MURRAY – Newly released records from the Murray Independent School District (MISD) shed light on the Murray High School band’s use of a company owned by Jason Shelby, a former MHS teacher whose past conduct is now the subject of a criminal case. In correspondence with district administrators, former Band Director Tim Zeiss said he hired the company for drill design and uniforms, calling the decision poor judgment rather than a policy violation.
Shelby, who resigned from the district in 2018 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving former students, was arrested in September after the Kentucky State Police (KSP) reopened their investigation.
The Sentinel submitted an open records request to MISD on Sept. 24, asking for correspondence between Zeiss, Superintendent David Meinschein and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Human Resources Whitney York related to Shelby or his company, Total Visual Design, from Sept. 8-24; Zeiss’ disciplinary records from Sept. 8-24; all contracts between district entities and TVD; and correspondence between Zeiss and former Superintendent Coy Samons related to Shelby or TVD from Aug. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018.*
In response, the district provided two letters from Zeiss to Meinschein – one written on Sept. 12, explaining TVD’s involvement with the Murray Tiger Band (MTB), and the other, his resignation letter submitted Sept. 24. MISD also produced a letter dated Sept. 15 from Meinschein to Zeiss, informing him that he was suspended with pay for up to 10 working days.
In his Sept. 12 letter, Zeiss explained that TVD is a sales representative for a marching band uniform company in Texas, and the band purchased products and services from TVD for this school year, using funds from the Murray Band Boosters. The company was able to provide uniforms as well as color guard silks at cost, with no markup. TVD also wrote the drill for this season’s show; drill refers to the sequenced movements and steps of performers on the field.
Zeiss also said Shelby had no direct contact with band students other than his own child, and that all communication with TVD occurred electronically through Zeiss, which he said is standard industry practice.
Since his arrival in 2010, Zeiss told Meinschein, he has “never seen nor witnessed anything first hand [sic],” presumably referring to numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against Shelby that ultimately lead to KSP’s criminal investigation and his subsequent resignation in 2018.
Zeiss said that MTB used other companies for drill services and to purchase products from 2018 to 2022 and started using TVD in 2023, noting that he thought “everything was cleared” because, at the time, nothing had come from KSP’s 2018 investigation.
“I understand the gravity and seriousness of the situation, and hindsight being 20/20, wish this had never happened,” Zeiss wrote in conclusion. “I care so deeply for the Murray community, Murray Independent, and the Murray Tiger Band. While looking back, this was poor judgement on my end by using Total Visual Design for services, however, nothing was done illegally.”
MISD was not able to produce any correspondence between Zeiss and Samons related to Shelby or TVD in fall of 2018 nor was the district able to produce any contracts between district entities and TVD because “no such documentation exists.”
Despite not being able to provide contracts, the district did produce emails between Zeiss and a former booster treasurer regarding payments made to TVD in 2019, 2022 and 2023, which totaled $4,319.
The Sentinel reached out to Zeiss regarding the discrepancy in dates between his Sept. 12 letter to Meinschein and the emails MISD produced in response to our request. Although he would not consent to an interview, he did respond to our inquiry by email.
Zeiss provided screenshots of a text thread with Meinschein, which starts at 6:27 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, with the superintendent asking Zeiss if he had time for a phone call. When they spoke on the phone, by Zeiss’ account, Meinschein advised it had been brought to his attention that the band was using Shelby for services, “I directly told him that we were using his company, Total Visual Design LLC,” he wrote.
Just before 10 a.m., Zeiss hand delivered the letter to Meinschein. “To be clear, I was not asked to do this and I just wanted to give him more context and volunteered this information,” he told The Sentinel, adding that he drafted the document, which he refers to as “personal notes,” after his first period class, before leaving to attend his duties at Murray Middle School. “This was NOT an official statement by any means and I was trying to go back years worth of memory in a very short time.”
Zeiss acknowledged the inaccuracies in the letter, further stressing his haste in drafting it and that he provided the information voluntarily. He confirmed that Shelby wrote the drill for the band in 2018 and 2019. A different drill writer was used in 2021 and 2022; however, some items were ordered through TVD in those years because they could be purchased at wholesale prices.
“We order products through many vendors aside from Total Visual Design, so that was an error on my part concerning the personal notes in 2021 and 2022,” he explained. “In 2023, we used Total Visual Design for most services. But again, when he [Shelby] could not get us products for the cheaper price, we would go somewhere else. … Ultimately, whoever was the cheapest vendor for the quality product we wanted would win the bid. I had a fiscal responsibility to make our dollar go as far as it could go to benefit the students.”
“And to make this abundantly clear,” Zeiss wrote, “drill writers or vendors such as this are not teachers, instructors, or volunteers with our students in any way shape or form. All conversations and interactions were digital transactions through myself and any vendor. Student safety was never compromised.”
Zeiss declined to make any additional comments at this time. The Sentinel has reached out to Meinschein multiple times with follow-up questions related to this matter but has not received a response from him to date.
*The timeframes for our open records request were minimized so as to avoid delays in the production of records. We submitted a second request to MISD on Oct. 7, requesting records across more substantial periods of time.
Editor’s note: This reporter is the parent of an MHS band member. To ensure accuracy and fairness, this article was reviewed prior to publication by an independent editor unaffiliated with The Sentinel.
