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Franklin City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carlton Carter spoke during the Franklin City Council’s town hall meeting on Monday, March 31, first to urge citizens to come out to the Franklin City School Board meeting on Thursday, April 3, and then to also respond to letters recently sent to the board by the council.

After issuing greetings to the City Council, city manager, city attorney and citizens of Franklin, Carter said, “First of all, I would like to formally invite you to our next School Board meeting scheduled for April 3, and we’ll actually have it in the main (Franklin City Council) Chambers this time.”

The open session of the board meeting is set for 7 p.m.

“This (meeting) will focus on critical — and I mean critical — data regarding Franklin High School that parents absolutely need to hear now,” Carter said. “Following the meeting, the School Board members and members of the cabinet will remain for 30 minutes with a question-and-answer session.

“However, I must emphasize the personal issues regarding specific employees cannot be addressed,” he added.

Within the last two months, there have been protests, as well as public comments from community and City Council members, expressing opposition to FCPS’ recent reassignment of longtime Franklin High School Principal Travis Felts.

Felts had been principal at FHS since 2012, and the school division officially announced in a Feb. 10 news release that he was being moved out of that position and being appointed as FCPS’ new director of extracurricular activities, Jobs for Virginia Graduates and virtual programs.

In connection with the reassignment and the school division’s handling of the pushback to it, the City Council voted 6-0-1 to send a letter to the School Board requesting the removal of Board Chair Robert Holt. The council has since voted 6-1 to send a letter to the School Board requesting the entire School Board resign.

“In response to City Council’s recent letter to the School Board chair, I would like to clarify a few points,” Carter said. “The letter stated that ‘our attempts to engage in constructive dialogue have been met with little response, which many see as a lack of respect and accountability.’ That simply is not true.

“On Feb. 6, 2025, the mayor and the city manager met with me and the School Board chair to arrange a joint meeting,” Carter continued. “During this meeting, the mayor made an unusual request for a specific FCPS employee to attend. The meeting was tentatively scheduled for March 13, (2025). However, due to a legal matter, an email was sent to all City Council members on Feb. 24 at 9:15 p.m. explaining why the meeting, including (with) the requested employee, could no longer take place. 

“The mayor acknowledged this email, stating, ‘Ms. Davis, I appreciate you letting us know,’” Carter said. “If any City Council members are unaware of this communication, I encourage you to review your emails. The School Board has clearly communicated in writing why the joint meeting could not proceed as planned.”

Then he said, “Regarding the statement that effective leadership often involves difficult choices and is crucial to prioritize the interests of our students and (the) community as a whole, I agree. I agree with what y’all wrote in that letter about critical leadership and effective leadership.

“However, our approach to effective leadership differs significantly from that of the City Council,” he continued. “The School Board operates under a five-year strategic plan to improve the school system, and we participate in professional development and training to enhance our skills.

“Therefore I encourage the City Council to focus on and develop a strategic plan to grow the city,” he said. “This will be a stark contrast to what I recently witnessed when the City Council denied training for its members during an open session, which is baffling to me because training is essential for effectiveness in any role.

“The School Board makes decisions based on data, facts — not emotions, not personal preferences or definitely not a popularity contest,” he continued. “Our members are highly educated, independent thinkers who require extensive documentation to support recommendations.”

He added that the School Board prioritizes the well-being of all employees and students and often gives employees multiple opportunities to self-correct.

“It is deeply concerning that six out of seven City Council members have called for the resignation of the entire School Board without providing any evidence of wrongdoing,” he said. “If there is evidence, I urge you to share it with the School Board and the citizens of Franklin. If no evidence exists, I respectfully request that this matter be dropped immediately.

“Furthermore, I ask the City Council to reappoint the two (School Board) seats that expire on June 30, 2025, and allow the superintendent and the School Board to continue their work making Franklin City Public Schools the highest performing district in Virginia,” he added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look for all citizens — and I mean all citizens — I mean you really need to come to this next board meeting.”

Ward 1 Councilman Mark R. Kitchen asked Carter if he was going to answer questions during the March 31 town hall meeting.

“No, sir,” Carter said as he returned to his seat.

“I didn’t think so,” Kitchen said. “I’ll put it out there — I think you’re acting like a coward again. That’s what I’ve got to say.”

Later in the meeting, Ward 3 Councilman Gregory McLemore noted that he agreed with Carter that the city needs a strategic plan of where it is going to be in five to 10 years.

Ward 2 Councilman Richard Grizzard later said, “I do not disagree at all with us having a five-year plan as well to hold us accountable.”

Franklin Mayor Paul Kaplan said, “One thing I do agree with Dr. Carter — we do need a five-year plan for the city, as well as the schools. I’d love to see a better relationship with the school system. I’d like to see more effective leadership in running the school system, unfortunately. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth.”

Former Franklin City School Board member Carrie Johnson later spoke during the town hall meeting, and she started by addressing some of Carter’s comments.

“Having been on the board, I admire Dr. Carter’s confidence that he had up here when he challenged you all to either find evidence and if there’s no evidence then to drop it, because he knows that no matter how much you ask, there will never be any evidence that you can get because of the rules of closed session,” she said, referencing confidentiality rules. “So I just wanted to let you all know that until you continue to ask for the line items and then to whom the money is going, maybe that will lead you somewhere, but the current situation that has caused this uproar you all won’t ever find any evidence because of the rules of closed session.”

The Thursday, April 3, School Board meeting will be held in the Franklin City Council Chambers on the first floor of Franklin City Hall, which is located at 207 W. 2nd Ave. in Franklin.