Trevor Frey/Daily News Former Franklin-Simpson High School teacher Lonnie Edward Winston (right) speaks Friday at a town forum at Elevated Missionary Baptist Church as school district Superintendent Jim Flynn (from left), the Rev. Lewis Coleman and former Franklin-Simpson High School Principal Kenneth Jackson listen.

Besieged by Friday night’s thunder and rain, droves of citizens crowded a forum at Franklin’s Elevated Baptist Church to consider a recently resigned principal’s allegations of school system injustices.

&#8220If the lights go out, just stay where you are; the Lord is speaking,” said William Locke, the church’s pastor and a member of the Franklin-Simpson Human Rights Commission, the forum’s sponsor, which invited Louisville-based civil rights activist Lewis Coleman to be on the panel of speakers.

Adrienne Henderson of the Kentucky Human Rights Commission moderated the forum, which was orderly but stocked with emotional appeals by parents, teachers and students.

Kenneth Jackson, former principal of Franklin-Simpson High School, said the school system’s failure to retain Lonnie Winston, former Franklin-Simpson Middle School special education teacher and basketball coach, was the &#8220straw that broke the camel’s back,” which triggered his June 30 resignation. Jackson, who was Winston’s mentor, had been principal for more than a year.

&#8220It’s a right-wrong issue,” said Jackson, 53. &#8220If you don’t take a stand, you’ll fall for anything.”

He said the community has only treated him with respect, ruling out racism as motivation for his resignation. He said he knows a &#8220whole lot of good black people and bad black people,” and the same is true of white people.

However, Jackson said he knew of inconsistencies where employees had &#8220done wrong” but still had a job, whereas Winston wasn’t afforded the same chances.

Superintendent of Simpson County Schools Jim Flynn told the audience he was disappointed about Jackson’s resignation and wants to meet with Winston on Monday. He said he’s consulted with elected officials and black pastors on how to &#8220turn the tide.”

&#8220Dr. Jackson came in and has done some wonderful things for our high school,” Flynn said. &#8220I see this meeting as an opportunity to deal with some things that need to be dealt with.”

Flynn declined to discuss details of Winston’s departure, citing legal reasons, but told the Daily News he had left Winston a message and wasn’t made aware there was a problem.

Winston, 30, told the Daily News the forum probably could’ve been prevented had Flynn not dodged him.

&#8220It kind of bugs me with everything coming up in the media that (Flynn) just now wants to talk to me and everything happened over a month ago,” Winston said, noting that school starts Monday for teachers.

Winston said his contract called for him to complete a certification exam, which he passed May 26, but his job was posted May 2.

&#8220Technically, I had up until June 30 to have everything completed,” Winston said.

After Winston interviewed for his own position, he said, the middle school’s principal, Monte Cassady, told him he was rated third out of six or seven candidates. Moreover, he said Cassady never met with him, but stated in a voice message the school had decided to go in another direction.

Winston said Cassady told him he did some good things, some bad things, and that his interview wasn’t good enough to keep his job.

&#8220Being the only black male (teacher) in the middle school, how can you go in another direction?” Winston asked.

He said he shared his credentials at the forum – a master’s degree and six years of teaching experience, coach of the middle school’s state champion basketball team, and sponsor of extracurricular activities – to prove he was &#8220pretty active.”

&#8220Basically, I was doing a whole lot more than anybody in my whole school,” Winston said, chalking up his release to envy.

The request to retain and recruit minority staff gusted from the crowd and panelists. Flynn listened and responded, while Jackson sat contemplatively.

&#8220Dr. Jackson doesn’t want to have a position without power,” Coleman told the crowd.

He said he has a lot of admiration for Jackson, whom he described as having a strong will.

&#8220I really want to hear more about Mr. Winston,” Coleman said. &#8220At the same time, without knowing all the facts, I don’t want to lose (Winston).”

Coleman, who travels frequently, said Kentucky only has one black superintendent and decision-making committees are &#8220usually not comprised of people who look like us.”

&#8220I felt like I stepped back in time,” Coleman said when briefed on the issue. &#8220These two men should be in the system when school starts again.”

Tony McKinney, who volunteered to coach basketball at the middle school, said, &#8220You lose a man like coach Winston – it is more than a job, it’s hurting our kids’ futures.”

Regina Dalcourt, who’s on Franklin-Simpson High School’s Site-Based Decision Making Council said, &#8220Everything in Franklin is a buddy system. It’s all about being a good old boy group.”

She chastised the crowd, which she estimated was largely inactive in community affairs.

&#8220You amen and clap, but you sit,” Dalcourt said. &#8220I see too many of our young black men on the corner.”

Dalcourt said the school system lost more minorities this year alone than in the last five put together.

Flynn said he agreed with Dalcourt’s advice for people to be part of the solution rather than the problem, but he disagreed with some of her assertions.

&#8220We have some outstanding minority staffers,” he said.

For the 2002-2003 school year, Flynn said, 7.2 percent of school system employees were black, but the percentage is now 8.4 percent.

Betty Raines, a teacher running for the Simpson County School Board, said she took Dalcourt’s comments to heart.

In 25 years of teaching, Raines said she’s urged her kids to vote, yet election statistics reveal that only 33 percent of the community votes on big decisions. She said she’s also discouraged by the lack of interest some parents take in their children’s lives – not even visiting the school.

School board member Debbie Hudson said she was hurt by Dalcourt’s comment that few white people stood when Coleman asked for people to stand if they supported Winston getting his job back. She said people should learn Kentucky school laws and policies on hirings and firings before criticizing local officials.

&#8220I know I’m not black, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have compassion for your kids,” Hudson said.

Flynn, in his fourth year as superintendent, said the forum was the biggest leadership challenge he’s dealt with, although &#8220it’s a great opportunity for people to come together.”

He said black students who want to become teachers need to be identified and encouraged, and that he wants to get minority faculty more involved in the recruiting process.

After the forum, Franklin City Councilman Herbert Williams said Jackson related well to the entire community, which is about 12 percent black.

&#8220We’ve got to give Flynn a chance,” Williams said.