David Clayton Wiseman Takes Care of His Family?

"Teacher Hilda Wiseman and Principal Will Joiner have mutual cousins. David has helped to tear his wife from her family as well as almost destroying the school. That's why I didn't let my two kids take band." A Reader

It's not easy being a band booster - just ask the band parents at Lexington High School. Nine or ten years ago was an especially difficult time (reports differ on the exact year). As the school year ended, the band booster account had a balance of 23,000.00. There were some small bills to be paid from the account, but nothing major, so the Purple Pride would be flush for fall. At least that's what the parents thought.

Then in July, the boosters were called to a special meeting. The new boosters' president, David Wiseman's sister-in-law, informed them that their account was 1,000.00 overdrawn. The group was told that Wiseman himself had deposited the money to cover the overdraft, but he needed to be repaid immediately since he himself had cash flow problems due to a family illness. There would need to be an immediate fund raiser.

Booster members later learned that it wasn't common for a band director to have access to fund raising accounts, but at Lexington it was a standard practice. No one ever discovered the whereabouts of the missing money, but in the fall, Wiseman's niece had a new mellophone to play in the band, while other less well connected members held their instruments together with ponytail holders. After all, Wiseman's niece (the booster president's daughter) needed a good instrument to assure her band scholarship to Auburn. The cost of a professional mellophone runs around 2,000.00, so where the remaining 22,000.00 may have gone is anyone's guess.

By that time tensions were running high. When a band booster meeting followed a reprimand from the principal and the superintendent, those in attendance were sure to hear of it. Discretion never seemed to be David Wiseman's strong point. 

Now Wiseman has initiated an effort to smear school administration. Perhaps he thought his past behavior had been forgotten? According to at least one parent, the best thing that could happen to Lexington School would be for David Clayton Wiseman to resign. We concur.

The Wisemans: A Gift to Lexington That Just Keeps on Taking

Our view on life is that it's give and take. If you're given much, you try to return that in some manner. Yet there are those who take and take and always seem to expect more. Several who have written us concerning David Clayton Wiseman and his wife Hilda Jane Springer Wiseman have portrayed this couple as feeling Lexington School owes them something. We agree...and we sincerely hope that something is deposited into their checking accounts each month. That should pretty well cover it.

To understand the Wisemans, you may need to go back over 25 years when David was a young band director. Either he had little self control or he felt that he was above the rules, for he began a relationship with a young female student. To say that 25 years ago was a different "era" is probably too much of a simplification. We've known of teachers admonished for inappropriate relationships many years before that time period, but perhaps Lexington under its former principal was worried that it could not replace Wiseman and simply overlooked this peccadillo since David and Hilda were going to marry...despite the 12 year age difference. 

David Clayton Wiseman has just scored his first coup.

Now a married woman, Hilda Jane Wiseman is also armed with a degree in education from Athens State and is looking for a job. Where better for her to teach than with her husband at Lexington? No matter that such arrangements are frowned upon in most school systems, the Wisemans forge ahead with their plan for Hilda's career, and she becomes a fixture at the same school as her husband.

David Clayton Wiseman has just scored his second coup. 

Wiseman must have felt he could do no wrong at this point, but things changed when he was diagnosed with tinnitus and hearing loss. Obviously (according to Wiseman) he needed better acoustics and asked the Lauderdale Board of Education for a new band room. Never mind that such schools as Rogers had sold donuts for years in order to pay for a new band room, Wiseman felt the Lauderdale board should pay to build a new edifice to commemorate his talent.

When the board refused Wiseman's request, let's just say he didn't take it well. If he had expected an easy victory this time, he was not to have it. David Wiseman authorized sound studies of the band facilities and blasted legal threats at the board, going so far as to call them out in public. One reader reported:

It was a constant fight. My problem was his open discussion about private meetings with Principal Joiner and the Board...disdainful comments and an attitude that influenced the kids to have conflicts with their school leaders...

No, it seems David Wiseman doesn't take failure well - another of life's lessons he's apparently failed to learn. Yet for a time the band director still had supporters. Then came the summer of either 2008 or 2009 (we apologize that we cannot narrow this time frame down). Band boosters were called in to discuss the need for an emergency fund raiser. 

Where had $24,000.00 of band booster money gone?

Tomorrow: David Clayton Wiseman takes care of his family.

The Wisemans: Keeping it All in the Family?

Years ago a very savvy woman told us never to work for a family owned business. Why? No matter how close the family, there would be constant infighting with spouses jumping in to support their mates. As those old television listings would say: mayhem ensues.

Now we have a similar situation in the Lauderdale County School system. Just how common is it for spouses to work together at the same small rural school? We have no idea, but we can predict that at some point mayhem is destined to ensue.

Disgruntled Employees David & Hilda Wiseman

Some time ago during a situation stirred up by a would-be athlete turned local Baptist minister, we received some complaints about Lexington band director David Clayton Wiseman. Now he and his wife Hilda Jane Wiseman have filed a formal complaint against school administration.

Let's see how that works. Of the 95 or so school personnel, four have problems with administration and two of these are married to each other? Wow! What are the odds?

If anyone wants to record their problems with Wiseman, we'll be happy to publish the summary; however, in order to remedy the situation, parents and students need to contact the Lauderdale County School Board. 

Good luck!

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New Political Action Committee

There will be a meeting of a new Northwest Alabama political action committee on Sunday at 2:00 at the Florence Public Library. The purpose of the committee is to vet candidates in regard to their stance on animal welfare issues. Everyone is invited to attend and make a difference.

Notice to local candidates, especially Lauderdale County Commission candidates: It would do well to take notice!