Franklin Regional school director Gary English resigns

Franklin Regional school board member Gary English, who took office in January, submitted a letter of resignation on Monday prior to the board’s committee-of-the-whole meeting.

English has clashed with board President Herb Yingling and other board members on a range of issues including procedure at meetings, the way public comment has been handled since the board began holding virtual meetings amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the way monthly bills are presented to the board.

“You have failed to follow Robert’s Rules of Order to maintain order and decorum, violating school board policy, obstructing information requests, et. al.,” English wrote in his resignation letter, addressed to Yingling. “This was your collaborative effort to remove me from the board.”

English said Yingling has blocked his attempts to get more information about the district’s spending.

“You have come out with a ‘statement’ on May 4, 2020, that requires all information requests from directors to be made directly to you. This is illegal as it was not ratified by the board and has blocked my requests,” English wrote.

Yingling said the May 4 letter was written in cooperation with district solicitor Gary Matta, in response to feedback from staff.

“We had a handful of administrators who were complaining that they were being contacted almost to the point of harassment, about petty stuff that we already voted on,” Yingling said. “So, rather than harass them, harass me. It pertained to all board members, not just him as an individual.”

The board’s meeting Monday night was committee-of-the-whole, which does not include any voting. The board could vote to accept English’s resignation at its voting meeting on Oct. 19.