Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, Morch 24, 2021/Page 2A
Stye Ahumtce
Photo by Deborah Clark
FIGHT FOR KIGHT—Hugh Kight has served as Superintendent at Montgomery County
Schools for five and half years and is a popular figure on campus. Students who gath
ered in front of the Board of Education office in Mount Vernon last Friday to make their
opinions known were joined by scores of parents and other citizens, Petitions calling
for a reversal of the Board's decision are circulating in the community and were to be
presented in a called meeting Tuesday, March 23,
Kight
continued from page 1A
ing the 6 p.m. session Dr.
Jim Paul Poole, Board
Chairman, and members
Debra Gay and Eugene
Ward voted to fire Kight.
Board members Henry
Price, Board Vice Chair,
and Susan Beard did not
support the action.
The Board has not
commented publicly about
the reason behind their ac
tions, but Kight issued the
following statement Fri
day:
“One of my duties as
Superintendent is to rec
ommend qualified admin
istrators that have a pas
sion for students. Some
of my Board members did
not agree with my princi
pal assignments. Based on
my beliefs, my vision for
MOCO and our Board’s vi
sion are different. I was giv
en the choice of changing
the list of administrators or
termination of my duties.
After much prayer, I could
not go against my beliefs.
I have enjoyed my tenure
at MOCO! Students have
always been my top prior
ity! We have accomplished
great improvements due
to great teachers, parents,
community members and
school leaders. May God
bless our students. I know
God has a plan for me—I
will wait on Him!”
Following the Board’s
vote on March 18, a num
ber of citizens began to
take steps on Kight’s be
half. Montgomery County
resident Gail McDaniel,
who has two granddaugh
ters in the school system,
started a petition aimed
at getting the board to re
consider Kight’s termina
tion. “We appreciate what
he has done for the school
system. We want him
back,” she said. As of Mon
day, McDaniel had collect
ed a total of 300 signatures,
but a posting on social me
dia has kept the signatures
coming.
McDaniel noted that
several citizens in the
community are gather
ing signatures and these
were to be combined into
a petition and presented to
the Board during a called
meeting Tuesday (March
23) night. McDaniel said
she understood that five
citizens would be allowed
to speak during the meet
ing on Tuesday, which was
to be held in the Board
Room at the School Board
Office. “We will keep col
lecting signatures until
Tuesday afternoon before
the Board meeting,” she
said.
The issue over the su
perintendent gained mo
mentum when the Board
met for its regular session
on Monday, March 15. At
this session, Poole, Gay
and Ward voted against
approving the school’s ad
ministrative staff. Price and
Beard voted to approve the
recommendations.
On March 17 a pub
lic notice was issued an
nouncing that a called
meeting was scheduled for
the day following the regu
lar Board meeting. Agenda
items included an execu
tive session regarding per
sonnel and a consultation
with the board attorney.
Following the executive
session, the Board under
took action items and gen
eral administration, which
included salary schedules
for 2022 and administra
tive staff. These issues,
which brought about the
Board action involving
Kight, were handled in an
open meeting.
Parents who had got
ten wind of the issues that
were expected to emerge in
the called session showed
up to voice their support
for Kight. Among them
was Hannah Autry, who
has three children enrolled
in the Montgomery Coun
ty School System.
Autry explained the
public is not usually al
lowed to speak at called
sessions, but Chairman
Poole overrode this rule
and granted permission for
the citizens in attendance
to voice their opinions
following the vote to fire
Kight. Autry said that after
the Board “voted to keep
certain people and to fire
Kight, we asked them why
they were doing this to the
school system.” She add
ed, “Dr. Poole said it was
affecting him more than
us. I said, ‘No sir, it’s not.
You don’t have children in
this school system.”
Autry said none of
the Board members of
fered an explanation for
their action. “They would
not give us a reason. They
kept saying they could not
comment. We are grate
ful for Mr. Price and Ms.
Beard because they voted
for what was right for these
students and the system
and the county. Mr. Kight
has done so much for our
school system. It’s a shame;
it’s small town politics.”
Autry added, “I am
very upset. Mr. Kight has
been a great asset to our
school system, and it is not
right the way he has been
made to leave. I really feel
like our school system is
going to go down if he is
not here to keep it afloat.
We have a brand new
school here at no cost to
taxpayers and that was all
his hard work. We have a
new track field that is also
because of his hard work.
Our students have come
so far because of him.”
Another parent, Sta
cie Randolph, has one
child in elementary school
and one in high school in
Montgomery County. She
said she and other parents
have reached out to Board
members, but because the
issue is a personnel matter
that was handled in an ex
ecutive session, a protect
ed area under the law, the
Board could not offer any
information.
Parent Carrie Barber
also voiced her dismay. “I
am very upset because my
child was in another sys
tem and we moved here
because of Mr. Kight.”
On Friday, Autry, Ran
dolph and Barber were
among the parents and
other citizens who joined
students staging a protest
on the sidewalk in front of
the Board offices. A staff
member said Friday that
Kight briefly visited the
Board office and, true to
form, appealed to the stu
dents to go back to class
because they were missing
instruction.
Middle and high
school students walked out
of class Friday morning “to
stand up for what’s right,”
according to one of them.
Included in the student
protest was an 11th grader
who praised Kight as “such
an amazing person. I can’t
think of anyone better to
be our Superintendent,
seeing how he works with
community.” The junior,
who is active in all types of
sports, came to Montgom
ery County from Toombs
County and grew to love
the school and Kight. “Mr.
Kight was everywhere on
campus,” she said of the
Superintendent’s involve
ment in academics and
sports.
Another 11th grad
er said, “It’s a big heart
breaker for me because
Mr. Kight has been really
involved with our school,
given us so many opportu
nities and made our school
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a lot better academically
and sports wise. I have
lived here my whole life
and this school was a mess
before he came.” She noted
that the Superintendent
was a familiar face on cam
pus, coming to the high
school several times a week
and always giving off good
vibes. “He’s a good person.
We need to fight for him so
he can stay,” she avowed.
Another student, who
graduates this year, agreed
with her fellow classmates’
appraisal of Kight. “He has
done so much to improve
the school system. Most
of us don’t enjoy school
lunches, but Mr. Kight
would come and eat with
us. He cares about us,
knows our names.”
One Montgomery
Countian, who wished to
remain anonymous, said
Kight was well known for
quietly doing things for
other people and taking
on tasks to help out. “He
came in at 5 a.m. to drive
a morning bus route for
an entire week when one
of the drivers was out with
COVID. He also made
sure one special needs high
school student found an
outfit to wear to the school
prom. She was so proud.”
And when a group of high
school students came to
him asking for a soccer
program, he took on the
duties of putting the team
together and coaching for
a while, even though he
did not have a background
in the sport.
A native of Cedar
Grove, Kight taught for the
Laurens County schools
before retiring and coming
to Montgomery County
in 2015. During his ten
ure, the school system
made great strides. A new
$15 million middle/high
school opened in 2019
and was paid for in full by
a Low Wealth Grant and
reserve funds with no ad
ditional costs to taxpay
ers. The school’s sports
complex was renovated,
also without dipping
into school coffers. The
school’s track underwent
a major overhaul and was
recently reopened and
dedicated ahead of host
ing regional competition.
Another innovation was
the installation of a state-
of-the-art security system
that provides real time
information on the entire
campus.
For Kight, one of the
most exciting develop
ments was Eagle Academy,
the first program of its
kind in the area. The cus
tomized program, funded
through FTE allocations,
is designed to challenge
high achievers in grades
K-8 and is being launched
in the Montgomery Coun
ty Schools next year.
Other innovations
begun under Kight’s ad
ministration include the
Eagle Express Mobile
Classroom, a project that
targets pre-school chil
dren and their parents
from underprivileged
backgrounds; Eagle Acres
agriculture program; and
the PLUS Program, which
offers postsecondary op
tions for students, includ
ing life skills, motivational
strategies ready for use in
the real world.
During Kight’s ad
ministration, College
and Career Ready Per
formance Index scores, a
performance platform for
all Georgia Schools, im
proved across the district,
and the high school gradu
ation rate reached new
heights—from 82.759%
in 2016 to 94.6% in 2019.
The superintendent is
the recipient of the John
Roller Distinction Award
that goes to a person who
shows outstanding leader
ship, integrity and strength
in the community. He is
also the 2019 recipient of
the Georgia School Board
Association’s Inaugural
Leading Edge Award.
Greg Claxton
CAIlLTCREGICIfAXTON AT
(912) 585-7869
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