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After a lengthy debate, members of the Coffee County Schools Board of Education voted 6-3 to schedule a public meeting to discuss the contract of Director of Schools Dr. Charles Lawson among other topics.

The motion was made by Board member Thomas Ballard, who said a situation that occurred about three weeks ago regarding an all-staff email sent by Dr. Lawson regarding a reported request by Board member Robert Gilley to have a public meeting to discuss dismissing Lawson for cause.

Gilley previously told The Times that he did not request the meeting for termination.

“…There are a number of options that we can lay out that are in the director’s contract right now but there are some other things to discuss too,” Ballard said.

Ballard also said that with the limited amount of time left on Dr. Lawson’s contract, Board members should look at forming a committee to begin laying the groundwork for the search for Coffee County School’s next director.

Board member Robert Gilley seconded the motion.

“…It would end all of this back and forth and media blitz and emails and accusations and everything else,” Gilley said. “We will have a meeting in front of the public and we won’t do nothing behind closed doors. We will have a meeting in front of the public and get it over with and we will know for sure right then.”

Board member Kathy Rose asked why a meeting was necessary, since she made a motion to dismiss Dr. Lawson without cause during the February board meeting. Rose said following that meeting that the School Board had shown on three separate occasions that it did not support renewing Dr. Lawson’s contract, and that way the district could buy out his contract and he could move on.

“I will share one piece of information with you, if this board thinks that Charles Lawson can be dismissed with cause, get ready to open your checkbooks right now because you can pay (board attorney) Chuck Cagle $100,000 to come in and try that for you and see if he can make that stand…it won’t,” Rose said. “You throw a little more on top of that, you can buy out his contract. I just want to point that out before we start talking about getting a lawyer involved in doing something. We had an opportunity to make that happen back in February and it didn’t.”

Board member Freda K. Jones said she believes it would be a good idea to have the meeting to discuss the next year.

“Maybe this is what the meeting could accomplish, one of three things, we buy him out, he is dismissed with cause, I don’t know any cause at this point, but that is an option or three, continue for a year and maybe discuss some things that we would like for you to accomplish within that next year and we not be an adversary,” Jones said.

Jones said she would like to see the Board of Education and the director of schools work together throughout the remaining time left on Dr. Lawson’s contract and end on a positive note.

“I think at this point it has gotten to where it is adversarial and maybe I am taking some of those things wrong that are sent out to people, but I speak for myself and I think all the other board members do too, that we don’t need anyone analyzing what we think and we speak for ourselves and it is public knowledge,” she said.

Board Chairman Dr. Gary Nester said he did not see the need for the special called meeting.

“There is no need to discuss the contract,” Nester said. “You either accept his contract and you fulfill it or you terminate it. That is the action, you have to decide.”

Board members voted 6-3 on the motion, with Gary Nester, Larry Crabtree and Kathy Rose voting no.