Shawn McGrew: Keep your mouth shut and don't talk to the Turner Report

Joplin R-8 Board members need to keep their mouth shut and don't talk to the Turner Report, the newest member, Shawn McGrew, said during a soliloquy at the end of Tuesday night's board meeting.

Though he did not mention this blog by name, the object of McGrew's wrath was clearly a Turner Report post last week which revealed that the board had voted 5-2 to extend Superintendent C. J. Huff's contract through 2018.

The report noted that the vote was 5-2 with McGrew, Board President Anne Sharp, Randy Steele, Lynda Banwart, and Mike Landis voting for the extension and Debbie Fort and Jim Kimbrough casting the dissenting votes.

Citing administration sources, it also noted that the extension was pushed by Sharp, despite the fact that the board had no idea of what the conclusions of the state audit were going to be, other than Huff telling them continually that everything is okay.

"None of that information should have gone out," McGrew said. "That could have only come from one of us.

"We are not giving a clear, consistent message."

While it is important that the board engage in "a health dialogue" during its open and closed sessions, McGrew said, "when the vote is made, we all have to support that decision."

McGrew, who was appointed four months ago to take the place of Dawn Sticklen, who resigned after transferring her daughter to Webb City High School, is not running in the April election.