Court: Neville OK to intervene in MCSB case
U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes on Tuesday approved a motion from Neville Alumni and Friends Association, Greg Jones and Nici Hanks requesting the court's permission to intervene in the Monroe City School Board's desegregation case.
Neville group files motion in deseg case
The motion was filed Friday. A memorandum filed with the motion alleges failure to act and bad faith on part of some board members and ignorance, complicity or nonfeasance regarding the board's actions on the part of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Scott Wolleson, one of the attorneys who drafted the motion and the memorandum, said neither he nor the movers (NAFA, Jones and Hanks) had a comment because the litigation is pending.
NAFA, Jones and Hanks object to hiring the Educational Planning Group LLC as the independent court monitor, a position required by the MCSB consent decree, because they say the consultants are inexperienced and unqualified and the firm is biased and lacks the objectivity required of an independent court monitor.
At MCSB meetings on Dec. 15 and Jan. 7, the majority of the board voted to hire the Educational Planning Group as the independent court monitor. At the Jan. 7 meeting, they also voted to hire the corporation, which consists of three consultants, as experts to help revise the medical magnet program at Carroll High School. Both positions are required by the consent decree that the board is under.
The memorandum seeks an evidentiary hearing to aid in assessment of the proposed intervention. NAFA, Jones and Hanks would attempt to demonstrate to the court that a plan devised by Monroe City Schools Superintendent Brent Vidrine to partner with the University of Louisiana at Monroe for two positions required by the consent decree would be the proper course for the school district.
The proposal to work with ULM was brought forth at the Jan. 7 board meeting but declined by the board. Instead, board Vice President Brenda Shelling made a motion to ask the contingent from ULM to act as co-collaborators on managing the medical magnet program with the Educational Planning Group. The motion was made was after the ULM group had left the meeting, and the the joint status report filed Jan. 21 encourages the board to work with ULM in that context. So far, ULM has not agreed to the proposal.
A date for the evidentiary hearing has not yet been set.
Follow the story:
- City School Board meeting turns contentious
- MCSB votes to send deseg proposal to judge
- Judge OKs Monroe schools consent decree
- 2 MCSB members leave meeting early
- McFarland sets new vote on consultants
- MCSB to vote on deseg hires Thursday
- MCSB votes to hire contested consultants
- ULM will not partner on MCSB program
- 3 MCSB members say they're being excluded
- MCSB fails to make quorum
- MCSB tax misses April 9 ballot
- DOJ to vet all three MCSB candidates
- DOJ approves all 3 MCSB candidates
- MCSB OK's expelled teens' return to Neville
- MCSB to meet with federal judge Monday
- MCSB special session set for 5 p.m. Monday
- Neville group files motion in deseg case
- 2-hour MCSB executive session covers consent decree