Johnny McDaniel speaks during a meeting at the Bradley County Board of Education in this Feb. 11, 2014, file photo.Read more
* The fall of a superintendent
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The Bradley County Commission is expected to vote today whether to make a public statement of support for Johnny McDaniel, the director of Bradley County Schools.
Commissioner Robert Rominger placed the measure on the agenda Feb. 9 after discussion of a reported buyout of McDaniel's contract.
The buyout was officially announced a few hours later by McDaniel and Nicholas Lillios, chairman of the Bradley County Board of Education. They said it was based on the growing realization of "differing opinions" about the administration of county schools.
The buyout proposal will be considered in a special school board meeting Feb. 24.
On Feb. 9, commissioners were given copies of a Change.org petition to retain McDaniel that bore more than 1,200 signatures. The signatures now number more than 1,400.
Commissioner Mark Hall, who initiated the discussion, said he was not trying to "micromanage" the school board.
"I can tell you [McDaniel] surrounds himself with good people and he's a great bridge builder and allows everybody to grab hold of the rope and pull in the same direction," Hall said.
Other commissioners said they felt the measure was an over-reach. The County Commission funds the schools, but policies are set and overseen by the elected school board.
"My personal opinion is we are on a slippery slope here," said Commission Chairman Louie Alford, who added he was "not against Mr. McDaniel in any form or fashion."
Commissioner Bill Winters said the issue should be left to the constituents of school board members.
A number of developments have occurred since county commissioners addressed McDaniel's proposed buyout.
On Thursday, well over 100 people attended the Bradley County Board of Education meeting, many wearing black T-shirts stating "Johnny Mac We Got Your Back" and displaying signs of support for the director.
On Friday, Lillios said in a radio interview that he wanted to know what his 3rd District constituents thought and would vote on the buyout in accordance with their wishes.
The decision "has become bigger than myself," he said.
Lillios asked 3rd District residents to email their opinions to lillios3d@gmail.com. Each email should contain the sender's name and address and state in the subject line whether or not to keep McDaniel, he said.
On Sunday, the Times Free Press published a story examining how McDaniel approved more than $33,000 in mileage reimbursements for the school system's energy manager, Johnny Mull, between 2010 and 2013. Mull was elected to the County Commission last year.
Mull's driving patterns were questioned in 2013 by the school board and a review of the travel evidence was "at best, inconclusive," said then-board chairman Charlie Rose. After the inquiry, when Mull was issued a school-owned vehicle and a gas card, his mileage fell by 96 percent and his gas costs dropped from $12,209.76 the prior year to $349.94, school records showed.
On Sunday, Bradley County Commissioner Dan Rawls, founder of the Tea Party of Southeast Tennessee, sent an email to undisclosed recipients, urging them to read the article and then "contact Nick Lillios and let him know that he needs to regain some courage and vote to remove Johnny McDaniel."
The article is "the real story" as to why McDaniel asked to have his contract bought out, Rawls said in the email.
The Bradley County Education Alliance, the Facebook community group that started the Change.org petition to retain McDaniel, called the article an attempt by McDaniel's opponents to "manufacture a diversion tactic from old news."
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.