Is Fayette school board chair’s post with national teachers group a conflict of interest?

At former board chairwoman Stephanie Spires‘ urging, the Fayette County school board will seek a Kentucky Attorney General’s opinion on whether board chair Tyler Murphy has a conflict of interest by being elected to the National Education Association’s board of directors.

At a work session where she raised the issue, Spires, still a board member, suggested that Murphy resign as board chair if he was unwilling to leave the NEA position. She said it’s a conflict because Murphy’s role leading the board could be at odds with positions taken by the national association for teachers.

“My concern is this appears to be a conflict of interest with your role on the FCPS Board of Education. Not only does this appear to be a violation of the National School Board Associations’ Code of Ethics and the Kentucky School Board Association’s Code of Ethics, but it adversely impacts FCPS’s Superintendent Search,” said Spires.

“Chairman Murphy, you have been outspoken in your platform for transparency. In that spirit, if you would like to continue to serve on the FCPS Board of Education, then we need to seek an Attorney General’s opinion regarding the potential conflict of interest of you serving in both roles. If not, then I suggest you submit your letter of resignation to us , immediately, so that our board team can move forward with the work of the district.”

Murphy, a Boyle County school teacher, said he will take any steps necessary to resolve the situation if a conflict of interest is found and avoid a conflict. Murphy said he does not assume the NEA position until Sept. 1. He said he would cooperate with Fayette school district general counsel Shelley Chatfield who will take the question to the attorney general and that he would release the list of people who donated to his NEA campaign.

“My number one commitment is serving the children and families of Fayette County Public Schools,” Murphy said. “My commitment is to be as transparent as possible.”

Board member Tom Jones said the Attorney General inquiry should begin as soon as possible.

Spires questioned Murphy’s honesty.

“This may be an honest mistake and oversight on your part, but Mr. Murphy, over the past two years, you have lied to and misled your board colleagues on multiple occasions,” said Spires. “In an email I sent to you on March 4th, I stated, ‘Your dishonesty and manipulation continue to be a distraction and a challenge to the work of this Board and Fayette County. Please understand that it is my hope that we can move forward as a team, but please know I will speak up when something is wrong and/or will negatively impact Fayette County Schools and the students.’”

Murphy was elected as board chair in January when Spires stepped down as chairwoman.

Spires said as part of the NEA election process, Murphy accepted donations from individuals and campaigned on his position as school board chairman. She said his website said that he has not accepted donations from FCPS employees or contractors looking to do business with FCPS, but he did not disclose his list of donors.

“While I hope you did not, I, and this board, have no way of knowing if you accepted donations from potential Superintendent candidates, their families, or family members of FCPS employees,” said Spires. She also asked for clarification on the role of the Fayette County Education Association, the Kentucky Education Association, and the Kentucky Education Support Professionals Association’s in his campaign.

Murphy took down his NEA campaign website during the school board meeting and Spires asked during the meeting if he would share the information on the website with fellow board members. Murphy said he would.

She said she had concerns that potential superintendent candidates will not consider Fayette County because of the significant influence the teacher’s associations have on Fayette County. The school board is searching for a superintendent to replace Manny Caulk who died in December. Murphy has been an outspoken supporter of the Kentucky Education Association and the Fayette County Education Association.

Spires said she supports the Fayette County Education Association and Fayette teachers, but school board members are elected to represent the people that make up Fayette County, not just teachers.

“Our role is to advocate for our students,” she said

Spires said she had to resign the community boards she was on when she was elected to the school board.

This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 5:57 PM.