The Red Clay School Board was not ready to make a decision on its involvement in the state’s Priority Schools plan Wednesday night, deciding instead to take more time to draft its own Memorandum of Understanding with the state.
District Superintendent Merv Daugherty strongly encouraged the school board to try and move more quickly on the MOU for Priority Schools, saying that it wasn’t fair to make parents and teachers wait until the last minute to learn what changes would be coming from the state Department of Education at the the schools targeted in Red Clay.
“We have a lot of support,” Daugherty said, “but they’re still federal guidelines.”
The Board appeared divided on how to handle the situation. Board Member Cathy Thompson also encouraged signing the MOU, saying they had little control and should cooperate with the state plan. Board Member Adriana Bohm said she didn’t want to negotiate from a place of fear.
"I have a lot of trepidation with your request to say let’s move forward with the MOU and I understand there’s severe repercussions if we don’t," said Bohm.
Repercussions could include school closures or or having them converted to charters if the district doesn’t sign on and present a plan by the deadline of December 31st.
Kenneth Rivera said it would be best for all sides to come together and draft an alternative plan that represents the specific interests of the schools from a community stakeholders’ perspective.
"I think we come up with a draft on what we believe in," said Rivera.
No such alternative plan has been drafted yet, and the clock is ticking toward Dec. 31st.
