Sneak Peek (08/21)

​Turley to resign ahead of next school board meeting

Clinton County R-III Board President Sam Martin responded quickly after news circulated recently that the son of Jennifer Turley, a fellow member on the board of education, had been enrolled in school at Kearney, and that she and her husband, Dr. H.M. Turley, had purchased a home in that school district. Martin sent an email Thursday, August 15, requesting that Turley resign her seat on the board. Martin said that he consulted with the district’s legal council and they recommended that he send the email, which specifically cited that Turley could not claim dual residency while also continuing her services on the board. It has been confirmed by CCR-III officials that Mrs. Turley enrolled her son in the Kearney School District and provided an address within that district for residency. Kearney does not accept tuition and all students must be residents. A person is unable to “claim residency” in two different locations. Mrs. Turley has claimed residency in Plattsburg to be able to serve on the board and has also claimed residency in Kearney for her son to enroll in the Kearney School District. This is a direct violation of board policy. The quick email notice caught ​Mrs. Turley by surprise. She said that she and her husband purchased the home in Kearney on August 9, since residency is a requirement of the Kearney School District. She had just attended a special session meeting of the CCR-III school board on Tuesday evening, August 13. During that meeting, the Board listened to a presentation by a representative of NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) for a testing program that gathers data that measurers academic growth per student, and an update from Hollis and Miller Architects on the construction of a new stadium complex. Nothing was mentioned during the open session or in the closed session. When she reached out to other school board members, after receiving the email from President Martin, those members were unaware of the email requesting her resignation. “I would have thought a phone call to talk about the situation would have been more appropriate,” said Turley, who was elected for a second time to the board this past spring. “I’m a property owner, taxpayer, and resident in this school district. I don’t know how this process works, which is why I thought it would be appropriate to discuss as a board. I understand the responsibility of a board member and do not want to put the school or the board in a bad position. I intend on resigning prior to the August 27 board meeting.” The following information is from the CCR-III board policy about the resignation of board members: The board member who resigns will file a letter of resignation with the board secretary. The board secretary will forward it to the board and list the issue on the agenda for the next board meeting. The board will declare a vacancy exists when the resignation letter is officially presented to the board at a board meeting. The board will then follow board policy BBE to appoint a replacement by a majority vote. The earliest she could resign would be at the next school board meeting that has been moved to August 27 at 6 p.m. from the regularly-scheduled August 21 session. This was done because the needed tax information would not have been ready on August 21 and to accommodate Dr. Steggall’s teaching a class at William Woods.

Author

Steve Tinnen