So Knox County School Board Chair Patti Bounds appoints three people to a School Superintendent Search Commitee. She appoints Amber Rountree who has been on the board two years and Susan Horn and Tony Norman who have been on the board less than 90 days.
Bounds has apparently violated Politics 101, appoint one from the group that may not be on your side. That would be either Lynne Fugate, Gloria Deathridge or Terry Hill. Hill led the process that reccomended the Interim Superintendent this year.
It is not always easy to be a leader of a board, however, in order to have buy in you should select at least one member that isn’t one of your favorites or at least one that doesn’t kowtow to the teacher labor union.
Rountree, Norman and Horn are all three Bounds supporters. So is Bounds sending the message that she is taking orders from the labor union? Is Bounds sending the message that other views are not going to be tolerated? Are the decisions going to be shoved down without any thoughtful debate?
Bounds needs to seek out real advice on how to lead, this incident IMHO she is clearly not leading but is in fact being led by either special interests or a political agenda.
Interesting that Bounds would trust Horn as Horn received campaign contribution from the wife of Robert Lawrence Smith, a Bounds opponent two years ago, he withdrew when he saw the mood of the district toward him. Now, he is making the rounds for County Commission at Large, County Commission Seventh District or any other paid job he thinks he could win.
Patti Bounds responds,
I shared the story with Chair Bounds and she said, “We have a nine member board. As chair, I asked board members to respond either that they were willing to serve or declined the opportunity. Of the nine members some requested not to be on it and others did not respond. I didn’t think the chair of the board should chair this important committee as well. I agree with politics 101 and being inclusive of all views. I am aware of how it may look to others but there was a lot of thought went into selecting this committee.”
