Smith County board debate to fire Superintendent Barry Smith fails on 4-4 tie

A motion to terminate Barry Smith, director of Smith County Schools, for cause failed on a 4-4 tie during the school board meeting, after board members debated allegations ranging from improper conduct to inefficient service and neglect of duty.

The motion, introduced by Board member Mister McDonald and seconded (second not specified in the record), sought to end Smith’s employment “for cause” under the district employment contract. The contract language read aloud during the meeting — cited as section 21 of the director’s employment contract — says termination for cause would leave the director “entitled to no further benefits or compensation.” The motion did not reach the five votes the board chair said are needed for action and died on a tie.

McDonald told the board he had supporting documents and witness statements for what he described as a pattern of improper conduct, examples of policy violations in hiring, and neglect of duty. McDonald said the district faces near-term financial strain and cited a projected $4,000,000 deficit and the need to borrow $600,000 from reserves for the cafeteria fund. He told the board he was acting to protect employees and students, and summarized the grounds for termination as “improper conduct, inefficient service, and neglect of duty.”

Barry Smith, the director, responded directly to several of the allegations. Smith denied threatening anyone, saying, “I didn't threaten him,” and said some claims were false or taken out of context. He described his tenure and management record, said the system’s fund balance had been managed upward during his time in office, and noted contracts and program work he said he led. “I was born and raised in a Christian household,” Smith said as part of a longer defense of his conduct and motivations.

Board discussion was extensive and divided. Several members voiced concern about the cost and disruption of terminating a contract with months left to run; one member said the director’s contract runs through June 30, 2026 (contract end date read into the record by Miss Turner). Another board member, Tommy Manning, argued Smith had overseen improvements in fund balance, employee pay and recruiting during his tenure and urged caution before removing him.

After the termination motion failed, a separate motion to begin accepting applications for a new director starting Sept. 1 was moved and seconded but likewise failed on a 4-4 vote. Board members then approved a motion to table further personnel action and to allow cooling-off and further information gathering before any renewed effort; that tabling motion passed in a subsequent roll call.

The meeting included repeated public references to contract language and to the legal standard for “for cause” termination. Board members and staff emphasized that a termination “for cause” under the contract would eliminate future salary or benefit payments, while other termination options exist if the board chose a buyout or other path.

Next steps: the item was tabled for later consideration. The board did not enact a formal personnel change at the meeting and left Smith’s contract in force pending any future board action or further investigation.

Votes and formal actions recorded at the meeting are listed in the actions field appended to this article.