Joplin R-8 School Board candidate failed to pay taxes

During the Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidate forum Monday night at Corley Auditorium on the Missouri Southern State University campus, candidate Shawn McGrew had no problem fielding a question on school finances from KOAM reporter Lisa Olliges.

"A huge part of what we're responsible for is fiscal responsibility for taxpayer dollars," McGrew said, beginning his answer. He ended by noting again that "fiscal responsibility is what we have to be focused on."

McGrew's assessment was correct, but documents on file in Jasper County Circuit Court  indicate McGrew, who wants to be elected to a position where he would be responsible for millions of dollars, has had problems with his own finances.

The Missouri Department of Revenue slapped Nathan Shawn McGrew with a tax lien on August 23, 2013, according to court records. The document says McGrew owed $1,246.14- $1,236.19 for unpaid 2009 personal income taxes and a $9.95 penalty.

An October 28, 2013, filing from the Department of Revenue's Collection Enforcement division indicates McGrew paid what he owed.

The income tax lien was not the only financial problem the board candidate faced in 2013, according to the court documents. Judge Richard Copeland awarded Mid-America Accounts Control Bureau, a collection agency, a $735.96 judgment against McGrew on May 14, 2013. That included $460 McGrew owed and $275.96 in interest. In addition, McGrew was charged $318 for court costs, including sheriff's fees and process server fees.

Court records show McGrew's wages at Freeman Health were garnished until the judgment was satisfied on November 1, 2013.

Huff to Jet 14 audience: I have no shame whatsoever in how we handled our funds

When you have Jet 14 and endless reruns, you do not even need to accept money from the Joplin Progress Committee.

During the last 10 minutes of the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting, which ended moments ago and was televised live on taxpayer-supported Jet 14, Superintendent C. J. Huff spent time praising the work done by the Board, including, of course (but not mentioned by name) Board President Jeff Flowers and Randy Steele, who happen to be running for re-election in the April 8 election.

The speech, something Huff said he just had to say, came at the end of the meeting and addressed many of the items that were brought up, and not handled well, by Flowers and Steele at last night's candidate forum.

Huff addressed the 8 to 10 percent fund balance, which has been criticized (and which one board member said a few moments ago may dip down to seven percent) and said the board had done what was necessary to keep school going and that everything was done for the children.

"I have no shame whatsoever in how we handled our funds," Huff said.

The superintendent indicated that you have to be on the inside to understand how school finances work. "It's hard for the community to understand."

The handling of the district's finances under the Huff Administration was a target of board candidates Jeff Koch and Debbie Fort during the candidate forum, even though Huff was never mentioned by name.

While Huff's impassioned defense of the board's handling of money centered around the completion of the new buildings and paying for facilities for the students to attend school while those buildings were under construction, the superintendent never mentioned the main areas of overspending that were attacked by Mrs. Fort and Koch.

Not once did he mention that staffing at the Central Administration office has tripled since he became superintendent, a fact that Mrs. Fort cited, and one which can be verified by examining Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education records.

 Nor did Huff talk about the increased travel, including nearly $100,000 hopscotching the nation on a thank-you tour. Jeff Flowers told the Joplin Globe last year that all of Huff's travel had been approved by the Board of Education.

Other travel has included trip after trip to one seminar and conference after another with many teachers missing numerous days. Mrs. Fort noted Monday night that one of her teachers was pulled out of class for 40 days, nearly one out of every four-and-a-half days of school, to attend administration-mandated seminars.

Also left unaddressed by Huff was the addition of layer after layer of lower-level administrators or quasi-administrators, such as the teaching/learning coaches, 21st Century coaches, and career pathway directors, none of whom are in the classroom working with children.

During the board forum, David Guilford and Mrs. Fort ripped into the board for its lack of transparency. Huff also addressed that criticism. "We're very transparent," Huff said, though he gave no examples to counter the criticisms leveled by Guilford and Mrs. Fort.

Huff attempted to give answers to questions that left Flowers and Steele stumped the previous evening.

Essentially, with an election that started with a slumber party at the Administration Building, with board members using their own keys to allow themselves and Administration-favored candidates to wait in a warm building, using district wireless technology and other amenities, and which is scheduled to end with a perfectly timed election morning thank-you breakfast at East Middle School for Bright Futures volunteers, C. J Huff has once again shown a willingness to use taxpayer-supported facilities to get what he wants.

Debbie Fort's tornado statement nowhere to be found in Joplin Globe coverage

No statement drew as much attention Monday night during the Joplin R-8 Board of Education Candidate Forum than Debbie Fort's response to incumbent board member Randy Steele's attempt to blame high teacher turnover in the Joplin School District on the tornado.

"I am sick to death of blaming the tornado," she said.

While her statement was specifically in response to a question about teacher turnover and she offered other, more logical causes for the mass exit of teachers from the district, Debbie Fort said the words that many people have been thinking for a long time- it is time to stop using the tornado as a crutch for everything.

It has been used as an excuse not only for high teacher turnover, but also for incredible overspending of taxpayer money and for sweeping changes that seem to be designed more for show than for actual educational value.

With that one sentence, Debbie Fort sounded a "stop the nonsense" rallying cry that was easily the top moment in the one hour forum.

Naturally, the quote did not make today's Joplin Globe coverage.

To be fair, reporter Emily Younker did hit some of the other high points of the forum, including Board President Jeff Flowers' comment "I think we're open and honest in everything we do," and David Guilford's retort that the board's policy on public comment is "closing the door completely on the taxpayer. I think it's wrong and it's very detrimental to our district and our students."

So why didn't Debbie Fort's comment make the pages of the area's newspaper of record?

Sadly, no entity has been move invested in prolonging the story of Joplin's continued suffering from the tornado than the Joplin Globe.

My guess is Emily Younker had no idea how Debbie Fort's line would resonate with the public.

Joplin R-8 Board set to approve $14.5 million expansion of early childhood program

When the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meets Tuesday night, it is expected to commit to an expansion of the early childhood program which will cost an estimated $9 to $14 million.

The commitment is coming at a time when the district reserve level is dangerously low and expected to bottom out at eight percent, according to the strategic plan which the board approved last year.

According to the fiscal note provided in the Board of Education documentation, prepared by Director of Special Services Lisa Orem and signed off on by Superintendent C. J. Huff, the funding will come through "a combination of local, state, federal, FEMA 404 safe room, funding, Community Development Block Grant funding, and foundation grants."

The report says "the estimated cost of the facility is between $9.5 and $14.5 million depending upon capacity and available funds."

But, of course, it might cost more.

"The district may have some upfront, one-time expenditures for bricks and mortar. For example, the district required 25 percent match for the 404 safe room."

The expansion of the program is justified by Ms. Orem and Huff at the beginning of the report:

"Since the May 22 tornado, the need for quality early childhood programs has grown exponentially. According to Child Care Aware, the City of Joplin had 67 licensed daycares in the community. Today there are only 30. Quality childcare programs are an essential infrastructure component for the redevelopment of our community. Young families cannot move to a community where affordable early childhood programming is not available.

"It is well documented that early intervention programs during those critical early years is essential to children entering kindergarten ready to learn. Sadly, in Joplin, over 50 percent of children entering kindergarten lack the necessary skills to be successful in school. This creates a significant skill gap between children ready to learn and those who are not. Early intervention is essential to remediating this issue long term. Additionally, the research clearly indicates a profound lifelong impact on children who attend high quality pre-schools vs. children who do not. Therefore, the need is great for the Joplin Schools to pool available resources to support early childhood education."

The Board of Education will be asked to pass a resolution committing the district to the expansion.

(My apologies: The original headline for this post noted half a million dollars in technology additions. I decided to write about that in a later post, but I neglected to change the headline.)

Joplin Globe guest columnist: Morale low in Joplin R-8 because teachers know they are failures

In his latest effort to play a key role in the Joplin R-8 Board of Education race, frequent Joplin Globe guest columnist Anson Burlingame blames low morale and high turnover in the school district on incompetent teachers. In a section of his latest blog, Burlingame, directing his attack at board candidates Debbie Fort and Jeff Koch, makes the case that we should elect them since he describes the school district as a "failing organization" and who in the world would want to elect board candidates who have been there for the past eight years or ones who are backing the current administration:

My simple point, one learned over a life time of professional experience is that good performance, great performance, where it counts breeds superior morale. On the other hand, failing organizations have very low morale and people bail out of such organizations all the time, seeking greener grass on the other side of the fence.

I also note from past experience that when people complain about poor morale, they usually mean their own morale. And their morale is driven by a deep sense of failing to measure up to good standards. They are simply afraid of being fired for poor performance and lay that blame on supervisors, certainly not their own obvious shortcomings in a professional venue.

Burlingame appears to be labeling the Joplin R-8 School District as a "failing organization," but lays none of the blame on the administrators.

That goes along with some of the statements made by Superintendent C.J. Huff, who initially said that teachers were leaving the district because their spouses had found jobs elsewhere and when that ridiculous statement did not hold up, he began claiming that some of the teachers could not live up to his high standards. That is an interesting statement since many of those who have left were hired since Huff became superintendent.

How Jeff Flowers and the Joplin R-8 Board of Education shield themselves from the people

(The following post originally ran on the August 22, 2013, Inside Joplin website. It came shortly after the Joplin Globe ran an article rubber stamping the hoops that the C. J. Huff Administration and the Joplin R-8 Board of Education make people go through in order to address problems.)

The Joplin Globe uncovered one of the biggest stories going on in Missouri education in its Sunday edition, but apparently never realized the importance of what it found.

In a story buried toward the back end of section A, the Globe proved that the people’s access to school boards all over this area (and it is also true across the state) is extremely limited and often non-existent.

Of course, that evidence came up in what appeared to be a Globe effort to show that the barriers the Joplin R-8 Board of Education and administration place in front of those who want to address the board are not unusual (everyone does it), so there is no problem.

Brent Ghan of the Missouri School Boards Association, which provides help to districts in forming policy, said that is the way things should be done.

That is the problem. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the Joplin Globe to do any more stories on this astounding discovery. It is not going to happen. Now that the Globe is satisfied that the R-8 Board of Education is right in the hoops it requires citizens to jump through to talk to the board, it will likely not be mentioned again, or only mentioned in passing.

To review, this is what you have to do to talk to the board:

1. You have to register in advance.

2. You can only talk about items that are already on the agenda and are up for a vote.

3. Even if you meet those criteria, You still have to be approved by the president of the board of education and Superintendent C. J. Huff.

4. If you do manage to get on the agenda, you are limited to three minutes, which can be a daunting chore if you have an opposing point of view to something being pushed by an administrator who just took 20 minutes explaining a subject. And you will be cut off if you reach the three minutes.

Consequently, you do not hear many citizens addressing the board unless they have been invited to talk about something that will impress the audience that catches the meeting on Jet 14 or YouTube.

Does it make for faster, more organized meetings? Certainly. Those with problems and those who have dissenting views from those held by the board and administration could easily throw a monkey wrench in the way of perfect planning.

But contrary to the impression the board gives and one that is pushed by the Missouri School Boards Association, the Joplin R-8 Board of Education is not the board of directors of a Fortune 500 business. Its time belongs to the people.

In the Globe article, Board President Jeff Flowers noted that all of the board members’ phone numbers and e-mail addresses are listed and they are all accessible to the people. This is the same Jeff Flowers who told the district’s principals last spring that they were not to bring any problems to him. If they had problems, Flowers said, the principals were to take them to “that man,” referring to C. J. Huff. Statements were also made following the board’s recent retreat that that it had emerged determined not to get involved in day-to-day problems of parents and just stick to policy making.

It was noted in the Globe story that people with problems should take them through channels. That is the proper approach in most cases, but if you have talked with a teacher, a principal, and C. J. Huff and you are still not satisfied, you should have access to the Board of Education. And what if your problem is with C. J. Huff?

Undeniably, being on a board of education is a thankless job and those who volunteer their time and run for a seat should be commended. That being said, somewhere along the line, in an effort to remove the possibility of board members who meddle in everything and those who are pushing their own agendas, Missouri school boards, most especially the one in Joplin, have created clubs that meet once a month to rubber stamp whatever their administrators put before them.

The story that should have been in Sunday’s Joplin Globe was the start of a movement to take back the people’s agenda, something that should be taking place not only in Joplin, but across this state. The Globe noted that the movement was started by high school students, but what it failed to note, surprisingly, since the reporter interviewed some of the parents who attended last Friday night’s meeting, was the parental involvement.

Of course, if the involvement of parents had been mentioned, the Globe might have had to concede that there truly is a problem in the Joplin R-8 School District, and as we have seen in other recent articles, including the one on the large number of teachers who are leaving the district, the Globe wants to make sure that everyone knows things are running smoothly at 32nd and Duquesne.

Perhaps the Joplin R-8 Board of Education is not the only entity that needs to have its agenda examined.

Ethics Commission report shows Lynda Banwart committee terminated

No explanation is given or any documents shown, but the Missouri Ethics Commission website shows that the Lynda Banwart for School Board Committee has been terminated only one day after its statement of organization was filed.

Other than the statement of organization, the committee's only filing had been a 48-hour report indicating Mrs. Banwart's husband, Dr. J. Christopher Banwart, had contributed $13,400 to his wife's campaign.

The Joplin Progress Committee has also reported giving $1,000 to the Banwart campaign.

Carthage R-9 School Board member arrested for DWI

For the second time in less than a month, a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper has arrested a Jasper County board of education member for driving while intoxicated in Newton County.

Online Highway Patrol records show that Dr. Mark Westhoff, 56, Carthage, a member of the Carthage R-9 Board of Education, was pulled over at 3:33 a.m. today, but not without some difficulty.

In addition to the misdemeanor DWI charge, Westhoff was cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle displaying red and blue lights and siren and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway.

At one time, Westhoff was board president. His term expires in April 2016.

On February 4, Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Phil Willcoxon was cited for driving while intoxicated and speeding. Willcoxon's arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, in Newton County Circuit Court.

R-8 Board member Randy Steele to KZRG: We have overspent

In the course of this interview with KZRG, incumbent Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Randy Steele says that one of the biggest problems facing the school district is its dwindling reserves. "We have overspent," Steele said. Unfortunately, KZRG never asks the follow-up questions- How have you overspent? How much have your overspent? Steele also brings up the problem of hanging on to good teachers, but KZRG does not ask why more than 200 teachers have left the district in the past two years. From what I am hearing, there will be at least another 100 leaving this year and the new Joplin High School will most likely be filled with new, inexperienced teachers.
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April 2 arraignment set for Joplin R-8 Board member on DWI charge

An 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 2, arraignment has been scheduled for Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Phil Willcoxon on charges of driving while intoxicated and exceeding the posted speed limit by 11 to 15 miles per hour.

The hearing will be held in the Division II courtroom with Judge Greg Stremel presiding.

The Missouri Highway Patrol arrested Willcoxon, 47, CEO of the Ozark Center in Joplin and former CEO of Freeman Neosho Hospital, at 9:50 p.m. Friday, February 14 on Coyote Road.

The citation indicates that Willcoxon exceeded the blood alcohol content, though it does not indicate by how much.

The DWI charge was a misdemeanor. Online court records do not indicate any previous marks on Willcoxon's record.

Willcoxon has served two three-year terms on the Board of Education, first being elected in April 2008. He did not choose to seek a third term.

Tina Smith: This is how we're going to raise employee morale at Joplin R-8

Newly-minted Chief Operating Officer Tina Smith just told the Joplin R-8 Board of Education about a new program designed to improve morale among district staff.

At a time when it appears that the district may lose more than 100 teachers for the third year in a row, Mrs. Smith introduced the "Eagle of the Week" program.

One employee will be spotlighted each Monday on the district website, she said. "We knew we needed to do a better job of recognizing our staff on a regular basis."

The Eagle of the Week winner will receive dinner for four at a local restaurant and have his or her photo taken.

That should keep any more teachers from resigning.

Joplin Progress Committee tops board candidate Shawn McGrew's contributors

Shawn McGrew, seeking his first term on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education, received $1,050 in contributions by the end of the reporting period, according to his 40-day-before-election report, filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Out of that amount, $1,000 came from the Joplin Progress Committee, with McGrew contributing the other $50 to his own campaign.

R-8 Board member Randy Steele has $1,495 in campaign account

Incumbent Joplin R-8 Board of Education member has $1,495 in his campaign account, according to his 40-day-before-election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

One thousand of that came from the special interest group, the Joplin Progress Committee, another $200 from Tom and Jeany Franz, TJ Franz Associates, Webb City, with the remaining $325 coming from unnamed sources who gave less than $100 apiece, according to the report.

Steele had spent $30 of the money at the end of the reporting period.

We don't know who is giving money to Jeff Flowers

If you have not read the earlier Turner Report post detailing who gave money to the powerful Joplin Progress Committee, you would only know who gave Joplin R-8 Board of Education President Jeff Flowers $200 out of the $2,240 he has received.

That is all of the information provided in the 40-days-before-election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The Joplin Progress Committee provided Flowers with $1,000 of that, while Judy Priddy, Joplin, gave $200.

The rest of the money, $1,040, came from unnamed persons who gave Flowers less than $100 apiece, according to the disclosure document. The law does not require that each of those people be listed, but most candidates in local level races do so.

Joplin Progress Committee pours $14,000 into local races, including $1,000 from KC bank

The campaign accounts of six local candidates received cash infusions from the Joplin Progress Committee, according to a 40-day-before-election report filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The report showed $14,000 going to local candidates, with the bulk of the money, $10,000 going to two Joplin City Council candidates.

In addition to the $5,000 received by both incumbent Mike Seibert and Ryan Stanley, the report shows the four Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidates who are either incumbents or who have been anointed by Superintendent C. J. Huff, Board President Jeff Flowers, board member Randy Steele, and newcomers Shawn McGrew and Lynda Banwart each received $1,000 checks.

Those contributing in varying amounts included the realtor cited in the investigative report by Tom Loraine, a company involved in construction of the new Joplin R-8 school buildings, Sen. Ron Richard, frequent Joplin Globe contributor Anson Burlingame.

The largest contribution to this point is the $1,000 given by the Commerce Bancshares PAC out of Kansas City.

The committee had $10,868.34 at the beginning of the reporting period and has received $10,720 since that time and spent $14,639.49, including $484.47 to the Joplin Globe for advertising.

Those who have contributed to the Joplin Progress Committee since January 1 are listed below:

Steve Koelkebeck, Diamond, SMB $500
Cynthia Schwab, retired, Joplin, $500
Commerce Bancshares PAC, Kansas City $1,000
Kenneth Caviness, Joplin, Vintage Stock, $500
Nancy Morton, Joplin, retired, $500
Infinity Publishing Group, Webb City, $500
Rodney Spriggs, Joplin, Vintage Stock, $500
Audie Dennis, Webb City, Boyd Metals, $250
Charles Kuehn III, Joplin, Four State Homes, $500
Pamela Kuehn, Joplin, Four State Homes, $500
Stephen Barnett, Joplin Printing Company, $250
Robert Morton, Joplin, Zimmer US Inc. $250
Joseph Newman, Joplin, Freeman Health, $500
Carpe Diem Investments, Joplin, $500
Kraft Insurance Agency, Joplin, $500
Michael Pence, Joplin, retired, $250
Joy Cragin, Joplin, retired $25
Janet Burlingame, Joplin, retired, $10
Leland Browne, Joplin, retired, $25.
James Hicklin, Joplin, Abbey Title Company, $500
John Hale, Joplin, retired, $300
Joplin Professional Pharmacy, Inc. $250
Anson Burlingame, Joplin, retired, $10
Ivan Crossland, Columbus, Kan., Crossland Construction, $500
Credit Cars of Joplin, $500
Commttee to Elect Ron Richard $500
Gwen Delano, Joplin, works for Ron Richard, $100
Robert Willcoxon, Joplin, retired, $500

Those who contributed during the last quarter of 2013 included the following:

Clifford Wert, Webb City, $500

Jane Cage, Joplin, $500

Paula Baker, Joplin, Freeman Health, $500

Veri Properties, LLC, Carl Junction, $500

Brad Beecher, Carl Junction, Empire District Electric Company, $500

Sharon Beshore, Joplin, retired, $500

Dr. Lance Beshore, Joplin, Leggett & Platt, $500

Michael Wiggins, Webb City, Granny Shaffer's Restaurant, $500

Sara Newman, Joplin, retired, $500

Karen Platt, Carl Junction, Choice Marketing, $500

Jerrod Hogan, American Engineering, Inc. $500

Bennie Crossland, Joplin, Crossland Construction Company, $500

Fred Osborn, Carl Junction, Mercy Hospital, $500

Nancy Good, Joplin, Waco Title, $500

Troy Hill, Joplin, BKD, LLP, $500

Henry Robertson, Jr., Joplin, retired, $500

Joplin Building Material Company, $500

Randy Moore, Joplin, Eagle-Picher, $500

J. Hipple Investments, Carl Junction, $500

Ronald Gates, Joplin, Empire District Electric Company, $250

Gary Pulsipher, Joplin, Mercy Hospital, $500

T. J. Franz and Associates, Webb City, $500

Scott Brothers, Webb City, The Insurance Center, $250

R-8 Board candidate: C. J. Huff has given us "a sense of certainty"

In an article about C. J.. Huff written in the Columbia Missourians' s Vox Magazine, Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidate sings the praises of the superintendent, who will be appearing at "A Night With C. J. Huff" Thursday night in Columbia:

Lynda Banwart, who has two kids enrolled in Joplin schools, says Huff provided a sense of certainty after the tornado by promising to have the schools operational for the 2011-’12 school year. “Everybody needed someone who was that sure of something,” Banwart says. 

Mrs. Banwart is the only person other than Huff who is quoted in the article. She is one of eight candidates for three Board of Education seats.

Joplin R-8 official to teachers: Stay out of school board race

The Joplin R-8 School District Chief Operations Officer Tina Smith, now situated firmly as Superintendent C. J. Huff's right hand man and enforcer, sent an e-mail to teachers last week giving instructions on how they should conduct themselves as far as the Board of Education race is concerned.

Though there have been school board races in the past, no such reminders were issued during the past decade when I worked as a teacher in the district:

We would like to take this opportunity to remind employees that District resources, including, but not limited to, copiers, fax machines, phones and the Joplin Schools' email system are not to be used to urge a vote for or against any candidate, group of candidates or ballot issue. You should not include any information in your publications or materials sent to parents urging people to support or oppose candidates or ballot issues.

Additionally, in regard to School Board Elections, State law prohibits teachers from participating in the management of a campaign for the election or defeat of a member of the Board of Education that employs such teacher.

We encourage our staff members to review the Missouri Revised Statutes and the Board of Education Policies listed at the top of this page.

The following constitute summary guidelines related to campaigns. "Work hours" generally means any time an employee is engaged in the performance of his or her duties as an employee of the district, whether during or outside of regular school hours.

While state law only prohibits teachers from holding management roles in school board campaigns, teachers who talked to the Turner Report said they took Ms. Smith's message as a not-so-subtle warning not to get involved at all or to say anything about the election to anyone.

Interestingly enough, state law does not prohibit superintendents or other administrators from participating in or even managing board of education campaigns.

C. J. Huff: Turner Report story on Bud Sexson is false

Joplin Superintendent C. J. Huff says the Turner Report post on the job status of East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson  is "completely false." In an e-mail sent to East Middle School personnel this morning, Huff took issue with the post and said he and the Joplin R-8 Board of Education are upset about it.

He never said Bud Sexson will be East Middle School principal on opening day of the 2014-2015 school year.

The e-mail message is printed below:

Attached are a couple of posts by former EMS teacher Randy Turner. The posts indicate that the Board of Education is contemplating termination of Mr. Sexson. 

What you need to know is that the report by Mr. Turner is completely false. The Joplin Schools' Board of Education and I were made aware of the posting regarding Mr. Sexson late last night. They are as appalled by the report as I am.

 Please join us in supporting Mr. Sexson during this difficult time.

Bye, bye, Buddy? R-8 Board to vote this month on removing East Middle School principal

When the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meets a week from Tuesday, it will vote on either firing East Middle School Principal Bud Sexson or accepting his resignation.

The choice was offered to Sexson, who has been principal at East, following a closed-door 5-2 vote last month when the board decided whether to retain principals, sources close to the board told the Turner Report. Sexson reportedly initially indicated he would fight to keep his job, but has not found much support in the system.

The move followed a couple of years of steady complaints concerning Sexson's lax discipline, heavy-handed implementation of standards-based grading, and his brusque manner of dealing with parents, the sources said.

Sexson reportedly came to the Joplin school system after being encouraged to apply for the East Middle School post by former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer after Besendorfer forced veteran principal Ron Mitchell to resign following the 2009-2010 school year. Mitchell had been the principal at East during its first year, after serving seven years as South Middle School principal.

Joplin R-8 Board member arrested for drunk driving

The Missouri Highway Patrol arrested Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Philip M. Willcoxon, 47, Joplin, for drunk driving and speeding at 9:50 p.m. Friday night in Newton County.

The charge was a misdemeanor. Online court records do not indicate any previous marks on Willcoxon's record.

Willcoxon, who serves as CEO of the Ozark Center, has served two three-year terms on the Board of Education, first being elected in April 2008. He did not choose to seek a third term.
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