Eight months after Clayton County schools regained full accreditation, the board of education appears headed down a rocky path that some critics say could interfere with its chief mission of educating the district’s 51,000 students.
About a third of the district’s 62 schools have failed to meet federal benchmarks that track academic performance and graduation rates, yet observers of the nine-member school board say it seems preoccupied lately with personality clashes, sanctions against fellow board members and bizarre accusations.
This latest round of drama isn’t likely to get the district put back on probation — in fact, state education experts say the friction is normal for a board still trying to find its rhythm when it comes to setting policies and procedures. But it is a distraction that has angered some parents and drawn concern from the head of a local educators group.
“I can’t figure out altogether what the tension is about, but there seems to be more of it,” said Sid Chapman, president of the Clayton County Education Association. “I just don’t want us to go down that road that causes us to get in another crisis situation.”
Just last summer the board was hailed by state and national educators for regaining the district’s accreditation and restoring its image, left tarnished by a previous board’s infighting.
However, system observers say they’ve noticed divisive tactics emerging on the board, ranging from members voting in blocs to punitive actions taken against some board members. There also appears to be growing tension between Superintendent Edmond Heatley and some board members.
Board Chairwoman Pam Adamson insists the board “is not coming unraveled.”
“The board is trying to do their job as best they can,” Adamson said.
But Tony McCrear, a parent who regularly attends school board meetings, said the board’s conduct of late has been “very disheartening.”
“Cohesiveness is definitely not a term I’d use for the Clayton County School Board,” he said. He said some board members are “doing what [the superintendent] said needs to be done, and those who aren’t are being ostracized.”
Cases in point:
● Sanctions were imposed against board member Jessie Goree after Heatley filed a complaint against her, claiming she was disrespectful and combative during an Oct. 5 public meeting at North Clayton High School. Goree insists it was Heatley who was behaving badly.
As part of her punishment, Goree was barred from the Dec. 5 school board meeting and can’t serve as chair or vice chair of the board for two years. In an interview last week, Goree noted that complaints brought against other board members for various infractions have been largely ignored.
● Board member Charlton Bivens recently was replaced as vice chair by member Mary Baker. Bivens had voted against extending Heatley’s contract.
The board also is set to meet Monday night in a special called session to hear one of its members explain how dozens of allegedly pornographic files wound up on her district-issued computer.
Board member Trinia Garrett has denied having downloaded pornography and has asked for an outside investigation. “I feel like I’m being unfairly targeted,” Garrett said.
All this comes in an election year when five board seats are up for grabs.
Still, state education officials say despite the rough patches, the Clayton board has made strides.
“There have been, over a period of time, some issues, but in fairness they did a very good job relative to moving from their status with [the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools] probation. Based on that, they’ve made some gains,” said Tony Arasi, director of board development for the Georgia School Boards Association, which oversees training of school boards statewide.
There are more than 1,100 school board members serving in 180 districts in Georgia, so friction is bound to emerge, he said. Often individuals with strong personalities and varying agendas are thrust together to make decisions as a group, and that’s challenging.
“There’s more pressure on school districts and boards now. Superintendents and boards today are being asked to do things better, faster and with less money,” Arasi said. “That sounds good but it’s very challenging to do.”
Adamson, who became chair a year ago this month, said Heatley has brought stability to the district in his two and a half years in the job.
“He has gained the respect of SACS,” she said. “He has brought us through the most unstable economic time I have ever known this school district to face. He has extraordinary financial capacity. He understands the financial issues we face. He’s been able to lead us through this.”
But, she noted, “it wasn’t without pain. Some people have lost their jobs. Others were reassigned.”
One such decision proved to be the last straw for DaShonna Taylor, who withdrew her four children from the school district and left the county last July after two administrators were removed at Mount Zion High School, which has consistently outperformed other schools in the county.
“A lot of parents jumped ship because of the Mount Zion High School issue,” Taylor said, adding that “until the priority is placed upon the students, the staff and all the educators and administrators of the county, this board and superintendent relationship is always going to be divided.”
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