School board on trial

More than 1,400 Burke County citizens placed four school board members on trial Monday night.
Eighty people delivered the indictments during about four hours of public comments. Among them were many students, parents and pastors, lawyers and clerks, small business owners and muscled factory workers, teachers and nurses and children and retirees from age 10 to 90. About a dozen read letters and e-mails from unnamed teachers who said they feared for their jobs if they confronted the school board.
The speakers accused Tracy Norman, Tim Buff, Karen Sain and Rob Hairfield of mismanagement and micromanagement, abuse of power and pursuing personal agendas, misallocation of taxpayers' dollars, intimidation of teachers, driving off administrators they didn't like, unlawful breach of the superintendent's contract, racism, "trampling the First Amendment" and — most serious of all in many people's minds — putting three high schools at risk of losing accreditation.
The high schools' accrediting organization, known by its initials as SACS CASI, notified the school superintendent last week about troublesome reports concerning the school board and some of its individual members.
Speakers repeatedly warned that losing accreditation could make it harder for students to get admission to colleges and universities and to win scholarships. Several also said having unaccredited schools would make it harder for the county to attract new businesses and jobs.
Among the board members, Rob Hairfield drew the most criticism for circulating a racist joke via e-mail.
More than a dozen speakers demanded all four board members resign immediately.
And more than twice that number insisted that the school board immediately reinstate Superintendent David Burleson, whose contract the board voted to terminate effective June 30.
Through it all, the six board members — including Sam Wilkinson and Buddy Armour, who many speakers carefully separated from their criticisms of "the board" — sat on stage in Patton High School's auditorium. They showed little reaction, as required by meeting guidelines hammered out last week in an extraordinary confrontation between Norman and city and county leaders. Buff kept his chin up. Armour occasionally, but rarely, nodded agreement with a speaker's remarks. Sain often seemed to have a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Hairfield and Wilkinson listened intently.
Norman divided her attention between the speakers and a school secretary, standing at the back of the room, who timed each speaker's allotted three minutes.
Many times, Norman quietly interrupted people, saying, "Your time is up."
"So is yours, sister," Jane Sohovich snapped back.
The crowd was well-behaved. Morganton Public Safety and the Burke County Sheriff's Office had about 20 officers on duty. Chief Mark Tolbert and Sheriff John McDevitt said there were no reportable incidents.
The crowd several times leaped to its feet to give standing ovations to Burleson, Armour and Wilkinson and some of the most rousing speakers. But the audience never interrupted the speakers. People booed only once, when the board members took their seats. Catcalls were rare. Applause was hearty, but brief after Norman made it clear she'd count it as part of the next speaker's time.
Perhaps no one received more generous applause than student Alex Tilley. Reading his prepared remarks slowly and deliberately — he stumbled over only one or two words — Tilley ran out of time.
About 20 minutes later, Tull Harris came to the podium. First she gave the board an object lesson in how to behave quietly and respectfully. That's how she asked the crowd to rise to its feet, en masse, and to then quietly and respectfully sit down.
Harris then yielded the rest of her time to "that young man" (Tilley), who quickly stepped to the podium and finished his remarks in about 15 seconds. His effort brought enthusiastic applause.
Not very many people spoke quietly. Some shook with anger. Some fought back tears, but plunged ahead anyway. Others raised the roof. Attorney John Ervin, the Rev. Flemon Macintosh Jr., Christopher Dale, Tong Yang (speaking for Burke County's large Hmong community), Linda Croom, Ron Lasalle, Katy Searcy, Jeff Toner and other brought the crowd to its feet.
There wasn't much humor. Marjorie Ervin probably drew the most laughter (and loud murmurs of agreement) when she chided Norman and Sain for chewing gum and setting a bad example.
Some people saw some good coming out of the weeks of controversy swirling around the school board. Tanner Anderson said he'd learned a lot about community organizing. Toner said the county's residents had learned to never again elect unqualified people to the school board.
Daniel Turbeville, who came to the meeting although his daughter was in the hospital with his wife, first accused the four members of selling out their souls for their personal agenda.
"But we have something to thank you for," he continued. "You have united this county ... for education."
Monday's crowd filled Patton's 600-seat auditorium, the 300-seat cafeteria and row upon row in the gymnasium.
When Patton's parking lots overflowed, police directed motorists to nearby Liberty Middle School.