John Coffelt, Editor

A Coffee County School Board amendment that would have funded the interim director’s salary after the board terminated the former Director of Schools without cause has failed to pass an initial step by the board’s funding body.

The Coffee County Board of Education approves its budget, but that budget, including changes in the form of amendments, must then be approved by the district’s funding body,  the Coffee County Commission. Those amendments are first vetted by the Budget and Finance Committee.

Budget and Finance rejected a proposed  amendment to transfers funds from unused teacher positions to fund the interim director, Dr. Prater Powell’s $10,000 per month salary in addition to the funds the district is paying on what is left of the former director, Dr. Charles Lawson’s salary. A cost the district the district must pay due to its terminating Lawson without cause.

Proposed Coffee County Budget amendment Number 10, approved by the school board, would not pull monies from the fund balance.

Former Chairman of  Budget and Finance Lynn Sebourn said, “I understand that this is taking money from other places in the budget that is not being used. That does not mean it comes at no cost.  The money than is being appropriated should have been used someplace else.”

 Sebourn criticized the move to dismiss the former director in such a way as to leave the county paying two directors for months without a stated cause.

“There has been no information given to the public as to why that has been carried out, and I don’t understand why we should approve giving additional public money without any explanation as to why those monies are necessary,” Sebourn said.

School Board Chairman Thomas Ballard said his legal counsel advised him that because of legal matters that the committee meeting was not the forum to discuss the reasons for Lawson’s dismissal.  

Addressing the committee that vets funding requests for the school district and is made up of 10 out of 18 commissioners who will eventually vote whether to approve or disapprove the amendment; Ballard said that “this is not the forum to discuss that. The forum to discuss that would be at the board of education.”

According to Ballard, a $20,000 move could have been moved by line item at the Interim director’s approval, but the remainder of the salary, $79,000, comes from other categories and requires a budget amendment.    

Ballard said that the board felt it did not have anyone on staff to fill the interim director position. Former East Coffee Principal Kelvin Shores currently holds the Assistant Director position.

Powell’s interim salary has been funded alongside Lawson’s from the director’s line item as a hold over until now. Lawson will continue to receive his salary until June 30.

Commissioner Terry Hershman said, “The money comes from tax payers, and you’re using taxpayer dollars to double up and pay two people at the same time. That’s what I have a problem with.”

Ballard said the board could have dismissed Lawson with cause, but that would have precipitated a lawsuit. He did not specify what the ongoing legal matter he referenced earlier was.  He said for more details the committee could discuss it further at the Board of Education.

The board unanimously rejected the invitation and rejected approving the amendment with Commissioner Tim Morris abstaining.  

The result of the rejection of the amendment will be an audit finding on the Coffee County School audit. 

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.