Johnny McDaniel, head of the Bradley County School System, listens during a meeting Thursday at the Bradley County Board of Education.Things could go one of two ways Tuesday for embattled Bradley County Schools Superintendent Johnny McDaniel.
In a specially called meeting, the board of education may elect to buy out his contract, showing the superintendent of seven years the door by the end of the month. Or the board may choose to extend his contract, ensuring another four years at the helm.
Board Chairman Nicholas Lillios, who last week announced a proposal to buy out McDaniel’s contract 16 months early, now says the board will consider a contract extension if the buyout doesn’t pass.
It’s a drastic turn for Lillios from his stance just days ago.
Earlier this month, Lillios told the Times Free Press that the superintendent’s lack of fiscal responsibility was costing the school system thousands. He was upset at what he called McDaniel’s lack of transparency and communication during the budget process. He said the superintendent’s decisions had trapped the system into costly lawsuit settlements. And he and other board members pointed to McDaniel’s approval of more than $33,000 in mileage reimbursements issued to a top aide over the course of three years.
Lillios had said a buyout would ultimately save Bradley taxpayers money.
“When you’re ready for a change, you have to buy them out,” he said. “That’s just the cost of doing business at this level of business.”
But since creating a special email account last Friday to poll his constituents on whether McDaniel should go or stay, Lillios said he’s changed his mind.
If the board doesn’t approve the buyout, Lillios said, he’ll introduce a motion to extend the superintendent’s contract for another four years beyond its June 30, 2016, expiration.
In September 2013, Lillios was part of a 4-3 vote that defeated a move to extend McDaniel’s contract.
Lillios develops and manages property, and several sources told the Times Free Press that affluent community members have threatened his business interests. He flatly denied those claims Thursday.
“I feel like one of the things I can bring to Cleveland and Bradley County politics is unwavering will. I can’t be bought or threatened,” Lillios said. “I have a comfortable living. Financial gain is not an interest. I am fairly secure. I don’t think anybody could financially threaten me.”
But school board member Christy Critchfield, a staunch McDaniel supporter, said she’s been told that Lillios has been pressured.
“I did hear that some big people in District 3 rattled his cage,” she said. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know who those people are. I have no idea.”
She commended Lillios for listening to his constituents, which she said include many business and political power brokers.
Critchfield said she fully supports extending McDaniel’s contract, though she said the board has veiled the process in secrecy.
“I believe in order for Mr. McDaniel to move forward and do the job we hired him to do, he needs a little security,” she said. “He needs to know we are going to work with him and support him.”
On Thursday, McDaniel made his first public comments since news of the potential buyout broke Feb 9. Specifically, he responded to a Times Free Press report that revealed how Energy Manager Johnny Mull racked up more than $33,000 in tax-free mileage checks over the course of three years.
Mull’s travel logs claim he drove nearly 100,000 miles crisscrossing Bradley County, working holidays, vacation days, and even 160 days straight. Board members looked into the issue, with inconclusive results, and last week Lillios called the actions of Mull and McDaniel “out-and-out theft.”
But McDaniel said Thursday that Mull assured him he did drive those miles and work those days.
“He said he did. And I couldn’t prove he didn’t,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel stands by Mull’s integrity and vitality to the school system, saying Mull saved $200,000 in the last budget cycle by checking lights and monitoring thermostats, and even had a hand in making the call to cancel classes on Thursday and today.
“I would hate to lose a focus on energy savings,” McDaniel said. “We rely on Johnny Mull for a lot of things.”
Board member Chris Turner said McDaniel’s approval of Mull’s travel was an example of inefficiency and a lack of oversight.
Turner, a McDaniel critic, said he will not support any vote to extend the superintendent’s contract on Tuesday. The board had to give 15 days’ notice to discuss the buyout, and he believes it should have to do the same for a contract extension.
McDaniel wouldn’t talk about the terms of the buyout, his desire to stay or go or his relationship with the board. Instead, he referred repeatedly to a joint statement he and Lillios issued Feb. 9, which stated that he and the board had differing opinions on school management. It said McDaniel had suggested the buyout.
“I’m going to refer you back to that statement,” he said Thursday. “It says what we agree to, and I haven’t changed my mind.”
McDaniel did say he has always put students’ and teachers’ needs first. He’s proud of his tenure in Bradley County. It’s been a joy. But he realizes that not all board members agree with the direction his leadership has taken.
“Sometimes philosophical differences about the direction of education become too great,” he says, “and there comes a time when it is better for the community if a tough decision is made.”
Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.