Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn called for Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees President Eddie Myles to resign his post Tuesday in the wake of the board’s handling of a legal situation involving Superintendent Lewis Holloway.
Wynn, who was traveling on city business, phoned in her comments after Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins also criticized the school board for failing to “make decisions that will promote a unified” community and district.
Myles declined to comment on Wynn’s call.
Three school board members — Keith Coble, Jenny Turner and Myles — voted last week to place Holloway on unpaid leave after he was charged with two counts of simple assault by threats on Aug. 10.
Holloway will return to work next week.
Lee Brand was the only board member opposed to the personnel decision. The school board’s fifth seat sits vacant after Juliette Weaver-Reese resigned her post last month.
Holloway was arrested after he allegedly fired a gun into the air during a dispute with his Mt. Olive Road neighbors. A minor was present during the incident.
After his arrest, Holloway filed charges alleging his neighbor, Roy Couvion, hit him in the jaw and pushed him to the ground in May.
Both men posted bond after their separate arrests last month and are slated to appear in Oktibbeha County Justice Court on Sept. 15.
Wynn specifically targeted Myles’ because of his leadership position, saying the board’s decision compromised the reputation and integrity of the consolidated school district. She went on to commend Brand for his lone opposition to the vote.
“It is my belief that (Myles) has failed to lead effectively in his role as (school) board president,” she said.
While the board of aldermen appoints three of the five school board seats, attorney Chris Latimer, when prompted by Wynn, said it does not have authority to remove trustees.
A similar call for resignations was made by Oktibbeha County NAACP Chairman Chris Taylor following last week’s school board decision. Then, he said all three members who supported the personnel move should be replaced.
Taylor asked aldermen Tuesday to “make sure the next school board appointee has the community’s best interest at heart.”
“There are a number of citizens in the community that have indicated they have lost much respect and confidence in the board of trustees. For a school district to grow and be prosperous, it must have the support of its community,” Perkins said. “It’s imperative the decisions made by the board of trustees are perceived as fair and unbiased, promoting what is best for all stakeholders involved. I implore the board of trustees…to make decisions that will promote a very fair, healthy and united city, county and school district.”
After last week’s decision, Coble said an internal investigation “uncovered a conflict between neighbors that has escalated beyond a dispute.”
SOCSD Assistant Superintendents Toriano Holloway and Jody Woodrum have led the district in Lewis Holloway’s absence and will continue to do so through his suspension.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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