The Clarksdale Blues-Star: Coahoma County School Board votes 3-2 to close Sherard Elementary

Coahoma County School Board votes 3-2 to close Sherard Elementary
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Nathan  Duff on 18/01/2010 21:35:00
 
The move came after months of contention between members of the board and
Superintendent Pauline Rhodes, who was taken by surprise by the matter being
placed on the agenda for the monthly meeting.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” she said during the meeting. “I would like
to know their reasons for putting this on the agenda. Sherard School is doing a
tremendous job and we are not in dire enough straits to warrant closing any of
our schools.”
Board member William Kinard, Jr. expressed similar sentiments.
He said, “How did this come to be on the agenda? Why aren’t we looking at
closing Friars Point or one of the other schools?”
Board President James Washington said “Everyone around this table knows that
we are confronted with shortfalls around the country and Coahoma County is not
excluded from the shortfalls or economic woes.”
Kinard questioned Washington about the specifics of the shortfalls, and said
that he was skeptical of the financial reasons given by Washington as being
valid.
Kinard said, “This board just discussed hiring an advisor. If the board knew
what they were doing, we wouldn’t have to talk about spending that $6,500.”
This comment drew applause from the dozens of concerned citizens who were
crowded into the room and the lobby of the building in an attempt to show
solidarity with Rhodes and express their displeasure with the subject of closing
Sherard.
Kinard said that he felt that there should be discussion of the matter, and
Washington answered curtly, “You are discussing it now.” Kinard said that
the discussion he was talking about would involve input from the community, and
this drew another round of applause.
Washington responded, “This is not the first time this particular issue has
come up.”
Kinard said that his feelings when the issue came up before had not changed,
and that he would be glad to discuss any reasonable plan about closing schools
if one were presented but asked, “If we are talking about closing schools, why
aren’t we talking about closing the one with the lowest enrollment?”
Washington grew visibly upset as that comment drew another round of applause
and said, “Let me tell you why. Because the students at all the other schools
are not bussed in from all other districts and out of the county. That’s why.
Now you can clap on that.”
At this, Rhodes attempted to interject, saying, “We don’t have any busses
that bring students in from outside the district.”
Washington said, “I didn’t just move here, I’ve been here all my life.”
Rhodes and Washington then argued briefly again about how the matter had come
to be on the agenda in the first place before being interrupted by board
attorney Nathaniel Armistead who said, “Let’s stay with item twelve (on the
agenda). We will have discussion and then will call the question.”
At this, Washington said, “Does any other board member have anything to
say?”
Rhodes and Kinard asked again if Washington would give his reasons for wanting
to close the school and he indicated that he would give his reasons when he made
his motion. Armistead said that if the board did indeed vote to close the
school, that the reasons would have to be submitted in the proposal to the
Justice Department and also be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
Rhodes tried again to put the vote off by asking if it wasn’t the
responsibility of the Superintendent to bring such a proposal before the board
and was told by Armistead that “in a perfect world where the Superintendent
and board are working together, that would be the case. That is not what we have
here.”
Rhodes responded by saying, “Well, I pray that day will come because it’s
hurting our children.” She brought up the fact that Sherard had increased its
enrollment by another 10 students just over the Christmas break.
Washington then said, “Why don’t you tell the truth. I know what happened.
You had teachers that didn’t have no students in their classes and they went
out recruiting.”
This brought derisive laughter from the witnesses. Washington then made his
motion.
“I so move,” he said, “Because of economic reasons, and because of the
declining of enrollment in the district and the county, that we close Sherard,
effective at the end of this school term. That’s my motion.”
The motion was quickly seconded by Milroy Harris, and Washington, Harris and
Patrick Campbell voted to close, with Kinard and Terry Thomas voting against
closure.
As soon as the vote was taken, the crowd of Sherard supporters in attendance
walked out of the meeting, standing around outside voicing their disbelief.
One teacher, choking back tears, said, “They gave no reason. We did not need
to be closed. They did not have a reason.”
One parent said, “How can they do this? What are our kids going to do?”
Another said, “Sherard is a great school. They take the time to teach the
kids and don’t just pass them along. It needs to stay. We need to get rid of
these board members.”
Another Sherard teacher said, “We are not going down without a fight.”