Divisions among members of the Loudon County Board of Education continued Thursday, Oct. 14.  Chairman Scott Newman addressed issues that had arisen in the Sept. 9 meeting, when Gary Ubben, board member, voiced concerns about violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Law.

"At last month's board meeting, Mr. Ubben made a series of accusations that I found unprofessional and almost slanderous..." Newman said. "I am sorry to bring this up. I know it is frustrating for employees to have to hear us discuss this garbage every month."

Newman referred to the first agenda item addressed at the September meeting, the director's contract. 

Ubben, who had headed the director's evaluation committee, said he had been notified that several pre-planned actions were lined up for the meeting. "I had several phone calls this week from concerned citizens of Loudon County about what they had heard about what was going to happen tonight in Mr. Honeycutt's contract," Ubben had said. 

He continued, "... The theme seemed to be the same of the four or five people I spoke with this week, that there was a group of board members who had made some decisions on their own ... I guess that there was a plan set for what we were going to do tonight. The plan had four major parts in it and they seemed to be consistent among those individuals who called me. The first was that we were going to vote tonight and there seemed to be a majority not to renew Mr. Honeycutt's contract. The second thing I was told by the group was that there would be an effort tonight to remove Mr. Honeycutt by trying to buy out his contract or by moving him to a new position.  The third thing that was supposed to be happening was that one of the principals in Loudon County had already been selected to fill the Director's Position should they be successful with the first one.

"The last thing, - and I thought this was a little humorous since I am vice-chair and since our tradition has been to move the vice chair to chair the following year - was that there was a distrust of me that I would not go along with the plan, so they would ask Scottie Newman to stay on as chair for another year.

Ubben had concluded, "Now, if these things are true, and we will begin to find out in a few minutes if they are or not, it seems like there is a gross violation of the Open Meetings Law and if that stuff takes place then I think it is evident that that is what has happened."

Newman had decried and disputed the comments by Ubben.

At the October meeting, Newman had said he had received a phone call from Bill Marcus, who had echoed the comments made by Ubben. "I told Marcus I couldn't speak for the board, just myself, and I didn't know how they were going to vote."

He said the "tactic" was one Ubben had employed two years ago, when there was a controversial move to make Fort Loudoun Middle School a K-12 attendance center.

"We have voted to implement this Ethics Committee, and I expect Mr. Ubben to file a complaint or publicly apologize," Newman said. He adjourned the meeting when Ubben made no                                comment.

Earlier at Thursday's meeting, committee appointments were among several routine policy matters on which the board had voted.

After the meeting, Newman said the ethics committee included Craig Simon, William Jenkins and attorney Brian Nichols. "I thought it was appropriate that there be somebody on the committee to help us do right, an attorney."

Newman said the allegations by Ubben had been untrue, and he felt compelled to address the comments. "I have been in law enforcement for years, and I take it personally when somebody accuses me of breaking the law," he said. "I don't know why we can't come together and act like a bunch of adults."