The Polk County Board of Education voted Thursday evening to place Director of Schools Dr. James Jones on paid administrative leave, a move that comes as the Tennessee Comptroller's Office actively investigates the school system in response to complaints submitted against it. Board members also appointed Pam Hindman, who previously held an adjunct position with the district, as acting interim director effective immediately.
According to WTVC, the board's chairman, Nick Ratcliff, confirmed that the comptroller's office is actively investigating the school system in response to the complaints. Board member Angie Crowder put forward the motion designating Ratcliff to negotiate a possible resignation agreement with Jones, a proposal the board would later consider presenting back to the full body for approval. That combined motion, which also covered placing Jones on leave and installing Hindman as interim director, passed before the board separated the actions into individual votes.
A 7-3 Vote and an Immediate Leadership Change
The board approved Hindman as acting interim director on a 7-3 vote, the same margin by which it voted to place Jones on leave, as WDEF reported. Hindman will serve in the interim role at the same salary she was already receiving in her adjunct position, per the board's statement. District 1 board member Noah Land said the board was sitting without an acting director and that a decision had to be made.
Crowder had proposed appointing Hindman as interim director while resignation negotiations proceeded and the board searched for a permanent replacement. The station's report notes that the board has begun the process of removing its superintendent, with resignation talks expected to continue in the weeks ahead.
Turkeys, a Condemned Building, and Mounting Scrutiny
Jones had recently come under fire for keeping turkeys inside a dilapidated, condemned building on Polk County school property, and he admitted that doing so violated protocol, according to the same WTVC account. WDEF's report adds that the controversies cited included a poor health inspection at Benton Elementary School earlier this year, along with accusations that Jones was using school property to store personal livestock. The board confirmed that the state comptroller is investigating the recent allegations into property misuse.
Jones declined to comment after the meeting, per WDEF's reporting. Local 3 News, which reported that the board voted Hindman in to serve as interim superintendent, noted that Jones had announced his intentions to resign before the board acted to place him on leave. That outlet also stressed that Jones, who is accused of misusing school property, has not yet been found guilty of wrongdoing at this time.
A District Already Under State Scrutiny
Thursday's leadership shakeup follows a pattern of compliance concerns flagged by state auditors. A March 2026 audit from the Tennessee Comptroller's Office identified ongoing noncompliance with state law and significant weaknesses in Polk County's school department financial operations, containing 12 findings in total, though those audit details are drawn from limited excerpts of the report. A prior comptroller audit, covering an earlier fiscal year, had included 11 findings, eight of which had also appeared in the report from the year before, according to the comptroller's office.
What happens next with Jones remains unresolved. Ratcliff's negotiations over a possible resignation agreement are expected to come back before the board, while Hindman steers the district as acting interim director amid the ongoing state investigation.
