Newspaper Page Text
May 24, 2023
Page 7A
BOE
Continued from Front
spirit and competition
cheerleaders have both
won state titles (the spirit
cheerleaders have won
two) in the past 3 years
under Wards leadership.
MP cheer booster club
leaders Valerie Fox, Lisa
Wheeler and Tommy
Farmer met with MP
principal Tammy Marion
and superintendent Mike
Hickman on Friday but
said they got nowhere.
So parents and cheer
leaders came to the called
BOE meeting on Monday
to ask BOE members to
let the Wards continue to
help. Parents waited for an
hour for the BOE to open
the meeting after a closed-
door meeting, purportedly
to discuss personnel. But
when the board finally
emerged, BOE chairman
Stuart Pippin told parents
the issue would not be
discussed because it was a
called meeting.
“Do we have a motion
to adjourn?” Pippin asked
the board over the ob
jections of parents in the
crowd, most of which
wore black and some of
whom held signs that read
things like, “We love the
Wards!”
The board voted 5-1 to
adjourn, with only board
member Greg Head voting
against ending the meet
ing. Head said it was up
to the chairman whether
they would allow the
public to speak and Pippin
chose not to.
“That’s your elected offi
cials!” yelled one parent.
“Committed to excel
lence!” another yelled
sarcastically, a reference to
the BOE slogan.
After the meeting, board
members Priscilla Doster,
Dr. Jeremy Goodwin and
Sherrye Battle headed for
the exits. Pippin, Head
and Eva Bilderback stayed
in the hallway to listen to
parent concerns. Robbie
Jenkins had to be at a
county zoning meeting
for a personal property
matter.
Mark Dye, former pres
ident of the Mary Persons
Touchdown Club, ripped
into Pippin in the hallway.
“What are you people
doing?!?” asked Dye.
“They’ll get back to you
on that!” joked another
parent, a reference to the
unkept promise they get
while talking to school
officials.
“Stuart, you ought to be
embarrassed,” continued
Dye. “Let me tell you
something, buddy. My
wife taught in this school
system for 30 friggin
years. I wouldn’t let her
teach here anymore. I
feel sorry for you folks
who have children in the
school system. Both of
my kids graduated Mary
Persons before all this
happened. I’d be embar
rassed to have them going
here now.”
Dye then turned to a
reporter.
“Will, my name is Mark
Dye,” said Dye to laughter.
“You can daggum quote
me on that. I don’t see how
people on the board put
their head on the pillow at
night. This business about
not letting people talk ...
that’s the lamest thing I’ve
heard in my life.”
Dye also asked board
members why they fired
baseball coach Clae
Mathis despite a 148-60
record in 6 years.
“Why did you run him
out?!?” demanded Dye.
MP principal Tammy
Marion had told the
Reporter they “wanted to
go in a different direction”
with the baseball program.
Also on Monday, assistant
MP baseball coach Blake
Cannady was named
the new MP baseball
coach replacing Mathis.
Cannady was a baseball
player at Peach Coun
ty High when assistant
superintendent Jim Finch
was a coach there. Finch
referred questions about
the hire to Marion, his
successor at MP.
As for the cheer parents,
they told Head and Pippin
in the hallway they were
concerned that MCMS
cheer season is already
under way, and yet they
don’t have a coach. Katie
Ward, who was at the
meeting, had offered to
do it. But she was told she
could not. Parents said
they’re concerned that
school officials would just
put a “warm body” as the
MCMS cheer coach when
Ward is very qualified.
“Our kids deserve the
best!” said one parent.
Head said he would look
into it.
Parents were also upset
that when school offi
cials sent Kyle Ward his
teaching contract for the
new school year, they told
Ward he would have to
coach wrestling and track,
two sports for which he
has limited experience.
Ward was a UGA cheer
leader.
One parent said the
parting ways of a suc
cessful baseball and cheer
coach just seems crazy.
“We have a mediocre
football program,” said
the parent, “what’s the
thought behind getting rid
of winning coaches and
keeping mediocre ones?”
Dye thanked Head for
listening to and standing
for parents. Cheer parent
Heather Gordon said a
couple of administrators
are on their high horse
and are not going to back
down. Her daughter,
former MP cheerleader
Kaylee Gordon, said if
they don’t get answers
Assistant superintendent Jim Finch talks to MP cheer parents and taxpayers outside the
Board of Education on Monday.
they’ll riot at the Reporter
office next because that’s
who covers their com
plaints. A UGA educa
tion student, Kaylee said
she had planned to get a
job teaching in Monroe
County schools but joked
it probably won’t happen
since she’s speaking out.
Head urged parents,
when school officials
promise to “get back with
them”, to ask them for a
timeframe so they can’t
leave it open-ended.
Cheer parents said
they were not asked by
Kyle Ward to attend the
meeting, nor was he in
attendance. At press time,
it was reported that Kyle
Ward may have a meeting
with administrators work
ing toward a solution.
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