JACKSON — The Mississippi Board of Education is likely to vote Friday for the state to take over the Aberdeen school district.
The Commission on School Accreditation voted unanimously Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in the district, which enrolls more than 1,400 students in part of Monroe County.
State officials say a comprehensive review found the school system was breaking 31 of the 37 state requirements for accreditation. Among items of concern, officials said, board members are alleged to have routinely interfered in day-to-day operations.
“There are some very serious noncompliance issues,” said commission member Ann Jones. “It boggles the mind.”
The district’s interim superintendent and school board president said they were making improvements, but also depicted a district embroiled in internal and local political disputes.
“If I were going to interfere in day-to-day operations, I would have made sure these standards were met,” Board President Royce Stephens said. “Sure, we made mistakes as a board, but it wasn’t intentional. We always tried to do what was best for kids.”
Interim Superintendent Bobby Eiland said the district was making progress.
“We do have problems,” he said. “I’ll be the first to admit they start at the top.”
If the state board endorses Wednesday’s decision, Gov. Phil Bryant would then be presented with a declaration for his signature. After that, the state board would depose the current school board and appoint a conservator to run the district.
Seven of the state’s 152 school districts are now under state control: Drew, Hazlehurst, Indianola, North Panola, Okolona, Sunflower County and Tate County.
The action does not remove Aberdeen’s accreditation, but Paula Vanderford, who oversees such issues for the Mississippi Department of Education, said Aberdeen’s accreditation could be considered in June.
The state’s six-level rating system labels Aberdeen as academic watch, the third lowest. At least a dozen other districts have lower numerical ratings than Aberdeen and have not been taken over.
Despite the school district’s low academic standing, the investigation found scant evidence of plans to improve instruction and student achievement, officials reported.
“Somebody has got to address the issue of low achievement in the school district, to get some results for the students,” said commission member Henry Arledge.
A 20-page summary of the state’s investigation reports numerous problems.
The report said that board personnel decisions were influenced by a “system of favoritism and retaliation,” with board members rejecting hiring recommendations, creating unrequested positions and taking complaints from employees.
The state claimed that at least two board members “frequently” visit schools as if they were supervising teachers. Stephens denied that.
Vanderford said that at one meeting where board members discussed furloughing teachers to save money, they also discussed whether the system could pay for their cell phones. After limiting yearly board member travel expenses to $3,000 apiece in April 2010, one board member received $6,000 for travel in the four following months, authorities said.
Stephens claimed that the former superintendent and political opponents were spreading lies and had a vendetta against him. He said his leadership of the board had been an issue in Tuesday’s city elections in Aberdeen.
“The truth is not being told,” Stephens told the commission. “If you dismantle the board, fine, but you need to know the truth.”
The state said Aberdeen didn’t follow federal law on special education and must repay $215,000 in federal money. The state said Aberdeen would also have to repay $52,755 in state money, because the district didn’t document time worked by some employees.
The state found that one elementary school lacked a librarian and that high school students were getting no career and college counseling. High school science labs were marked “closed until further notice” in March and no students had gotten lab time this year.
The alternative school is operating more like home tutoring, the inquiry found, and students overall are receiving less than the mandated amount of instructional time. The district’s high school dropout rate was 64 percent last year, but even students who graduated may have not met requirements, investigators found.
Some Monroe County leaders said they hoped a state takeover would be an opportunity for a fresh start.
“The children were victims of city politics and school politics and they lose,” said Danny Spreitler, head of the Amory-based Gilmore Foundation, which spends most of its money on early childhood education in Monroe County
“It is, of course, unpleasant to have the state take over the district, but at the same time it’s an opportunity to re-invigorate the public schools in Aberdeen,” said Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory. “There are good, hard-working teachers and administrators there. There are students who want to learn. There are parents who care deeply about their children’s education.”
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