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* Commission to vote on formal support of director of Bradley County Schools * Johnny on the spot: How aide's travel expenses cost Bradley schools chief his credibility * Contract buyout of director of Bradley County Schools expected
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A planned vote by the Bradley County Commission on whether to issue a statement publicly supporting Johnny McDaniel, director of Bradley County Schools, has been scrapped.
On Monday, Commissioner Robert Rominger, who sponsored the resolution, asked that it be removed from the scheduled agenda shortly after the commission meeting began.
Rominger gave no reason for the action during the meeting, and none of the other 13 commissioners mentioned McDaniel at all for the rest of the session.
"I highly support him [McDaniel], but it would look bad if this commission had a vote [on the matter]," Rominger said afterward.
On McDaniel's last personnel evaluation in 2014, the school board members were sharply divided on his effectiveness in various categories. Responses, graded on a 1-5 scale, varied from 1-5 in individual categories.
On Feb. 9, Rominger placed the measure on the Feb. 16 agenda after discussion of a reported buyout of McDaniel's contract. The proposed buyout was officially announced later that day in a joint statement by McDaniel and Nicholas Lillios, chairman of the Bradley County Board of Education.
A growing realization of "differing opinions" about the administration of the county school system was cited as the reason for the proposed buyout, which will be considered in a special called school board meeting on Feb. 24.
Rominger said the decision to drop the measure to publicly support McDaniel was based on the evolving circumstances of the school board's situation.
A number of county commissioners had voiced concerns about a corporate show of support for the school director, likening Rominger's measure to "micromanaging" another governing body.
The Bradley County Commission funds the school board but does not set its policies.
Commission Chairman Louie Alford called the proposed statement a "slippery slope."
At least one school board member expressed appreciation that the Bradley County Commission did not weigh in as a body on the issue.
"I don't want them to tell me how to vote," said Christy Critchfield, who represents the 6th District on the Bradley County Board of Education and has expressed support for McDaniel.
Critchfield also said that she urged all the county commissioners to speak -- as citizens -- to school board members about the proposed buyout of McDaniel's contract.
Fifth District school board member Rodney Dillard also has said that he does not support the buyout.
He and Critchfield were absent from a Feb. 12 school board meeting that well over 100 people attended, with many holding signs and wearing T-shirts bearing messages of support for McDaniel.
The following morning, Lillios announced on local radio that he would vote on the proposed buyout based on email responses he received from his 3rd District constituents.
The remaining four members of the Bradley County Board of Education have said little publicly on the matter.
A change.org petition seeking the retention of McDaniel, started by Facebook community group Bradley County Education Alliance, has received more than 1,400 signatures.
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Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.