Coffee County board elects Miss Freda K. Jones as chair; vice-chair vote postponed amid signature-card concerns

The Coffee County Board of Education elected Miss Freda K. Jones as chair for the remainder of the term and approved payroll and essential disbursements in unanimous votes, while leaving the vice-chair selection for the June meeting.

Board member Robert F. Gilley nominated Miss Freda K. Jones for chair and nominated himself for vice chair, saying, "I move that we nominate Miss Freda K. Jones as chairman of the Coffee County Board of Education and myself, Robert F. Gilley as vice chair." A colleague seconded the nomination and the board moved to close nominations and proceed; the chair then transferred duties to the newly elected chair.

The decision comes after trustees and district staff raised a practical urgency: the district’s bank signature card lists only the chair as an authorized signatory. The board heard from a representative of the comptroller’s office, who said the trustee's office had advised that the signature card must be updated to allow routine nonpayroll payments. The representative said, "we were told to halt on all things except for emergency payments," and explained that payroll and critical payables already processed were necessary to keep district operations running.

To address immediate cash-flow needs while the signature card is updated, the board reviewed disbursements made since the former chair’s resignation and approved them by a 6-0 vote. The board then approved a standing list of essential disbursements — payroll, utilities and other necessary items — again by a 6-0 vote, with the chair voting aye.

Trustees debated whether to elect a vice chair at the same time as the chair or to handle the positions separately. Two members were nominated for vice chair, Robert F. Gilley and Mr. Hansard, and members voted at the table; several trustees noted not all board members were present. Given the absent members, the board agreed to place the vice-chair election on the June agenda so the full board could participate.

During the meeting a trustee requested that the meeting video be circulated to all members and asked for a follow-up review into "potential breaches in the Sunshine Law on prior discussions of today's meeting with some board members." The chair said she would ensure absent trustees receive the recording and asked them to watch it before the next meeting.

The board adjourned after the votes and agreed to revisit the vice-chair election and any follow-up on policy or Sunshine Law questions at the next regular meeting.

The meeting record does not specify dollar totals for the disbursements; the comptroller’s representative described them as routine payroll and necessary payables. The board said it expects the signature-card update to be processed through trustees’ offices possibly by the end of next week.