After deciding not to renew the contract of their current superintendent, Altamont Community Schools went on the hunt to find a replacement ready and eager to serve the community and the children within it. After an extensive search, they landed on Dr. David Martin, an administrative professional from Tennessee. 

However, Dr. Martin had resigned from his position only six days after accepting it. After accepting the job on Feb. 8, his resignation letter was received on Feb. 14. In a statement given to WAND 17, Altamont District 10 School Board President Shelly Kuhns said that she was “not surprised, although disheartened” that Martin decided to relieve his duties before even starting them. His decision came after a small group of Altamont residents expressed concerns and asked questions about the past of Mr. Martin. 

It came to light that Dr. Martin had participated in a Jerry Springer episode, as well as some pro-wrestling activities in his early twenties. In his resignation letter, Martin wrote that his decision to resign was “because of the involvement in professional wrestling and an acting job I accepted over 20 years ago have taken a personal toll on myself, the Board and created a distraction from what is really important- doing what is right for the students of the district.” He further went to explain that he still holds on to the belief that he has the skills and abilities to provide for the missing pieces that Altamont currently needs. He also explained that he is not ashamed of his past, and while his 43-year old self would not make the same decisions that his 20-year-old self did, he did some pretty amazing things through these odd jobs. For example, Dr. Martin stated that he raised money for charities, schools and people in need during his time as a pro-wrestler. He stated that we all have a past, and his decisions from long ago have shaped him into the person he is today. 

Dr. Martin, in his resignation letter, touched on the fact that he believes some of the backlash came from him being an openly gay man. He dedicated a whole paragraph to this, stating “Being a gay man, I have been encouraged by the progress made over the last several years, but there still is a long way to go in promoting tolerance and equality” 

In a statement given to WAND 17, Shelly Kuhns stated that “David Martin met all of the criteria that we had for the superintendent. That criteria does not involve their personal life. We do not search that, we’re not allowed to and it doesn’t have barring on their success,” as well, she mentioned she believes that social media was a major factor in creating a false narrative in what kind of administrator Mr. Martin is, and that she hopes the community can take this situation as a learning experience. Dr. Martin supported her statements in his letter, saying he expresses his thanks to the board for supporting him throughout the entire situation, and that he “can only hope that this can serve as a learning opportunity for the Altamont community and the means to move forward”. 

President of the school board, Shelly Kuhns, resigned only a few weeks later from her position.