Community Wants Answers: School Board Tries to Shut Them Down

By PJ Martin

Editor, The Herald-News

 

The Metcalfe County Board of Education held its regular meeting last Tuesday evening, but it was anything but regular. The board room was crowded with parents, families, former students, and residents wanting answers as to why the high school Ag teacher, Harley Hawkins McIntyre, was let go on May 15^th at the end of the school year.

Also, pink-slipped was coach Buddy Brockman, who now has a new position as the assistant principal at Cumberland County Schools.

Once all the formalities of the board’s agenda were completed, the floor was opened for public comments. The people who registered to speak were limited to a mere 5 minutes each.

A citizen, Jason Costello, was first on the list, but politely asked if he could switch his time with Harley Hawkins McIntyre, whom the people were there to represent, and Chairman Daniel Glass hesitated, then allowed it.

McIntyre, a 6-year Agriculture teacher, stated that she had tenure at Warren East High in Bowling Green, but when the opportunity came for an Ag teacher position at Metcalfe, she took the position to come back home.

“From the day I was hired, and my contract date started on July 1, 2025, Eaton (Principal) and I have not seen eye to eye on small and petty things.”

She continued to speak about the things used as a means to validate her being let go. None of which seemed all that consequential.

Per McIntyre, her classes were reviewed by Eaton and Crowe (previous vice principal) during the year, and she never received a bad evaluation on her teaching or lesson plan, and was never placed on corrective action.

McIntyre stated that a comment made during a meeting with Superintendent Josh Hurt has stayed in her mind throughout this. “He asked me what the most important job was for a teacher who is on a probationary status for non-tenure. Naturally, I assumed the answer would be teaching students, building relationships, maintaining a quality classroom, or helping kids succeed, but that wasn’t his answer. The answer I was given was to keep your supervisor happy.”

At that, the people in the room reacted loudly with disbelief and negative comments.

McIntyre then continued, “I’ve never believed in kissing somebody’s hind end to get ahead in life. I believe in working hard, standing up for what I believe in, and doing what is best for the students even when it is not always the easiest path. If that is a problem, then maybe it says more about this system than it does about me.

Why would you get rid of someone who has helped the Ag Program flourish and achieve success in more contests in one year than we have in many years? And I have a couple of questions. When my family spoke with board members, we were told they had no power. If that is true, then why do we have a board? Simply for appearances, or do they actually have a meaningful role in decisions that affect our school?

Second, Josh Hurt, when family and I met with you on May 15^th after I was told I would not be renewed, you looked at me and said not to worry, the position would not be cut, and there would still be two Ag teachers…”

At that moment, board chairman Daniel Glass interrupted her and said her time was up. Other speakers offered to give her their five minutes, but Glass repeated, “We’ll ask for the next one, please.”

Next, Jason Costello was given five minutes to speak; however, he was told by Glass, “We do have a policy on attacking individuals.”

Upon beginning with, “I can tell you how Mr. Eaton is as a vice principal. Locked my daughter in his office one day,” while motioning to Eaton standing just feet away, he asked him, “Do you remember that?”

At that, Glass shouted, “Hey! Hey!” and Costello tried to ask a question, and Glass said, “Would you be seated? …Be civil.”

Costello, who was posing no threat, calmly continued, “So, do you fire school teachers that are dangerous, yes or no? Did you fire a school teacher for harsh language? Did you let him be fired at the end of the year instead of at the incident? You know who I’m talking about. So y’all let this guy teach the whole time, be part of it, and then wait until the end of the year and fire him.”

The people in attendance understood he was referring to Coach Brockman’s termination.

At that moment, board member Bell interrupted, “I make a motion to adjourn.” This was followed by a second from Reece, and then Glass asked for any discussion and a vote, to which a mumbled yah was barely audible. “That’s it…,” Glass said.

That was met with a flurry of voices in disagreement from those present. Then Kathy Thompson requested that the others be allowed to talk, and Bell replied, “Kathy, we don’t allow rudeness.”

So, as Costello moved to sit down, Bell could be heard saying, “That’s your middle name.” Despite being officially adjourned, the meeting resumed, and they called Patricia Shive, Miranda’s mother, to speak. Shive fought back tears while she related that her child, in high school, was left sitting on the bench during softball games while an 8^th-grade student played every game. She stated, “So I went to Hurt… and she told Miranda that if either one of her parents came to her the next year ‘if she played,’ that she could just turn in her uniform.”

To put that in context, Deana Hurt is the softball coach and the wife of Superintendent Josh Hurt.

Shive then presented each board member a paper with her list of what needs to change and a document to not play 8^th graders on high school teams. She stated, “I went to Mr. Eaton three times. All I got is she didn’t mean it… And that’s on you all. Mr. Eaton, I want to thank you for shoving it under the rug.”

After the crowd applauded her, Glass spoke. “Does anybody have anything to speak on that’s not personnel? By KRS statute, the board has no (voice faded) at all. We can’t get involved. That’s KRS law.”

Mrs. Buddy Brockman, a now former 8^th-grade math teacher, took the podium and said that being there would not change what had happened to her family. “I hope by speaking honestly my words might encourage reflection. That’s what I ask for and perhaps create positive change to the future of Metcalfe County Schools.”

She said, while crying, that after her husband’s termination, she reached out to administrators, central office, and board members, and not one stated they valued her and wanted her to stay. Most didn’t even respond. “Our concerns did not matter.”

There were several former students of Mrs. McIntyre’s from Warren East High who drove to the meeting in support of her, and many of them spoke on her behalf.

One lady, Kathy Thompson, who ran in the last school board election, spoke up. “The buck stops with you, sir. (pointing at the Superintendent) You know it does. So, you’ve sat there at your position all these years, and everybody else has lost their position. I can’t help it. Something has to change. You chose a football field over education.”

After her, there were so many business owners, parents, students, and community members who all wanted to speak on McIntyre’s behalf. Almost every one of them told of the great things she did for their children or siblings in the FFA program.

While those people spoke, the body language of the board seemed indifferent, some appearing to listen, some not at all. The superintendent was leaning back in his chair, quiet, appearing relaxed and showing no emotion.

After the last person spoke, Glass informed everyone that the next meeting would be Tuesday, July 19^th, and then adjourned the meeting a second time.

Link to KRS school board duties: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=3700

Link to KRS specific to firing or ending a teacher’s contract:

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=48640