Grady demands school board's May e-mails
By Arrick Gordon
news@morganton.com
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
MORGANTON - Controversy erupted at the Burke County Schools board meeting Monday night when Board Chairman Tim Buff presented a newly drafted map of school board district lines for approval.
Board member Buddy Armour challenged the action, because the board adopted a prior (and slightly different) map at its May 5 meeting. That map, Armour added, was not the same as one presented for the board's review on April 21.
At this week's meeting, Armour again questioned Vice Chairman Tracy Norman, asking why she went to the Burke GIS Department the day of the May 5 school board meeting, made changes to the map and did not disclose the changes that evening.
"Who authorized you to change the map?" Armour demanded. "It's not the map that I was voting for on May 5."
According to several board members, the change in district lines from April 21 to May 5 was not fully disclosed or discussed during open session.
"I received a phone call from a man, who would not tell me his name, several days after we voted on the map," says board member Sam Wilkinson. "He was wondering if I knew that a board member had gone to the GIS office and made changes to the map the day of the vote. I told him no I was unaware of such a thing. He wouldn't tell me which board member, but told me the line had been changed to include the residence of an individual who could run for school board in the central district."
Wilkinson said he subsequently went to the GIS department and learned Norman had changed the April 21 map on the day of the May 5 vote.
Other board members say they, too, were unaware the April 21 map had been changed.
"I had no idea the map was different," says board member Karen Sain. "I was glad to vote the map through and get on to more serious issues concerning the welfare of our teachers and students. No one told me or pointed out that the maps had been changed. I saw the map was dated May 5, but I assumed that was for purposes of the vote."
Armour asked at the May 5 meeting whether Bryan Grady was involved in redrawing the school district lines. The April 21 map placed Grady's residence in the Western Voting District. The modified map adopted May 5 includes Grady's residence in the Central Voting District (the adjusted voting line runs up Pearson Drive).
At Monday's meeting, Grady demanded that all e-mail communications between board members from May 5 to May 19 be handed over to him for review with his lawyer.
Board member Rob Hairfield, who spent months preparing the original district lines map, repeatedly has said the April 21 map met the state law's requirements that all districts have approximately equal population.
According to Buff and Norman, the map was modified to better distribute the population evenly between the three voting districts.
The third map, proposed by Buff at Monday's meeting, moves the Central District Line even farther west, to the Fleming Drive Bypass.
