More than 150 attend board meeting; praise, criticism fly both ways.
By Robyn Meadows
Published Sep 20, 2006 13:51
The Rev. Robert O. Bailey urged school officials to stop the friction and work on solutions.
“...We are fearful that these disputes can harm the welfare of our children,” said Bailey, president of the Lancaster branch of the NAACP.
But the conflict is not over. The school board did not make any moves Tuesday to end its dispute with CAP.
The tone at the meeting became emotional.
More than a dozen speakers criticized the district’s actions, while at least nine defended them.
Both sides also spoke about the controversy surrounding board member Pat Dixon.
State Auditor General Jack Wagner’s office released a report accusing Dixon of repeatedly breaking the state ethics law — while board president — by voting for and advocating on behalf of CAP, her employer.
At the end of meeting, Dixon publicly addressed the controversy.
“I have no problem with the scrutiny of public funds,” she said.
But, “I could not believe that the auditor general’s report was filled with so much inaccurate information.”
Superintendent Rita Bishop told investigators that Dixon commanded her to “fetch” the business manager to pay outstanding invoices to CAP, the report said.
“That’s an outright lie,” Dixon said. “The fact that she could lie to (investigators), this community, to this board is an outrage.”
The report also said the district was justified in not paying CAP.
The district has refused to pay CAP a little more than $600,000 for two separate programs because paperwork contained errors and multiple inconsistencies, school officials said.
Both parties have filed lawsuits.
Last year, the district did not renew its contracts with CAP to run the after-school program and recently terminated additional contracts with CAP to administer training for Head Start teachers.
CAP administered training and paid Head Start teachers extra for having completed it. The district then paid CAP for that service through a federal Early Reading First grant.
Services to the children are not in jeopardy, school officials said, because Health and Human Services funds Head Start, not the school district.
The district paid CAP for the training, not for the program.
Business Manager Curt Baker has said the district can manage the training and pay stipends directly or with a third party.
However, “you can’t just start from scratch” and not expect to “skip a beat,” Cobbie Burns told the board.
The district needs to put its focus back on education, Burns said. And he blasted the district’s graduation rate of 57 percent.
Our children “have a 50/50 chance of getting an education,” he said.
McCaskey football coach Victor Muhammad said the district has treated Dixon poorly.
“Don’t put our sister out there like you feed raw meat to dogs,” he said. “Don’t put sins on our sister while you sin behind closed doors.”
Bishop has a vendetta against Dixon, Norman Chancy said. And, CAP has provided excellent services to city schoolchildren, he said.
On the other hand, MaryAnne Motter Cullen said the district did the right thing, not bowing to pressure to pay bills that were inaccurate.
Parents Delia Sanchez and Darlene Taylor criticized Dixon.
“She should step down,” Taylor said. “This is not about actions of an African-American” woman. “This is about the actions of a school board member.”
Taylor also said that Bishop listens to parents.
Parent Linda Owens, however, said for each of those who stand for the administration more are against it. She called for the resignation of board President Gina Brown.
At the end of public comment, three local pastors took the stand to finish Bailey’s speech because he was cut off by the three-minute time limit.
Bailey is suggesting that the board develop clear, concise policies for each board member, that the solicitor advise members on their rights, and officials develop a community review board to help settle disputes.
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