A hearing to decide whether or not Dr. Donald Jefferson will continue as superintendent of education in Selma will be held Tuesday evening; a hearing some are calling both a “personal vendetta” and a “sham.”

During their meeting on Oct. 13, the Selma City School Board voted 3-2 to place Jefferson on administrative leave with pay, pending the results of Tuesday’s called hearing. In placing Jefferson on leave, the board cited Jefferson’s handling of a vendor contract as reasons for the board’s actions.

“This is nothing more than personal vendetta by board member Holland Powell and he is using Mr. [Frank] Chestnut and Mrs. [Brenda Randolph] Obomanu to carry this vendatta out,” Jefferson’s attorney Terry Davis said Monday. “This process is a sham.

“I am hopeful the board will see their error before costing the system a lot of money,” Davis added.

During the Oct. 13 board meeting, Powell, Chestnut and Obomanu voted to place Jefferson on leave, while board president Henry Hicks Sr. and Dr. Udo Ufomadu voted against the motion.

The vote followed a report from board attorney Katy Campbell that showed Jefferson had authorized a contract with a school assessment vendor without board approval.

Davis said based on what he knows, and the evidence he has seen, the board’s action is groundless and should be reversed.

When reached for comment Monday, Powell declined to respond to Davis’ comments.

If terminated for cause, the board has the grounds to sever their relationship with Jefferson without having to provide him any compensation.

According to the contract Jefferson agreed to in November and signed Jan. 11, the “superintendent may be discharged for cause if he materially breaches any provision of this contract, or performs any act which substantially inhibits his ability to discharge his duties as superintendent …”

That wording, which falls under the “Discharge for Cause” portion of Jefferson’s contract, lists such items as cause for discharge as: incompetence, immorality, intemperance, conviction of a felony, neglect of duty, unprofessional conduct and physical or mental incapacity.

But, according to Campbell, the contract also states the board could also terminate for reasons “not limited to the ones listed in the contract.”

Campbell also said the board, if it votes to terminate Jefferson Tuesday, could do so without any further compensation.

“They may come back and say that they will pay him up through Tuesday, or for an additional month,” Campbell said. “Or they may not provide anything at all.”

Tuesday’s board meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Clark Elementary, but will first start off with a regular called meeting to gain the board’s vote on a number of items, including awarding a bid for ongoing construction projects at the new Selma High School.

The hearing to decide the fate of Jefferson’s tenure as school superintendent is not scheduled to begin until 6 p.m.