BOE picks McMillan to serve as chair

McMillan, left, Harris, right

As my colleague Jim Matheny noted in his story last night: “What a difference less than a year makes when it comes to the direction of the Knox County school board.”

School board member Mike McMillan went from odd man out to BMIC.

On Wednesday, the board (5-4) voted him in to serve as its chairman for the next year.

All this despite the PR stunts, the media manipulation attempts, the intimidation emails and whatever else I missed.

McMillan last December was the lone dissenting vote (8-1) to extend Superintendent Jim McIntyre’s contract. Now, he’s in what appears to be a 5-member majority voting bloc that doesn’t like the direction the school system is headed.

Folks, change this dramatic doesn’t happen because the community is happy.

That said, both sides should tread cautiously.

The majority, which has opposed the ways teachers are currently evaluated and students are tested, is precarious, at best, in power right now as another election nears. They certainly should continue to ask question, but also work with the other four.

(Just because the administration comes up with an idea, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad one.)

The same goes to the folks on Wednesday’s losing side of the vote. Look what happened when you didn’t work with the odd man out.

In the meantime, congratulations to McMillan and newly-elected vice chairman, Doug Harris.

Here’s Matheny’s story from last night, RIGHT SMACK HERE.