Disagreements proved to be a common theme during last month’s Carroll County SchoolDistrict’s Board of Education meeting.
Prior to a disagreement over hiring Greenwood-based law firm, The Pulley Law Firm, LLC., for Board Governance and Compliance training – despite being represented by longtime Board Attorney Lori Bell – contention over contracting instructional and coaching support programs for the District arose.
The topic was introduced by CCSD Finance Director and Business Manager Jennifer Prestridge as she explained the nature of the programs being requested during the Nov. 13 meeting. There were two programs up for request, with two proposed quotes each.
The Kids First proposal for the first program included 25 days of in-house consulting for English Language Arts, Math, and Biology at both J.Z. George High School and Marshall Elementary School. The Board was also presented a comparative quote with Bailey Education Group, however, specific dollar amounts were not disclosed.
There were also two quotes for the second program discussed. This program would cover 10 days of in-house consulting for fifth- and eighth-grade science classes. The Board was presented with two quotes for this program, one from Performance Based Education Company and one from Bailey Education Group.
“I have a question,” District 2 Board Member Teresa Vanlandingham said. “We’re spending a whole lot of money – it looks like – on Kids First, when it looks like we could get a yearly academic coach for our teachers that’s in-house that might do better. I know us as a Board have been asking for data for months on how we’re improving on our scores and we haven’t seen data on this yet. So, what I would like to see is for someone to come in from Kids First and show us a three-year plan on where we started [versus] where we are now."
In response to Board Member Vanlandingham’s request, the District’s Federal Programs and Test Coordinator Sara Johnson explained that the progress data for the schools is measured based on benchmark and state testing scores. However, following Johnson’s explanation, Vanlandingham requested clarification on the difference between paying a single academic coach’s yearly salary versus what Kids First programs provide. Johnson then explained that most academic coaches cover only a specific content area and it would be extremely difficult to find a single person who is well versed in all testing content areas from the elementary level through the high school level.
During the discussion it was also noted that the consultants job is only to teach the administrators and teachers on their subject matter, however, once the consultants have completed their training, it is up to the teachers and administrators to implement the new learning and teaching strategies. A consultant cannot be held accountable for the implementation of these programs as that is up to the school administrators.
“Can we still get someone from Kids First to come here and present what they are actually doing?” District 5 Board Member and President Stella Washington Bell asked. “I mean, even though you are telling us what they’re doing, can we get them to come here and explain to us because we’re spending so much? I mean, cause, we’ve been doing this for years. Like I said, our District scores are low.”
“And then, what they’re saying is they can coach all they want to, but if the teachers don’t implement it, then where are we going?” Board Member Vanlandingham weighed in.
“I respectfully disagree a little bit here,” Superintendent Joey Carpenter explained. “We were a C my first year and then we were a B – which we’ve never been – last year. We are a C this year, and that’s not where we want to be, but Kids First, I think, has done a lot for us. There’s no way we could get one person to do biology, English Language Arts and math.”
At this point, Board Member Washington Bell interrupted to state that the Board still wants to meet with a Kids First representative. Upon it being explained that there would likely be a fee for such a meeting, Washington Bell stated that a representative should be able to meet with the Board without further compensation if the District is to continue to work with Kids First. In addition, she went on to say that with each proposal she did not feel as though the Board was getting enough information on what each program entails or what services are being offered.
“The Superintendent gets their reports, and the principals get their reports, and I get their reports, and Dr. Hubbard gets their reports,” Johnson added. “So, we know what they’re doing.”
“We don’t! We’re the ones approving it,” Board Member Washington Bell interjected. “We ought to know exactly what they’re doing for our school district. That’s what I’m saying. We need to know what they’re doing. What if someone asks us, ‘What is Kids First doing?’ We can’t tell them nothing. I want to know.”
“Well we’re telling you,” Johnson quipped. “It is not y’all’s place to know all of that. You should trust the Superintendent.”
“I do trust you, but I want to trust me!” Board Member Washington Bell exclaimed. “We are the ones signing this.”
Following these comments, Johnson explained that the Board should not be involved in the day- to-day operations of the District. In reply, Board Member Washington Bell stated that they were not intending to get involved in the day-to-day operations and are only monitoring the budget of the District.
“I calculated really quickly, just to see what it would cost – if we were to not go with Kids First and were to hire our own – and on average to pay one person with a double A license and 10 years of experience, salary and benefits would run around $69,000,” CFO Prestridge informed the Board. “The two quotes that we have now for the consultants – which would be five consultants with Performance Based and Kids First – we’re getting the benefit of five different people for $50,000.”
Ultimately, the Board approved the request for Instructional and Coaching support with Kids First and Performance Based on a motion from Board Member Vanlandingham and seconded by District 1 Board Member Kenneth DeLoach with all three members present in favor. In addition, Superintendent Carpenter stated that he would reach out to Kids First about possibly having a representative be present at the next possible meeting.
As for the Board’s desires to contract The Pulley Firm for training, CCSD officials announced Wednesday that the firm was unavailable for training in December and will take advantage of Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA) training in January.
