VALDOSTA — A number of parents and community stakeholders attended the Valdosta Board of Education’s regular meeting and public forum Monday, held at West Gordon Elementary School.

Following a brief board meeting, which included a unanimous vote to name the system’s new Early College Program the Valdosta Early College Academy, the public was invited to share concerns and comments.

Of the topics brought up during Monday’s forum, the issues of minority teacher recruitment, inadequate recording of the board meeting/work session minutes, and the selection of student programs within schools rendered most of the evening’s discussion.

Minority teacher recruitment

For several decades, the system has been working rectify the issues of a 1970 civil action order, which, in summary, found that the system needed more minority teachers, as well as a more diverse and balanced representation among faculty and administrators within schools. A number of citizens, including Willie Head, Ralph Council, and student George Foreman, shared their concerns regarding the issue.

“In 1971, this system agreed with a consent decree from the courts to hire black teachers, and the system was given 90 days to get in order ... that was in 1971,” said Head.

In response, Superintendent Dr. Bill Cason shared some of the current initiatives in the area of teacher recruitment.

“We have a new recruitment plan in place, and we’ve increased our efforts this year toward the recruitment of minority teachers. And, we’re going to additional colleges to find African-American teachers, Hispanic teachers, and others,” Cason said. “We are also reassigning staff to help balance out some of our schools, and the Department of Justice has given us a while to work on it. I believe that once this plan is fully in place, you will see the results right away, I think.”

Having heard the vow of the school system to address the issue many times before, Council said “I was here 10-12 years before 1971, and there was a recruitment plan then. We don’t need a recruitment plan, we need a hiring plan.”

Inadequate

recording of board meeting/work

session minutes

While conducting research on the local school system, Dr. Mark George of Valdosta State University’s Sociology Department, shared his findings with the board in regards to certain information, specifically decisions passed by vote, being omitted from the recorded minutes.