Jackson Jambalaya

Ever since Stringfellow hit the streets of Jackson he has had nothing but a racial agenda. That was true at the Clarion Ledger and is true at Jackson State (if still employed).

I remember back about ten years ago when Employment Security was about to move out of downtown out to I-220 and he was ranting in the paper about agencies, this one in particular, having an obligation to stay in the inner city and help save it from doom.

He portrayed that move as 'race based' even though the agency cited the age of the dilapidated building, need for more floor space and frequent gunfire in the neighborhood on East Capital Street.

Given his racial attitude and periodic anger expressed at white folks, why in the world do we need him in any role with a public school system.

If they need a 'media buffer' or somebody to line up speaking engagements for the superintendent, that's a role for a common clerical employee already on staff.

When white people are in charge, it's the "Good Ol' Boy" network, i.e. we go hunting together, so I'll give his company that state contract.

When black people are in charge, it's the "Help a Brotha Out" network, i.e. we go to church together, so I'll give him that city contract.

Regardless of who is in charge, it's cronyism and it's total bullshit.

Looks like mostly PR. No PR will help improve the schools image as long as they are graded as an "F". The best PR is to improve student achievement.

Having hired a consultant for "marketing" purposes, I can unequivocally say that it is waste of money. "Marketing" is code for all talk...no action. Everything in that scope can be done internally by JPS. Any wonder why JPS is in such bad financial shape?

One can only hope the MDE is watching and massing its troops on their border just waiting for the "execute" order.

I don't know Stringfellow and have no personal beef with him. However, the big picture is that JPS has become, over a period of about two decades, a gravy train for the "connected", which usually means Democrat activists, big law firms and accounting firms, "public affairs specialists" and their big firms, and related entities or people connected to them. Some of the contracts, awards, etc., are relatively small; others are huge. They all add up. The result is twofold: the basic education of the city's children is lost and compromised; and the homeowners of the city of Jackson have to pay more and more property taxes each year to cover this.

The only solutions are either to have a mayor who appoints three JPS board members who will reform the whole thing from bottom up (not bloody likely), or to have the state take over and do this (a distinct possibility). true reform would include not only stopping the gravy train/trough monies but trying some very radical new ideas to help educate students.

10:15, I get what you're saying that it would be preferable to handle this in house vice contracting...but please explain to how marketing or PR are within the scope of duties one would expect for a school district? Here's a tip. If JPS were actually educating kids then the need for PR or marketing would be exactly zero. This is why the taxpayers are not immediately agreeing to every request for more education funding. We understand it's not going to the classrooms. And this is the ridiculous system that a certain lawyer wants to doom every single Jackson kid to endure and is trying to make that happen by playing word games. Won't affect your kids; keep swirling your drink around the glass at cocktail parties basking in your own brilliance. You sure are going to show those reich wingers, no matter how many children's educations you have to hobble. No matter how many parents who work hard to try and give their kids an opportunity at a better education you have to disappoint. Small price to pay to cement your doctrinaire liberal bona fides.

Me thinks the interim is in part hiring Stringfellow to help him, specifically, get the permanent gig.

10:1 odds that Eric Stringfellow comments anonymously here at JJ.

Do us a favor Kingfish (or anybody else with the knowhow): Bring up a couple of videos of Stringfellow talking about ANY subject over the past fifteen years. The video needs to be, oh, ten minutes long to project accurately. Watch him rant about white people or the downtrodden or how Jackson is being forgotten or in some other manner preaching doom and race-based gloom.

In some circles this would be called vetting. In other circles it would be called establishing credentials and gaining leverage.

Here we go:

a) No elementary school should have less than 400 students, no middle school should have less than 750 students and no high school should have less than 1,000 (maybe 1,200 students). When you close/ merge schools bring over the good teachers. Do not bring over the administrators unless one of them is a top of the line principal. But fire some other principal at the same time.

b-i) Are you telling me JPS doesn't have some type of communications and/ or marketing position? If so, what are they doing? This seems to be exactly what would be in their job description.

Same Stringfellow that had a"consulting " contract to run Lefleurs Bluff golf course and lost it eventually because he let it go down so badly.

The fact this is even being considered shows the true issue....an unqualified school board. With the exception of Kimberly Campbell, none of this people should be running anything.

7:51 almost makes me think of the Jackson Airport Board of Directors.

Just wait til a similar group gets control of the millions in infrastructure grants I saw announced recently. We will see dozens of 'project managers' in city trucks, smoking cigars.

All these opinions are, in the end, meaningless. The school board will do what they want to do. They don't give a hoot in hell about the man's background, reputation or mindset. They're simply continuing to shuffle public money around in the neighborhood. It's become a modern art-form.

8:34
Nothing modern about this art form. It has been around as long as there have been cities and tax collection.