A teacher and school board member exchanged words Monday during the public participation portion of the Kingfisher Board of Education meeting.

Sixth grade science teacher Melody Kuehn made multiple allegations against Terry Payne before Payne spoke up during Kuehn’s allotted three minutes before the board.

Kuehn has spoken at several meetings in the past, including June 6 in which she directed comments toward the entire board in expressing dissatisfaction with the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Daniel Craig.

On Monday, she eventually directed her comments to Payne, who was absent at the June 6 meeting.

“Since the last meeting we had at the beginning of June, I found out some information that I feel needs to be addressed in a public setting so that there’s no mixing up,” Kuehn said.

“I found out after I spoke to you all at the September ’21 meeting that you, Mr. Payne, wanted to make it to where I wouldn’t be able to speak at meetings anymore. In a sense, you wanted to shut me up.”

Kuehn continued to speak directly to Payne, who is a pastor at LifeWay Church in Kingfisher.

“I don’t know if it’s be cause I’m a woman or if it’s because I’m speaking up and not submitting to your nice little quiet line of followers,” she said.

“I will tell you now that I will never be in your little quiet line of followers. I will tell it as I see it.”

Kuehn then moved to another point, which eventually caused Payne to speak up.

“You also made the comment that you’re my boss and I can’t tell you how much that made me laugh and infuriated me at the same time,” Kuehn said.

She went on to quote from “Board Member Code of Ethics,” which was ad opted by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

Kuehn quoted the fourth of 12 ideals that states a board member will “formulate legislative goals, policies and strategic plans for the district, delegating to administrators the administrative functions of the school(s).”

After quoting from the ethics code, Kuehn again spoke to Payne.

“You, sir, are not my boss. My principal…”

Payne then spoke up.

“I’m going to stop you for a second,” Payne said. “First of all, I never said I was your boss. So wherever you’re getting this information is out of order; it’s not true. This superintendent (points to David Glover) is your boss.”

After the two went back and forth, Payne added:

“But to come in here and accuse me, in public, of saying that – that’s false. And to say my little followers…I’ve got no followers. I follow Jesus and anyone else that follows Jesus, follows Jesus. But to say I’ve got followers, you can roll your eyes and be unprofessional like you’re doing right now, but I’m letting you know that what you have is false, it’s not true.”

Kuehn then told Payne “Well, it’s, again, your word against mine.”

“God knows my word,” Payne said back.

“Well, he knows mine, too,” Kuehn said.

Said Payne: “Well then you’re going to be held accountable for your word.”

“And so will you, sir,” Kuehn said.

Board President Jim Perdue then spoke up to say Kuehn’s allotted time had expired.

“Thanks for interrupting me and not letting me finish,” Kuehn said.

All board members were present for the final meeting of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The board doesn’t have scheduled meetings in July. Rather it has two in June, the second of which allows it to wrap up several financial matters before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

That is also Glover’s official start date as superintendent of KPS. However, Glover sat with the board at the meeting.Craig, who has accepted a position at Chisholm Trail Technology Center, was not at the meeting.

(Ed. note: For more on the meeting, see Sunday’s edition.)