, mostly after the board passed the program. Then
 they called them in to explain the program to them and what was going on,
 primarily with buildings and the consolidation of the schools. Some of the
 people were very indignant.

 Here was the thing in the state. Many of these school district trustees
 considered themselves very influential. Then when you consolidated, those
 trustees of all these districts in the state lost their positions of influence, you see,
 and they were very angry over losing their jobs. They had had a good deal of
 control.

 For instance, what these district trustees were doing concerned differences in
 tax-paying ability. They were governing those local districts, approving teachers
 and principals. They would fire principals. As a matter of fact, Dr. Leps, a very
 able man, a very capable professor here, was fired as a principal in Polk County
 by one of these trustees. There were some very able, aggressive principals,
 and the trustees were just as likely to fire them. There was some sort of
 mediocrity to hold them indefinitely.

C: So you think a lot of their resistance to consolidation was that they were going to
 lose their positions of influence?

J: Oh, yes. But consolidating those districts happened so fast in the legislature
 they did not have time to organize against it. I had a disagreement with
 Governor Caldwell one day, and the legislature passed the thing the next day or
 two.


C: And it was over.