Residents press Franklin leaders over school transparency, alleged nepotism and budget shortfall

Public commenters at Franklin City’s council meeting urged elected leaders to press Franklin City Public Schools for transparency and accountability ahead of the council’s budget votes.

"That's not oversight, that's negligence," a public commenter said, urging the council to act after alleging leadership failures and calling for the removal of "mister Feltz." Brandon Lilly, who identified himself as a Franklin resident, told the council he had attended recent school board meetings that were moved and not broadcast, and said the lack of public access made it impossible for residents to understand why the district faces a deficit. "There's no transparency any longer in Franklin City public schools," Lilly said.

Dave Leese, a former teacher who said he has been associated with Franklin City Public Schools for nearly 37 years, told the council he had not seen this level of "mismanagement, misinformant" in his time and alleged that multiple hires involved relatives of senior administrators. Leese said the superintendent's son has been employed through multiple school years and that other relatives worked in programs supervised by those administrators, and he said those hires "erode public trust" and may violate district hiring policy. "Start by requiring reductions in bloated overhead at the central office, beginning with the superintendent's position," Leese said.

Regina Hill asked how students who cannot pay fines would be treated at graduation, urging the council and schools to allow students to "walk across the stage" and receive diplomas later if needed. Hill warned the policy could punish low-income students and harm the city's reputation.

City leaders and staff responded in the meeting's business portion by pointing to steps taken on the budget and FOIA-related matters. The city manager noted staff worked to close a $5,800,000 gap and said the administration had tried to avoid imposing widespread cuts. Council members commended the manager and staff for balancing the budget and said they had heard recordings and evidence regarding the school board's recent meetings and FOIA outcomes; one council member said the school system had lost on multiple FOIA counts at a recent hearing.

The council approved the city operating budget and the school operating budget later in the session. The Franklin Public Schools FY2026 operating budget was adopted at $21,299,411, while the city operating budget appropriation was adopted at $90,575,442. The council also adopted a package of ordinances and fee schedule changes discussed at the meeting. The council did not take an explicit oversight action against the district at the meeting; residents called on the council to demand further review and transparency from FCPS.

The council adjourned after completing the agenda and adopting the listed budgets and ordinances.