Split board picks leader
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 2, 2014 1:46 PM
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The division among Wayne County school board members continued Monday night, with vice chairman Chris West narrowly moving up to the chairman role by a 4-3 vote.
The contested vote came on the heels of West's being sworn in for his second term, along with recently re-elected members Arnold Flowers and Rick Pridgen and new board member Jennifer Smith Strickland, who unseated 20-year veteran John Grantham in the November election.
Dr. Sandra McCullen, formerly associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, was also sworn in as the school district's interim superintendent.
The ceremony and meeting went off without incident, short of the brief reorganization segment to determine its leadership.
Traditionally, board members nominated to the role of vice chairman are subsequently elected to the role of chairman the following year. But not necessarily and not always without opposition.
In 2006, then board member Shirley Sims advanced to the chairperson role after having been on the board since 1992. Her name had previously been submitted into nomination but usually against another board member. Each time, she had declined, saying she preferred not to do anything that might split the board.
Last year, after West had completed a year as vice chairman, Flowers nominated him as chair. Pridgen then nominated Grantham to serve a second year, with a 4-3 vote ensuring Grantham continued in the role. Pridgen later explained the rationale, saying that Grantham, a construction engineer who had been in on the ground floor of the facilities plan, should see the new schools construction projects through to fruition.
Grantham lost his bid for re-election to the board last month.
A week later, Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor announced he would retire Dec. 1, prompting two called meetings of the school board, during which Mrs. McCullen was named interim superintendent and fractures within the board began to emerge.
At the outset, board members Pridgen, who nominated Mrs. McCullen to step in, along with Grantham, Cannon and Pat Burden were majority votes for the move. Flowers, West and Eddie Radford were in opposition, questioning the process and lack of discussion as a board.
As his parting shot before stepping off the board, Grantham referenced the 4-3 vote, suggesting that the "swing vote" on an issue should be someone familiar with the system.
On Monday, after a brief hiccup, the tide turned.
When the board convened to select its leadership for the coming year, Cannon nominated Pridgen, while Radford nominated West.
Pridgen received three votes -- Cannon, Ms. Burden and his own. West won with the remaining four.
The vice chairman position was also a split vote. Cannon again nominated Pridgen and Radford nominated Flowers.
The same make-up of voters made it a win for Flowers.
When the meeting reconvened after closed session, there was a lot of praise for predecessors Grantham and Taylor and welcoming the interim and members to a new year.
"Dr. Taylor, on his retirement and Mr. Grantham, we appreciate your legacy and we appreciate what you proffered to Wayne County schools," Cannon said. "To the new board members and those who were re-elected, I'm looking forward to the future, keeping the main thing the main thing and that's the children and the faculty and staff."
Pridgen echoed the sentiment, saying he had learned a lot about construction from Grantham, crediting him with playing a "vital role" in the facilities plan and current construction projects.
He also welcomed Mrs. Strickland to the board.
"I know you'll represent your district well," he said. "Glad you're here."
She said she was looking forward to serving and expressed appreciation to her husband, attorney Billy Strickland, as well as family and supporters, including those who had volunteered to baby-sit while the mother of four campaigned.
West also diplomatically thanked his supporters, including "my colleagues who voted me into the chairman position."
"Hopefully we can unite, not that we're not united already, move forward and not forget our focus," he said.