By Josh Bergeron and Sarah Robinson

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Selma residents are taking grievances about the city school system to a higher level.

A number of local organizations will speak Wednesday about the Selma City School Board’s handling of a corrective action plan at the Alabama State Board of Education meeting. James Perkins, the Dallas County Democratic Conference chairman, said his group is particularly frustrated that the school board refuses to listen to parents and relatives that attend meetings. Perkins said he sent a letter to the board of education and would speak during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“Clearly they are not listening,” Perkins said. “I don’t know of any other civil approach that can be taken at this point because they are elected officials. If they are going to sit there and just tell these parents that they don’t have to justify or explain their position, then what are the parents to do?”

At the Dec. 3 meeting, the school board rejected an idea to allow one member of the public to work with each school board member on the corrective action plan, before approval.

District 1 school board member Kirit Chapatwalla voted against the public input and said the board had proper training to make all decisions.

“I would rather keep it simple rather than make it complicated,” he said.

Perkins said the decision to deny public input is a prime example of the school board ignoring citizen’s concerns.

“I’m just hoping that (the school system) will make the kinds of decisions that demonstrate they recognize the value of our children,” he said.

After choosing not to receive public input, the board approved the corrective action plan by a 3-2 vote, with President Henry Hicks and board member Udo Ufomadu as the only dissenting votes.

The plan addressed issues found in a scathing State Board of Education investigation into the system. One of the main goals in the correction action plan was to “develop and implement a continuous plan for building public trust in the Selma City School community,”

Dallas County Executive Committee Chair Ozetta Thomas said the board has repeatedly failed to adhere to some of the plan’s goals and suggested a state takeover of the Selma City School System.

“I just want our kids in the system to have a quality education and protection for our children while they are in school,” Thomas said. “We cannot get the local board here to listen to anybody. We really need intervention from the state board.”

One recent example of a state takeover is the Birmingham City School System, where the Alabama State Department of Education appointed a Chief Financial Officer to restore the system to a sound financial condition.

Department of Education representative Erica Pippins said no uniform method exists for state intervention. Pippins said the state superintendent Thomas Bice would propose a corrective action plan based on a deficiency within the Selma City School System, if a takeover is approved.

Hicks has continually expressed his disapproval of the board’s actions and said a state takeover may be appropriate.

But Selma City Schools Superintendent Gerald Shirley said a state takeover is unlikely.

“If the state takes over it’s going to be for three major reasons, that is going to be finances, academics and safety,” Shirley said. “Right now, I think that neither one of the situations warrants the state taking over.”