Anger, frustration and distrust were on full display at the Nashville public schools board meeting Tuesday, turning the night into one of the most contentious gatherings in months.

A group of about 10 residents showed up to protest Director of Schools Shawn Joseph and call for his firing.

Meanwhile, as the district struggles to balance its budget, the board took a controversial vote to sell real property to fill a $13 million budget hole. Then, while discussing a reading curriculum, several board members expressed a lack of trust in Joseph and his leadership team.

Already, two board members have publicly said they have lost confidence in Joseph.

The meeting highlighted months of frustrations among board members, and tensions are likely to boil over in the future.

Board leadership asked for dissenting members to remain calm, prepare for meetings properly and refocus on their jobs.

Those critical of Joseph said they are pointing out the district's woes under the director. Joseph said he wants to stay in Nashville for the long term.

"I love my job, and I am committed to the children of this district," Joseph said. " I will continue to work with our dedicated board members, principals, teachers and parents to continue accelerating achievement and opportunities for all kids."

Joseph controversy distracting from board work

Board Vice Chair Christiane Buggs said on Wednesday that she hopes the issues can be resolved, but added she is increasingly frustrated with board members who are off topic or don't read materials provided to them.

"We are focused on personality conflicts. I feel we are not doing our jobs," Buggs said. "We are not overseeing data and not engaging in budget advocacy. We are not troubleshooting or looking at policies."

Buggs said she and Board Chair Sharon Gentry have tried to create space for complaints, but some members have been absent from committee meetings recently where questions can be posed to district leadership.

"Committee meetings are set up for a reason," Buggs said. "Our retreats are set up for a reason ... so we can do the work and ask in-depth questions of Joseph and leadership."

Gentry couldn't be reached Wednesday for comment.

Board member Amy Frogge, a frequent Joseph critic, said on Wednesday she has increasingly heard from "hundreds of fearful district leaders, teachers, support staff and MNPS parents."

She said that "it's past time for new leadership." Board member Jill Speering also said she has lost faith in Joseph.

"Dr. Joseph has created a toxic work environment, causing veteran educators to leave in droves and unnecessarily pitting board members against each other," Frogge said.

Frogge added she will continue to speak out about the issues she is hearing.

"The constant theme is incompetent and unethical leadership, mismanagement of the district and its resources, devaluation of teachers, a lack of trust in the current administration and Dr. Joseph’s unprofessional, vindictive and divisive behavior," she said.

A tense Tuesday night

During the meeting, about 10 people showed up to protest Joseph and called for his resignation or firing.

The group said they are worried about the district's finances and respect for teachers under Joseph.

Later in the night, tensions boiled over after Frogge said a presentation on reading curriculum was a "dog and pony" show, which included teachers and principals.

It caused anger and tears from some in the group and strong reactions from board members, who thanked the teachers present.

Frogge later said her comment questioned leadership, not the teachers. She said she's heard from many teachers that don't like the reading curriculum and that she didn't mean any disrespect to the educators present.

That was followed by a series of questions from board member Fran Bush. Joseph later addressed one of the questions, which led to Bush talking over the director. She then said she would let him finish.

It hearkened back to a similar confrontation at a previous board meeting that led to Board Chair Sharon Gentry and Bush talking over each other.

Bush, who was elected as a critic of Joseph, has been a lightning rod on the board, questioning many aspects of the director's work. Bush didn't return a call for comment Wednesday.

After the meeting, Joseph said that he is focused on improving student achievement, working to help teachers and in increasing parental voice.

MNPS NEWS:Nashville school board revises how much Joseph can spend without board approval

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Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.