Questions remain about Marshall School Board spending on 2022 investigation | News

On September 19, 2022, the board unanimously hired attorney William “Chip” Adams during a special called meeting. Dozens of parents and staff attended that meeting. At the time, the board said the purpose of the investigation was to examine the overall operations of the Marshall County School District.

“We will have no secrets,” said CEO Randy Travis at the meeting. “We will be as transparent as we legally can be.”

On November 17 of that year, the board announced that Adams’ investigation was complete, but did not formally end it until a meeting on December 15. Prior to that evening’s vote, then-board member Ledonia Williamson resigned (current member Will Coursey was appointed to the post by the board in March 2023), citing concerns about Superintendent Steve Miracle and the high school’s administration. She then left school. Board members also voted that night to pay a $7,925 bill submitted by Adams for his work.

Fast forward to 2024, and parents are still asking the board questions about the purpose of this investigation, its findings, and the items on Adams’ bill.

“Just answer those questions, and the board should be happy to answer those questions, not dodge them like you seem to have done,” Brian Cope told the board during the public hearing on Feb. 15, 2024. Cope’s son, Preston, was one of two Students killed in the 2018 Marshall County High School shooting. “I think our community deserves answers because we haven’t gotten any answers,” he said.

“I think money was just spent that didn’t need to be spent. That’s money that could have been used for the students, their education and their safety,” said Penny Culp, another mother, in a telephone interview with WPSD-TV on May 3.

In an open request from the television station, several documents were requested, some of which were received. Adams’ invoice to the board is included, as is a list of information and documents Adams requested from the district during his month-and-a-half-long investigation: personnel files, evaluations and complaints and/or criminal investigations involving Miracle, principals and employees are involved.

The public records request also asked for Adams’ final report. In a Feb. 22 email, Lori Barrett, public relations coordinator for Marshall County Schools, said the school district could not provide such a report because “no final report was submitted.”

The Tribune-Courier and WPSD-TV asked board members Randy Travis, chairman; Amy Waggoner, Mary Beth Riggs and Darla Doss – all incumbent members at the time of the 2022 investigation – to discuss it during the board’s special April 30 meeting as part of candidate interviews for the district’s new superintendent. Board members never gave a clear answer on whether a final report was available.

“I can say that there are no results that require a final report,” Travis said from his seat in the Marshall County Board of Education hall.

“Whenever an investigation involves staff or students, we must maintain confidentiality. “So we really can’t discuss it,” Wagoner said.

The members were not asked for the names of the staff or students, but only whether a final report was available at all.

“The investigation involved students. That’s why it was rigorous: it involved both students and staff. And that’s what it was about. So we really can’t say exactly what it was,” Travis said.

Adams’ bill, totaling $7,925, was for 51.5 hours of work between September 19, 2022, and October 20, 2022. It lists everything from legal research to attending board meetings to assisting with a multi-day investigation by the Kentucky State Police. Sources within the district said Adams initially billed the board a higher amount, about $12,000. When asked if that happened at their April 30 meeting, Travis confirmed that was the case.

“I thought it was too much money,” Travis said.

The board did not provide an answer as to how the lower number came about or an explanation as to why the district was unable to provide a contract or retention agreement between the board and Adams. A Feb. 22 email from the district to WPSD-TV regarding these documents stated, “…there are no such documents.” Reporters pressed board members on why there was no agreement ahead of the investigation.

“I can’t answer that because it’s part of the investigation,” Travis replied. “All I know is that the bill was presented to us. I found them extremely high. I doubted it and he was kind enough to lower it.”

However, no answer was provided as to how and why a school board can hire an attorney without a written agreement. It is also unclear how Adams was initially contacted by the council. He was present at the special meeting on September 19, 2022, when the council voted to hire him. On the invoice, he lists his attendance: two hours, $300 total. Council members were asked if their first conversation with Adams had occurred at that council meeting.

“You cannot conduct board business unless you attend a meeting,” Wagoner responded at their April 30 meeting. Asked how Adams knew he was attending the meeting, Wagoner said, “I can’t answer that question.”

Adams was appointed to conduct this investigation, even though the board had an attorney: Martin “Marty” W. Johnson.

“Our attorney has decided not to get involved,” Travis said. When asked why, Travis replied, “I really don’t have an answer to that question.”

The Tribune-Courier and WPSD asked Johnson himself why he chose not to participate in the investigation after the board’s special meeting called Tuesday night. His response to this and other questions, as well as more information from our public records request, will appear in our next report.

We also worked to confirm to the Board some of the items listed on Adams’ bill. There is a fee of $600 for four hours. Adams said he cooperated with the Kentucky State Police investigation for several days around October 1, 2022. Another $500 relates to conference calls with Kentucky State Police and others on Oct. 10, 2022. KSP Post 1 Public Affairs Clerk Sarah Burgess confirmed Monday evening that her investigators had communicated with Adams about an investigation into the allegations for not reporting child neglect/abuse during this period. That seems to contradict what Adams told us the night he was hired in September 2022: that children were not in danger. Burgess also said the investigation involved Marshall County Schools employees and board members during that time. The case was closed after KSP said Marshall County District Judge Jack Telle denied multiple requests from KSP investigators to issue an arrest warrant. The Tribune-Courier and WPSD-TV filed an open records request about the case on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, Adams’ staff at his Murray office said he was currently on vacation until Memorial Day. However, Monday morning he was in the office. By phone, Adams said he had no comment because his employer — the Marshall County Board of Education — had not authorized him to speak about the 2022 investigation.

Three seats on the Marshall County School Board are up for re-election this year: District 1, held by Amy Waggoner; District 4, held by Will Coursey; and District 5, held by Mary Beth Riggs. The county clerk’s office said no one had filed to run as of Monday afternoon. Board seats in District 2 – held by Darla Doss – and District 3 – held by Keith “Randy” Travis – are up for re-election in 2026.