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BOE calls meeting Monday
By Jason Cannon Published 7:40pm Tuesday, March 6, 2012The Demopolis Board of Education has called a special meeting to allow community members express their concerns over Leon Clark’s soon-to-be-expired contract.
The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at the central office, despite a local grassroots organization’s formal request that it be moved to a larger location.
Excellence in Education (EIE) Tuesday asked that the meeting be moved from the central office to the Demopolis High School campus to better accommodate what is expected to be a crowd that could easily number into the hundreds.
A meeting called last Thursday drew more than 200 interested students, teachers, parents and community leaders.
“I requested the meeting be moved from the central office to a room that would accommodate all those that would like to participate,” said Mark Boland, a member of EIE. “I suggested either the high school gymnasium or the auditorium, with the auditorium preferable due to the acoustics.”
That request was denied Tuesday afternoon.
A call to Superintendent of Education Dr. Al Griffin was not returned but board attorney Alex Braswell confirmed that Monday’s meeting would, indeed, be held in the board room.
“That’s just where the board meets,” he said.
Last week a large group gathered in the central office board room and were denied an opportunity to speak at that meeting despite its attempts to be added to the agenda. At Monday’s meeting, BOE officials have asked EIE to provide five speakers who each will be allowed to address the board with their concerns.
“(The board) isn’t trying to limit the number of people who can speak, necessarily,” Braswell said. “We’re just trying to get an idea for how long the meeting will last. If (EIE) needs, seven people – or ever how many – that’s fine. They just need to let us know.”
The board solicited the help of Olen Kerby, who is also a member of EIE, in recruiting the speakers. Kerby said Tuesday he has not completed his list of speakers but expected to have done so later this week.
According to Ronnie O’Neals article in todays paper, the school board helped us get a “state of the art” performing arts center at the high school. Does it strike anyone as odd that this same administration refuses to move the special school board meeting to their fine new facility? They should use their new digs…sez me…I mean to accomodate the public and all…again, sez me.
I really don’t understand why it can not be moved to a larger venue when they know the community is concerned about this situation and there will be many attending.
I understand wanting to limit the number of speakers, to prevent hundreds of people saying the same thing (to wit: You lunkheads, get this thing done!), but for them, the fewer witnesses to their squirming, the better. Lotsa people = bad; very few people = good. I’m surprised they don’t meet in one of the office’s closets. This is why they didn’t allow more people into the meeting. This is why they won’t go to a facility that would accommodate more people/witnesses/people they are supposed to be serving. Remind me why school board members are not elected?
So, I love how some of the BOE members take credit for Hard WORK that our Local Educators have actually accomplished!! Someone please explain to me how & why our local educators take a CUT in pay, while the BOE gets paid like $350 a month???? Added up, that is the salary of a TEACHER!! That is 1 less teacher we have OR money that could go towards supplies for our teachers!!
Most (if not all) other states do not get paid anything for their service. I say we Elect and NOT appoint BOE members!! – Ronda Russell