Montgomery Chamber calls for MPS to be put under state intervention following superintendent’s resignation
The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce is asking that Montgomery Public Schools be put under state intervention following the recent resignation of School Superintendent Dr. Melvin Brown.
At a news conference today, the chamber made the request in the form of a resolution to State School Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey, who was present.
“This Montgomery leadership delegation calls upon the state of Alabama Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey and the state of Alabama Department of Education and board to place MPS under state control and intervention,” Caryn Hughes, who is chairman of the board of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, said.
Hughes said that the local economy and business success is tied to a strong education system in praising Dr. Brown’s leadership.
Brown announced his resignation earlier this month, to be effective November 1. Brown was named superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools in April 2022. He came to Montgomery after serving as superintendent for Reynoldsburg City Schools in Ohio, replacing Dr. Ann Roy Moore.
FILE – Dr. Melvin Brown
At that time, he did not say specifically why he was resigning, but issued a statement that said in part:
“As I have weighted the gravity of this decision, I have been completely committed to working for the students of Montgomery. I did not intend for this decision to be communicated in this way and would have preferred to do so in a more professional and structured manner. Unfortunately, what should have been confidential communication, followed by a plan, was shared publicly without my consent. This is yet another example of what has made this work that much more difficult. We will have more details in the coming days and look forward to providing additional context.”
The Chamber responded by saying that his upcoming departure was “a serious blow” to the school system. It said that Brown was leaving due to the actions of some of the members of the Montgomery County school board. It said there is no evidence that four board members responsible for “this crisis of leadership” have a plan to find a way forward.
The school board had voted 4-2 to accept his resignation. The Chamber said it wanted the board to “reconsider its conduct and actions.”
Mackey said that requesting to have the school system under state intervention would have to be examined.
“We can’t just take over a school district,” Mackey said. “I realize we have this resolution today but we can’t just take over a school district because a local chamber or mayor or a county commission asks. Actually, I get that a lot from mayors and county commissioners, but we do want to work with boards to try to get them back on track, and if eventually they are not, then that is certainly something that could be on the table. It would have to go back to the state school board before that could happen.”
Montgomery Public Schools had been under state intervention from early 2017 until December 2021, prior to Dr. Brown’s arrival. The reasons stated were finances, student achievement, nutrition and transportation.
