Buckeye school board appoints new president during contentious meeting

BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) — The governing board of the Liberty Elementary School District appointed a new board president Monday in a meeting that had to be briefly adjourned because of shouts from the audience.

Governing Board Vice President Bryan Parks was elevated to president, filling a vacancy created when the previous president, Michael Todd, resigned in protest last month.

Todd said in a social media post he resigned out of frustration with the district’s handling of a student-on-student assault at one campus and false threats at another.

RELATED: Buckeye 12-year-old arrested for allegedly making threats against Wisconsin school

At Monday’s meeting, several former teachers said safety concerns were just the latest in a long-simmering conflict with district leadership.

Most speakers criticized Parks, Todd and Superintendent Dr. Cort Monroe for creating what they call a hostile environment in which district leaders have tried to force out critics. Two speakers expressed support for the board, drawing jeers from the audience.

Parks declined a request for comment from Arizona’s Family.

Seven LESD teachers have resigned from the district in the last month despite a new clause in their contracts this year that imposes financial penalties for leaving early.

Carrie Jones resigned from her teaching position at Estrella Mountain earlier this year. She said relations with board leadership took a turn last year when 16 teachers who were critical of the board were pulled out of classrooms and disciplined in the hallway.

“It sets a completely negative environment, and one in which teachers all across the district feel unsafe,” she said.

During Monday’s public comment section, several speakers also referenced audio recordings that have circulated online, reportedly showing the new governing board president berating critics and pressuring them to leave.

Arizona’s Family could not verify the authenticity of the audio.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.