BARDSTOWN, Ky. — The Nelson County Board of Education held a lengthy special session on Monday to discuss pending litigation and the superintendent’s performance.
An agenda of the meeting showed the board discussed "proposed or pending litigation," although it's unclear what this means. The board also began discussions on Superintendent Wes Bradley’s “summative evaluation and performance,” as well as “discussions which might lead to promotion, discipline, or other personnel action of an individual employee.”
Bradley, and the resigning district attorney, are the only employees hired by the district’s school board.
Board members spent nearly five-and-a-half hours in executive session but returned saying no action was taken and adjourned for the day.
Dozens of community members showed up at the start of the meeting, concerned Bradley may be fired following the special meeting. A similar incident occurred earlier this year, with District 3 Board member Tracy Bowling warning residents the superintendent’s removal was likely imminent.
Rebecca Hutchins, who has a junior at Thomas Nelson High, showed up because she believes the meeting, which began at 10 a.m., “was unfair to the educators and the students and the parents.”
“Really, what I’m here for today is to keep Wes Bradley as superintendent,” she said, adding that she moved her son to the public school district from a private school because of Bradley’s vision.
For months, many Nelson County parents have been at odds with the school board following a controversial vote to merge the district’s middle and high schools. Parents in the district even filed a lawsuit against the board last September.
During a tense meeting on Feb. 8, Bowling said the community’s frustration is rooted in a lack of communication from the board.
“This dialogue here, we can have all day long, but [the parents] want us to have it with them. That’s where there is this frustration,” she said. “If we’re gonna make decisions that impact our families and we’re not gonna have them at the table, you better be prepared for this every time.”
That meeting abruptly ended after heckling from the audience and infighting amongst board members.
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