GADSDEN — An overwhelming majority of Gadsden State Community College employees voted yesterday that they have no confidence in school president Raymond Staats. Gadsden State Education Association President George Terrell called the no-confidence vote “almost unprecedented.”

The Alabama Education Association facilitated the voting as several campuses, which involved 350 of the college's 777 full- and part-time employees. There were 312 (89 percent) votes of no confidence in Staats. Another 34 employees voted that they have confidence in the president's leadership. Four were undecided.

According to Gadsden State records, the community college has 777 full-time and part-time employees. A small group of Gadsden State employees gathered Wednesday afternoon in Wallace Hall at the college's Gadsden campus to hear the voting results. Those in the group declined to comment on the results or their concerns about the community college's leadership.

The vote is advisory and will not affect Staats' employment or the community college. However, the results were sent to Mark Heinrich, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System for review.

"I presume the chancellor will want to know why this number is as high as it is," said Terrell, whose organization represents the employees at Gadsden State.

A prepared statement from Gadsden State said Staats was still examining the results of the vote.

“Dr. Staats is aware of the vote today,” the statement read. “He has not had the opportunity to fully analyze these results and will be taking some time to do so.”

Amy Marlowe of the post-secondary division of AEA, who announced the ballot results, said AEA had no position on the outcome of the vote.

"This poll was purely conducted as a guidance tool ... we provided this poll today as a service to employees," Marlowe said.

Marlowe has said the AEA decided to organize the vote after receiving numerous complaints in the past year from Gadsden State employees. The complaints mainly focus on some capital expenditures that critics claim are unnecessary and the efforts to hire a vice president.

“We don't have the money to pay people we already have,” Terrell said.

Terrell said the administration at Gadsden State is not interested in the concerns of employees.

“They are not receptive of what employees have to say,” Terrell said. “It's either their way or you're wrong.”