Four Neelyville School district board members resign Thursday

NEELYVILLE, Mo. — Four Neelyville Board of Education members resigned Thursday night, Sept. 21, after reading statements to those attending the regular meeting.

Resigning were president Vernon Barker, vice president Dean Fisher and members Robert Burgett and Wayne Willcut. Remaining board members are Paul Petty, Jim Hover and Jill McGruder.

On Friday morning, Sept. 22, district superintendent Heather Black said, "We will move forward, following board policy and law. We have a policy on board resignation and we'll follow that."

Black's office posted a notice of an open public session of the board at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, in the Neelyville Central Office Board Room, 289 Broadway St.

The agenda will include electing a president, a vice president and approval of bills under the rule of necessity. Willcut and Burgett were elected the board in April along with Petty, who has not resigned.

Willcut is a retired self-employed saw miller. Burgett is a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander. Petty works in construction and also is a carpenter and a furniture maker. He has served on the Neelyville board for nine years.

The Daily American Republic newspaper has reached out to the four former school board members by telephone and email and are waiting for their responses, which will be shared with readers.

Hover, who is one of the remaining board members, addressed his concerns at the June 27 meeting and asked three members to resign after former board president John French spoke out concerning the current state of the organization. French addressed the board members during the meeting, expressing his dissatisfaction with their performance. French emphasized the importance of considering all the facts and making decisions based on what is right, rather than popular.

In June, French said, "When I agreed to speak, it was never going to be (at) anybody personally. If you want me to get personal with you, I will get personal, but (when) you look at all the facts — you make the right decision. When you do that, you don't make the popular decision a lot. That's just the way it is.

"I don't know what's going on, I'm not privy to all the facts. I'm not on the board; I don't see the stuff that only board members are supposed to see — I know what I hear. And what I hear is not good."

Hover said at that time, "The current board division has created very low morale. And it's something we have to get fixed for the next school year. I'm not perfect and I sometimes make mistakes and errors. I can be given grace and given the opportunity to correct these mistakes and make a sincere apology when I've made an error. The parties I'm speaking toward tonight have been extended this grace, and it's time for the action to be taken in every ongoing problem."

Hover went on to address at the previous meeting more specifics on violations he felt needed to be addressed, including what he said were negative and attacking social media posts, law violations regarding student privacy, as well as the loss of teachers because of personal agendas.

"As an elected official, I would like you to remember — our social media pages should be used to positively influence and not to air out our grievances," Hover said.

Hover continued, "If you're a sitting board member for this amazing school system, get over your ego, get over your power. It's not a difficult thing to take a few steps back amid our division in the school system in your care and see that you are racist, discriminating and that you have lost sight of what it means to serve.

"In closing, I feel the following board members need to resign from their position. I have asked them privately to resign, they refused."

Hover requested resignations from Barker, Fisher and Burgett.