A ‘Rescind the Vote Forum’ held at St. James United Methodist Church Monday evening drew around 40 people to discuss the Pine Bluff School Board’s May decision to hire Michael Nellums, former principal of Mills High School in the Pulaski County Special School District, as the new Pine Bluff High School principal.
The forum was organized by Kymara Seals and Reola Moore, parents of PBHS students, as a way to inform the community about the situation and to empower them with a plan of action to try to persuade the board members who approved the recommendation to hire Nellums to rescind their votes.
In the May 16 decision, board president Herman Horace, and board members Harold Jackson, Ken Dickson and Chandra Griffin voted yes; board secretary Freddie M. Johnson and board member Ellen Nichol voted no; and board vice president Donna Barnes abstained.
Nellums was investigated by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office between 2010 and 2011 over allegations that he conspired with Pulaski County Special School District board president Tim Clark to frame PCSSD board member Gwen Williams.
Nellums was principal of Mills High School in the Pulaski County Special School District and a member of the Little Rock School Board at the time of the investigation.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In a May 20, 2011, report Larry Jegley, Prosecuting Attorney for Perry and Pulaski counties, reviewed the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the alleged activities of Nellums and Clark and determined that even though no actual criminal violations had taken place, the entire event painted the two men in a much less than favorable light.
Nellums and Clark were determined by Jegley’s office to have participated in a scheme that produced a videotape and letter suggesting that Williams took a bribe.
Seals said that all seven board members had been invited to participate in the forum and that commitments to attend had been secured from several of them.
Purpose
“We’re here to get some answers,” Seals said. “So far none of the people we had hoped to get answers from have arrived.”
Seals said that during the May 24 open forum, hosted by the school board, she and other concerned parents and teachers asked why Nellums was hired given his professional history.
“We were not given the information we requested from the school board and the superintendent about the district’s hiring practices,” Seals said. “Not one of them answered us.”
Seals said that she submitted a letter signed by 30 parents to each school board member and the superintendent questioning the process that resulted in the hiring of Nellums.
“We know that the former superintendent [Jerry O. Payne] made a recommendation to the board to hire Nellums and we know how each board member voted,” Seals said. “But what happened before that is a mystery. We are not troublemakers. We are concerned parents. We had concerns over things we heard and read about the person hired as the new Pine Bluff High School principal.”
“We wanted to know who was on the committee that recommended Nellums,” Seals said in reference to a hiring committee that assists the superintendent with candidate vetting. “How is it that we can’t know who is on this committee when this is a public school district? This is not a private institution. It’s like we woke up and he was hired. We became concerned because school boards must work with the community and the administration to be effective.”
“There are a number of things that have happened with the Pine Bluff School Board in the past 14 months,” Seals said. “The first forum that was held was a result of the business community rallying together because they want answers too. This meeting is not about who needs to be principal but to put pressure on the school board to rescind their votes.”
Civic participation
Seals said that aside from being informed about the situation those in attendance needed to also be empowered.
“We want you to send e-mails to your board members or to all of them to urge them to rescind their yes vote,” Seals said. “It is important to know what school board zone you live in. All that each of us can do is our part. The board members are elected officials and I have been very disappointed with how we are being treated. I think there is a lack of understanding by some of them as to how they can be effective. I have a vote of no confidence in this board, especially its leadership.”
“It is important that we work together to move this district forward,” Seals said. “It’s about the kids and doing what is right for them. We want to be a positive influence on education and have people in office who have that same passion. You’ve got to be involved. The board seats will be up for grabs on Tuesday, Sept. 18. I am not sure how effective the current board can be after what has happened in the past 14 months. We need to know what they are voting on.”
Public comment
Retired educator Jack Gilbert proposed that the reason that the school district is in trouble is because it is not teaching students how to be a part of the workforce.
“People are moving away,” Gilbert said. “It is because of your school district. What happened to apprenticeships? The three districts in Pine Bluff are dying because they are focused on college prep and not vocational-technical skills. You need to teach these skilled trades to attract business back to this area. The school board must lead in order to do this.”
Long-time PBHS art teacher Virginia Hymes gave an impassioned plea for the school district to focus on providing the leadership that will lead to the best educational opportunities for students.
“I am a concerned teacher,” Hymes said. “We are sick and tired of being punching bags. We are all in this together. We have the audacity to believe that our children should have the best education possible. I believe that this school board with new district leadership in place and a chance to be refreshed will rescind the previous vote.”
Eric Mayfield said that he graduated from Watson Chapel High School in 2003 instead of PBHS because his mother moved out of the PBSD.
“I wanted to graduate from Pine Bluff High School but we moved so I had to attend the Watson Chapel School District,” Mayfield said. “The teachers in the Pine Bluff school district meant a lot to me. There are people who want to teach in the Pine Bluff district but aren’t happy with the drama.”
“The board has made me want to go back to school to further my education and sit in one of their seats,” Mayfield said to loud applause.