Former school board president responds to audit of Hickman Mills district

About halfway through a Hickman Mills school board candidate forum Monday night, the moderator directed the discussion toward the topic everyone figured would be coming:

The state audit, unveiled a week ago, with its litany of no-bid contracts, wasted funds and board mismanagement.

The person with the most explaining to do was Breman Anderson Jr., one of three incumbents vying against seven challengers on the April ballot.

While the nine candidates at the forum described mostly “shock,” “disappointment” and their remedies for rebuilding trust, Anderson praised the audit for its thoroughness and said, “I accept full responsibility for the board actions.”

He defended his decisions as board president during most of the time the audit took place in 2012 and 2013.

The board needed to find a new superintendent for a district with only provisional accreditation, he said.

Anderson was also concerned about how to address some $200,000 that retired Superintendent Marge Williams was claiming in unused vacation and sick leave.

The audit brought him under fire as it detailed several no-bid contracts with vendors — some of which Anderson refused to provide the auditors until they issued a court subpoena.

Confidential personnel issues were involved, Anderson said, and he believed the board needed outside resources. He said he also had to be careful about divulging sensitive information.

The auditor said the board mismanaged the search process that would bring in Superintendent Dennis Carpenter, paying the search firm more than necessary and creating a conflict of interest. The audit also noted that Anderson traveled at district expense to national conferences but attended very few sessions.

The board in May 2013 ousted Anderson from his president’s role and elected new leadership.

Deputy Auditor Harry Otto said the district cooperation since the leadership change has been excellent.

The board, while Anderson was president, was under a lot of stress and had to act quickly, Anderson said after the forum.

“The sheer dire straits we were in required extreme measures,” he said.

He noted that, despite concerns with the process, the community seems highly satisfied with Carpenter.

“It’s time to follow through with his lead and his recommendations.”

The other incumbents running are Dan Osman and state Rep. Bonnaye Mims. The challengers are Debbie Aiman, Tanesha Forte, Carol Graves, Shawn Hayes, Karry Palmer, Clifford Ragan III and Sandy Sexton.

This story was originally published March 10, 2014 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Former school board president responds to audit of Hickman Mills district."