Fellow board members echoed the Cutter Morning Star School Board president's defensive message both during and after a contentious meeting on Tuesday.
President Mark Rash launched a defense of Superintendent Nancy Anderson and lashed out at critics to end a two-hour regular board meeting on Tuesday. He said Anderson had the full support of the board and said their critics should "take a hike."
Cutter Morning Star Elementary School Principal Jann Gibson and Kent Wasson, a physical education teacher and coach, were suspended on Oct. 11 pending an unspecified investigation. About 60 guests attended the board meeting on Oct. 30 and about two dozen wore black shirts with the hashtag #standwithjann. Wasson has since returned to work, but Gibson has not.
Frustrated parents began with a defense of Gibson and Wasson, but later expanded their criticisms of the district to include accusations of financial improprieties. The board approved Anderson's request on Tuesday to hire a part-time employee at an hourly wage to help the district meet a growing number of requests made under Arkansas' Freedom of Information Act. The district said thousands of pages have been submitted in recent weeks for six different FOI requests.
Donna Fincher, secretary of the board, posted a lengthy message on Facebook the day after the meeting. She said she has "kept quiet for months now while you have lied, misinformed, slandered, ridiculed, held signs, written newspaper 'dear editor' letters, etc."
Fincher voiced her love for the district, the community and the children. She said she attended numerous training sessions to better herself as a board member.
"In the last 5 years I have sat through hundreds of hours of board training," Fincher wrote. "I have sat through so many online training sessions that I don't even write them down to get credit and, by the way, it is free training or I have paid for it myself. The day that I feel like I have had enough training or there is nothing else that I can learn is the day I will step down from being your school board member.
"Where were you??"
All five board members were in attendance for both meetings. Rash, Fincher and Eddy Slick, vice president, were reaffirmed in their positions when the board reconvened after the annual school election in September.
Slick explained the district's financial past and current financial standing in a presentation Tuesday evening. He said the district made drastic cuts after it was classified as being in fiscal distress by the Arkansas Department of Education in December 2011.
Anderson said teacher salaries account for 90 percent of the district's expenses. The district was removed from fiscal distress 18 months later after Anderson's first year as superintendent.
"That is why, when you are fiscal distress, the quickest way to get out is to cut those salaries," Anderson said.
Fincher commended Slick's presentation. He explained how the district grew its building fund from nothing to $2.8 million in five years. Fincher said she was disappointed their critics were not present for Tuesday's meeting.
"You would have been present to slander us in person because we gave the community the floor," Fincher wrote. "You could have done it face to face instead of behind social media, emails and lawyers. We gave you the floor, which, by the way, is what some of you have requested. You had your chance.
"I am in awe at the hours and money you have spent to try and tear down what we have spent years to build up. I applaud you on your efforts but I am not surprised that you have come up empty. Oh yes, you have stirred up quite a stink for Cutter and, yes, I have been told you will not stop."
Slick said other factors contributed to the district's high turnover rate, including retirement and higher pay. He said he felt Cutter Morning Star compared well in salary to other districts of similar size, but could not compete with larger schools.
"I think we feel really good about where we rank here in this group of schools," Slick said. "Where we fall off is when you get down to these higher end schools, financially.
"It gets to be a $6,000-$10,000 gap. That is something you cannot ignore if you are a teacher."
Parents criticized almost $5,000 in hotel expenses charged to the district under Anderson's name between August 2016 and August 2017. Attorney Cody Kees, with the Little Rock law firm Bequette & Billingsley, said it is common practice for superintendents and board members to stay overnight for conferences. Bequette & Billingsley represents the district.
Fincher said on Facebook board members knew and approved of every hotel stay and conference Anderson attended. She compared the relationship to both that of a child trusting a parent and a marriage with ups and downs.
"You are more than welcome to FOI this," Fincher said. "PS. For you CMS community members that suffered through this long letter and have stood behind me over the years and loved and supported me through ups and downs I say Thank you. Thank you for allowing me to have the opportunity to serve you and your children. I love you and I love CMS."
Fincher posted on Facebook again Friday after The Sentinel-Record published a Letter to the Editor by Chad Hooten. She disputed his claims and finished her post with the hashtag #FOITHIS.
Athletic Director T.C. Shamel presented a proposal to the board during the meeting to add junior high volleyball. Slick said he would prefer the district's resources be allocated to basketball instead of junior high volleyball. The matter was tabled under recommendation from Rash.
Local on 11/26/2017