The Jackson City Council voted this week to ask the legislature to allow cities to elect school board members instead of the current method where board members are appointed. The city council passed a legislative agenda that stated:
4.RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE AMENDING SECTION 37-7-203, MISSISSIPPI CODE (1972), RELATED TO SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TO BE CONSIDERED DURING THE 2014 SESSION OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE.
Councilman Tony Yarber said the Lumumba Administration and City Council want the legislature to discontinue the appointment of municipal school board members and instead allow the voters to elect school board members. Apparently the city fathers are tired of the implosion of JPS and the incompetence of the school board as they seek to use their own nuclear option.
This is a big move and credit should be given to Mayor Lumumba, who has already approached legislative leaders about changing the law. It would be very easy for him to resist changing his power to appoint school board members. However, it is clear there is no accountability whatsoever at Jackson Public Schools. An elected school board will at least be responsible to the voters. Even when there is an out of control board such as the Madison County Board of Supervisors, Hinds County Board of Supervisors, Canton Board of Aldermen, or Jackson City Council, there was always those one or two members such as Phil Fisher, Jeff Weill, Peggy Hobson-Calhoun, D.I. Smith, or Charles Weems who tried to hold their feet to the fire. The problem with the current system is there is no diversity of thought, experience, or opinion. There is no private business experience on the school board. They are all consultants, education experts (so-called), and government employees.
They spend money like its going out of style, raise taxes whenever they feel like it, appoint unqualified superintendents, and never see fit to apologize for anything. When the state tries to work with the district on keeping its accreditation, the school board members scream about their rights and refuse to solve any problems. Meanwhile, the school ratings get worse. No accountability whatsoever.
They have thumbed their noses at the rest of us for long enough. Time for a change.
5 comments:
um, that all sounds warm and fuzzy KF however, the voters of Hinds County have a dismal record at best in their collective ability to vote only along "hate whitey" lines. Said voters have managed to run the city and the county into the ditch now they want to plunder a bit in state buisness? Be careful what you wish for!!!!
Lawdy.....we could end up with a Stokes "elected" to the school board? That would not be a bootiful thing.
Do we get to see the rest of the legislative agenda they passed?
Maybe some of the elected members of the defunct Leflore County School board would like to move down and run for those posts? We will be more than glad to ship them AND their relatives (most of whom eventually got hired as 'administrators' for the LCSS) to ya.
WELL SAID, 10:20 !!
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