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Community member alleges nepotism and salary irregularities during public comment; board disputes claims
Summary
Chris Miles, chair of the Community Diversity Council, alleged in public comment that the chief human resources officer’s husband received large salary increases and questioned changes to departmental titles and DEI job structure; the board president called the remarks a direct attack on employees and urged use of the chain of command.
At the May 12 New Albany-Floyd County school board meeting, community member Chris Miles used the public-comment period to raise concerns about district personnel practices, alleging large salary increases for the spouse of the district’s chief human resources officer and questioning changes to job titles and department classifications.
Miles described what he characterized as a sharp pay increase for the employee he identified in the transportation area and said the change in department naming (from ASC to ESC in the district records) made the human-resources position more like a C-suite role with different compensation and protections. He said the district’s DEI position had been retitled and that the chief human resources officer’s contract terms merited review; he said he planned to notify the Indiana State Board.
Board response: The board president responded directly during the meeting, expressing condolences to Miles on a personal loss and saying the board does not tolerate direct attacks on employees. The president encouraged Miles to follow the chain of command for personnel concerns and said the information Miles presented was disputed by district officials.
District clarification: During the exchange, district representatives told Miles that the employee in transportation is listed as a supervisor of the shop and not the transportation manager; the superintendent said he had spoken earlier with the district’s chief counsel and that counsel advised allowing the comment to proceed while following guidelines.
Why it matters: Miles framed his remarks as a request for transparency about personnel classification and pay. The board’s public admonition underscored sensitivity about naming employees during public comment and about airing personnel allegations in an open meeting.
Outcome: No formal board action was taken. The superintendent and board president said the appropriate path for personnel concerns is the chain of command and that further review would proceed through counsel or administrative processes if warranted.
