Bradley County Schools board selects Chuck Cagle as district attorney

The Bradley County Schools Board of Education voted to retain attorney Chuck Cagle as the district’s legal counsel after a competitive review and debate over experience and potential conflicts.

Amanda Lee, who co-led the selection committee, told the board the committee reviewed four applicants and used a five-category scoring rubric to assess education-law experience, accessibility, fees and references. The committee narrowed finalists to Chuck Cagle and Scott Bennett based on their collective experience in school law. Lee said the scoring and reference checks informed the recommendation.

Board members raised questions about caseload and conflicts. One member said Cagle represents numerous school districts and Cleveland City, asking whether that could limit his availability or create conflicts. Lee responded that the evaluation explicitly considered support staff and backup attorneys; she said Cagle has multiple supporting attorneys with education-law experience who could assist if needed.

In an initial roll-call selection between the two finalists, the board recorded six votes for Chuck Cagle and one for Scott Bennett. The board then voted to retain Cagle as the board attorney; the motion carried by the board majority (the transcript records a majority and subsequent roll call results of six affirmative votes and one dissenting ballot). The board also approved a motion directing the executive committee (the board chair and the director of schools) to work with Cagle to draft an engagement letter for presentation at the December meeting; that motion passed by roll call.

Next steps: the executive committee will draft the engagement letter and return it to the full board for formal approval at the December meeting.

Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the meeting transcript and include Amanda Lee, who presented the committee’s recommendations, and board members who voiced concerns about caseload and conflicts.