Who's the boss? A look at 'agreement' between school board-superintendent

Every time I think I’ve seen it, read it, or heard it all when it comes to Knox County politics something surprises me.

The latest?

A four-page "side agreement" that includes all sorts of do’s and don’ts, and it pretty much – at times – stifles individual board members, which in turn, stifles whole districts.

Here’s the deal: The agreement, I believe, was put together by Superintendent Jim McIntyre, adopted by the board in 2008 and then adopted again (revised edition) in October 2010.

It’s now gonna be presented to the new board to vote on.

Some of the things that stick out:

• Board member are not allowed to ask questions that might stump the superintendent.
• It also says that if you’re on the losing side of the vote and the media wants a comment, well, you can’t tell them why you voted the way you did. (No way, no how, no comment.) 

All this is coming to light now because the law department sent out a memo, saying the whole thing is non-binding and and limit a board member’s freedom of speech. (To say nothing about transparency.)

During last Thursday’s orientation for incoming school board members, McIntyre and current BOE chair Lynne Fugate handed over the agreement for the new folks to view.

EMAIL: Law Director's Office memo and the revised agreement RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Needless to say, there were some questions about its legality, so a couple of them asked the Knox County Law Department to look into it.

The law department noted that the “document was not prepared by the law department, nor was the document submitted to the Law Department for analysis as to its legality.”

The law department, in the memo to BOE members, also says that state code “does not grant the authority to the BOE and the Superintendent to enter into any such agreement governing the conduct of members of the BOE.”

Here’s a couple other items in the agreement that stuck out:

• If a BOE member contacts a staffer by email then he or she must copy the superintendent and the chief of staff on the correspondence. (Is micromanagement ever good?)
• If a question can’t be addressed quickly and easily, then the question will be directed to the Office of the Superintendent to assess whether resources should be dedicated to responding to the request. (Does that mean the office won't answer it, if the question is too tough?)
• The BOE and Superintendent agree that the Superintendent is the only employee who reports to the BOE. Everyone else reports to the superintendent. (Should we change his title to "king"?)
• Constituents who contact BOE members with issues will be referred back to the school system at the appropriate level. (In other words, you don’t need to worry about the problem. You let us handle it.)

Unbelieveable.

I wish I could get my boss to approve one of these.

Commish picks John Fugate for BOE

Knox County Commissioners on Monday picked John Fugate, a banker of three decades, to serve on the Board of Education until a new member is selected in the November election.

Fugate, vice president of Commercial Bank, replaces Indya Kincannon, who recently stepped down to move overseas with her family for a year. He will represent the 2^nd District, which is comprised mostly of the North Knoxville area, on the 9-member board.

Fugate, 70, said he will not run for the seat in November, but sought the interim spot because he always wanted “to play a role in education.”

“I’ve got a yearning for education and I hope I can help in some way to set a different tone for the school system,” he said.

Fugate, who has grandchildren in three county schools, earned a degree in education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision.

His first meeting will take place in early September when he’s expected to help the school board to pick a new leader, a move that could shift the dynamics and philosophy of the board.

At this point, current board chairwoman Lynne Fugate, a strong supporter of the school system’s administration, has said that she wants to keep the seat for another year. In addition, board member Mike McMillan, a staunch opponent of the administration and the dissenting vote last year to extend Superintendent Jim McIntyre’s contract, also has shown interest.

Fugate, who is a "distant cousin" of Lynne Fugate's husband, declined to say how he would vote on the matter.

Fugate was one of six in a pool of candidates who submitted resumes and applications earlier this month that the commission considered on Monday.

He secured the seat in a 7-4 vote.

Commissioners Tony Norman, Jeff Ownby, Richard Briggs, R. Larry Smith, Dave Wright, Mike Hammond, and Ed Shouse voted for him.

Commissioners Sam McKenzie, Mike Brown, Brad Anders and Amy Broyles voted for Rick Staples, a former member of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office who worked in the programs rehabilitation department.

Broyles called the decision “a political vote” and said Fugate had “no support” in the 2^nd District. She also suggested that he would not support the school system’s administration, which, in recent years, hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with the commission.

She suggested that the vote was political payback.

“It’s a tremendous disappointment and, frankly, it’s a slap in the face to every member of the 2^nd District,” said Broyles, who represents North Knoxville on the commission. “This should not be about anyone’s personal political agenda.”

Board members were upset with her remarks.

“I do not have the slightest idea what she’s talking about,” Norman said. “I made my decision based on the information I had through two interview sessions and from speaking to people inside this district and outside this district who are attuned to the school system.”

He called the allegations “wrong and rude.”

Fugate declined to comment on Broyles’ remarks.

BOE 'emergency' vote under scrutiny

Knox County’s law director is taking a close look at school board chair Lynne Fugate’s declaring an emergency at the August meeting to allow a vote on Knox County Schools’ five-year strategic plan, Betty Bean of the Knoxville Shopper reports.

“We’ve received a lot of questions and complaints from the perspective of open-meetings laws and whether voting on a plan that doesn’t take effect until 2015 fits the definition of an emergency,” David Buuck, chief deputy law director, told the paper.

Fugate declared the emergency after a one-minute meeting of the board’s executive committee – Superintendent James McIntyre and herself – when Mike McMillan invoked personal privilege to postpone a vote for 30 days, Bean continues. McMillan said he wanted four new board members (who will be sworn in Sept. 1) to have a say. Invoking personal privilege is an established school board practice.

Check out Betty's complete story RIGHT SMACK HERE.

Couple quick notes from da Porch:

McIntyre will appear on Inside Tennessee this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on WBIR 10News, and I asked him about this (show taped Tuesday).

As is typical, he kind of danced around it, including when asked what impact a delay would have. He noted that the board has spent more than a year working on it, blah, blah, blah. That said, I don't blame them. If I spent a year working on something, I'd be reluctant to turn it over, too.

(Go ahead, flame away. I don't care.)

I think in the end, though, it is what it is. People get up in arms over this thing, but if you've ever actually read the plan (I have), then you'll know that it doesn't really say anything!

It's nothing more than a bunch of feel-good platitudes.

There's been some discussion that McIntyre and Fugate railroaded the plan through the current BOE because they were worried that the incoming members wouldn't approve it.

Yes, that could very well be the case. But, there's nothing stopping the new board from coming in, making changes, even killing the strategic plan.

In then end, I don't think it really matters.

We'll see.

Commish-BOE retreat to talk budget

Knox County commissioners and school board members will meet next Tuesday to talk about the mayor’s proposed spending plan.

The work session, which will be held at Ijams Nature Center on Island Home Avenue, is open to the public and starts at 5:30 p.m.

It will come a day after the commission plans to hold its own public meeting to talk about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Commission Chairman Brad Anders said the meeting stems from an agreement made earlier this year between the two boards that they would get together more often to talk about county finances.

He said this one focuses on the budget and gives each side a chance to fire off questions.

Anders and school board member Lynne Fugate will moderate.

The commission will vote on the budget on May 27.

School board members during the joint work session are expected to ask the commission to increase the mayor’s spending plan by additional $4.55 million, which they initially requested to cover a 1.8 percent raise for teachers.

Earlier this month, the mayor unveiled his proposed plan, a $730 million budget that gave the school board everything it asked for that would keep it revenue neutral. He said the additional $4.55 million would require dipping into the reserves, something he’s not going to do.

Expect the commission to stick by him. He’s got his six votes.

Knox School board picks new chair

The Knox County School Board unanimously picked Lynne Fugate to serve as its chair for the next year, and Gloria Deathridge to serve as vice chair.

Fugate replaces Karen Carson.

I'm not really sure what this means. The commission just picked Brad Anders to lead it, and R. Larry Smith to serve as vice chair. Anders says he'll work a little more closely with the school board, but they all say that.

Heh.

We'll see. The Education Committee meets tomorrow.

Bring a book. Or pillow.