One city alderman said the Yazoo City Municipal School District Board needs to begin caring for the students and stop pushing “personal agendas.”
“Stop placing personal agendas over what is best for our community,” said Alderman Aubry Brent, during Monday’s city council meeting. “People are not going to move into a community with a failing school district. They want a successful school district. You are not going to have a successful school district when you are sitting on a board that is just taking care of their own.”
Brent’s comments arrive as the city prepares to send the local school district another state-mandated $30,000. He said money is not solving the problem with the city schools, and the district’s failing status is proof of that.
“Personally, I feel we are top heavy when we have a failing school district,” Brent said. “We have too many astronomical salaries being paid especially to that central office. Attention should be paid to our children. It is ridiculous as to the number of people who are paid astronomical salaries, and you are not seeing any results of these salaries in our children’s’ scores.”
Brent reminded the city council of an audit that was done within the school district during 2012-2013. He said the audit transferred or removed many school employees from their positions because “a lot of money came up missing.”
“Those same individuals are getting ready to move back into those same positions that the auditor told them to get out of,” Brent said.
Brent also said the school board is acting on personal, not professional, impulses. He said the board is hiring friends and relatives over other competent candidates.
“There are over 42 uncertified teachers, yet you wonder why we are failing,” Brent said.
Brent said he doesn’t wish to make enemies, but he told the city council the same action they took with removing members from the Yazoo City Housing Board should be considered with the school board.
“I can’t even talk to the school board president (Dave Collins),” Brent said. “He basically didn’t want to talk to me. You should not get on these boards with personal agendas. You should go with what is best for Yazoo City.”
