You were either on his team or you weren't.
A Hamilton County Board of Education work session Thursday to discuss the evaluations of Superintendent Jim Scales, quickly became a back-and-forth argument between those who supported him and those who did not.
Board Chairman Everett Fairchild said he called the meeting to show critics of Scales that the board's recent evaluation of him was primarily satisfactory or above satisfactory.
There has been talk in the community recently about Scales' performance, following comments from current, former and newly elected school board members about what they perceive to be his shortcomings.
"A lot of [these] conversations are counterproductive," Fairchild said.
Ternae Jordan, pastor of Mount Canaan Baptist Church and one of about 60 members of the Servant Leadership Christian Fellowship on hand Thursday night, called the work session "a waste of time."
"We're here to support the education of children in Hamilton County ... [this] all seemed like personal attacks. It sounded like it was a witch hunt to us," he said.
But board member Rhonda Thurman, who raised most of the complaints Thursday against Scales, said she still was not satisfied with responses she received. One issue that has gotten a lot of attention lately, was that of the board member's retirement pay, which they voted last month to grant themselves.
Thurman has said she is frustrated that nobody mentioned to the board that former member Janice Boydston already had her $22,000 deposited into an IRA before the board voted on rescinding those benefits.
Somebody should have mentioned that the money already had changed hands, she said.
"I expect people who get paid as much as these administrators do, to be up front and honest," she said.
Scales said he also did not know the money had been deposited.
Board member Linda Mosley, a certified financial planner, added that the board had no liability over the money because Boydston is more than 62-and-a-half years old and was entitled to the money under IRS standards.
Board members David Testerman and Mike Evatt said they were concerned about what they consider to be very low staff morale within the school system. Evatt said principals and teachers are governed with fear tactics and are afraid for their jobs.
"Teachers feel fear, they feel threatened," Testerman said, adding that the climate was a result of Scales' leadership.
Board member Jeffrey Wilson, clearly frustrated, began raising his voice in response.
"What is the basis for that fear? This superintendent does not have a track record of suspending people. If they're afraid of retaliation - you're their spokesperson, you talk to him," he said, followed by a hearty "Mmmhmm" from the crowd.
In one of few positive comments about Scales, Fairchild said he appreciated the superintendent's availability.
"I've never had trouble getting a meeting with the superintendent," he said. "I've never felt intimidated in any conversation with him."
In the end, the board took no action, because the meeting was a work session. Scales himself said he wasn't quite sure whether the meeting was useful or not.
"I have no qualms responding to a board member or the public about my performance. I'm a public servant," he said. "It's the first time I've had an experience [like this meeting]. Maybe it was good, maybe it was not."
Contact Kelli Gauthier at kgauthier@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/gauthierkelli.
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Article: Retirement pay could endanger Scales' tenure, board member says
Article: Scales' evaluation is average, but original papers not released