The Kentucky Board of Education rejected the firing of Nelson County Schools Superintendent Wes Bradley, saying in a written statement Friday there wasn’t “competent and relevant evidence” supporting at least one of the charges against him.
And not only did
Kentucky Department of Education no only rejected the firing but it decided to place Nelson County Schools into a “management improvement program.”
Kentucky Department of Education will communicate with the Board and the Superintendent regarding next steps.
On March 4, after meeting in executive session, the Nelson County School Board of Education voted 4-1 to remove Bradley. In removing Bradley, the board accused him of:
Neglect of duty
Academic and educational neglect resulting in extremely low academic performance
Failure of leadership
Failing to act as the professional advisor of the board pursuant to KRS 160 370
Engaging in conduct that has created or promoted division and ascension within the district and working relationships have been severely damaged
Engaging in conduct that has resulted in the majority of the board losing trust in him
When spring break is over, Bradley will be back in his office at the district.
Bradley has been with the district since 2011 and became superintendent in 2018 and has been the district’s leader amid some controversies, including plans to merge and consolidate schools that have been passed, killed, and re-imagined over the last several years. The board sent the decision to fire Bradley to the Kentucky Department of Education, which was then tasked with investigating the claims and then either approving or declining the decision to remove Bradley.
The Kentucky Department of Education said in its statement, “What is clear from the investigation is that there has been a tremendous amount of dysfunction and inability or unwillingness to communicate between the Board and Bradley in the leadership of the district in the last year. This has contributed to the animosity between the different factions in the Nelson County community. As elected officials, local board members are elected to hear from and represent the interests of all constituents and board meetings should allow opportunities for transparency and public input in a respectful and meaningful manner. Due to the discourse in the district, board meetings have not been productive or inviting.”
The school district has been under scrutiny by parents, teachers, and community members after the board approved a plan to merge Boston Middle School and New Haven Middle School with Old Kentucky Home Middle School. The middle school merger followed a decision to create a proposal to merge Thomas Nelson and Nelson High schools, known as the Connected Campus Plan.
Many community members and parents are against the mergers. Last October, student and teacher protests voicing their frustrations over the Connected Campus Plan closed school for two days. Some school board meetings over the last year have been packed by members of the community voicing their opposition to merge the high schools.
Source: WDRB
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