News broke Monday that the Wednesday, October 1 meeting called by the School Board for a work session had been cancelled. Board member PJ Mezera resigned his position as Board Vice-Chairman. The following statement from WCS on Monday read as follows:
“Dear Board Members,
It is with great sorrow that I must inform this distinguished Board that I can no longer serve them in the capacity of Vice-Chairman. I thank you for your confidence in me and for the opportunity to serve you, if only for a brief time.
Sincerely, PJ Mezera”
Tuesday the following statement was released by WCS:
As stated in my resignation letter to the WCS Board of Education, I want to thank my fellow Board Members for entrusting me to the position of Vice Chairman. However, I am no longer able to serve the Board in that capacity under current circumstances. The exact reasoning behind my resignation was to remain private, but due to the irresponsible journalism of the Franklin Homepage in publishing an unauthorized interview with my minor, school-age son, I find it necessary to “set the facts straight.”
Two years ago when I first came on to the Board, there was some talk about maintaining ethics and a general reference to Mr. Gregory and a product his business had developed. I was still very new to the Board and no formal actions were ever taken. Since then, Mr. Gregory and I have voted similarly on various issues and I thought he conveyed himself well on those topics. I personally found the product he had associated with as immoral and distasteful and I informed him as such. When Mr. Gregory was elected as Chairman of the Board, I thought that his former, legal private business was just that, private, and that it would not affect his role as Chairman. I was wrong. Since his election, there has been a significant number of moms, dads and grandparents with no political ties demanding his resignation as Chairman due to his private business venture. His private business, through no wish of his own, has effectively compromised the functionality of his Chairmanship, this Board and to some extent the entire District. I made repeated requests for Mr. Gregory to rectify the situation and restore public confidence in the Board. Mr. Gregory has not taken any action that has satisfied my concerns. On Friday of last week, I asked Mr. Gregory to resign as Chairman of the Board or I would resign as Vice Chairman.
I have always thought it is better to participate in solving problems, rather than criticizing from the outside. However, I felt that I was incapable of fixing any problem under the current circumstances. I therefore sent my letter of resignation on Sunday evening following much prayer and meditation.
I look forward to working with my fellow Board Members toward a brighter future and focusing my time on serving the families of District Three.
Sincerely,
PJ Mezera
Late Tuesday afternoon WCS released the following letter from Mr. Gregory:
Statement by Mark Gregory
Chairman, Williamson County Board of Education
September 30, 2014
Several years ago I helped facilitate the production of a novelty product my brother invented and marketed. The product and my role in the company was the subject of news media stories more than two years ago during my re-election campaign.
In December 2012 the business dissolved, and at that time I informed the school board that I was no longer involved with the company or its product.
Recently this matter resurfaced, and I regret the negative distractions and embarrassment it has brought to parents, students, teachers and the board. I understand the concerns some have about this product and the reasons why they find it objectionable. I am sorry and sincerely apologize.
Concerning the issue of me not completing all the required professional development hours this year, there was miscommunication about the date of the next training course. I take full responsibility for this misunderstanding, and have registered for the course when it is next offered in 2015.
For the past 10 years it has been a great privilege to serve as a member of our school board, and I am honored to have been elected by my colleagues as the new chairman. Now is the time to unify and move forward with the business of this board, which is to provide the very best educational experience possible to the students of Williamson County Schools.
