DOJ approves all 3 MCSB candidates

The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded that all three candidates for two positions required by a consent decree that the Monroe City School Board entered in December are qualified for the positions.

On Thursday, the DOJ submitted a joint status report outlining when each group was interviewed and making its recommendation.

In the filing, the DOJ gives approval for the board to hire Educational Planning Group for both positions and recommends that the board pursue using the University of Louisiana at Monroe as co-consultants to work with the medical magnet program.

The consent decree requires the board to hire an independent court monitor and an expert or experts to further develop the medical magnet program hosted at Carroll High School and make it more attractive to white students.

The three candidates were:

• Educational Planning Group: This firm is based out of Jackson, Mississippi, and consists of three consultants: Nycole Campbell-Lewis, Hazel Henderson and nurse practitioner Retha Bookert.
• University of Louisiana at Monroe staff members: Leonard Clark (director of the graduate school), Dorothy Schween (School of Education), Jessica Dolecheck (School of Health Professions) and Allison Thompson (director of assessment and evaluation) urged a cooperative endeavor that would leverage ULM's connections in education and health care for the benefit of the school system.
• WYRevolution: The four-person team is led by Charles S. Corprew III and included members who have experience with desegregation orders.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice asked for information to vet all of the candidates proposed for two positions required by a consent decree the district entered in December.

On Jan. 12, federal Judge Robert James extended the deadline to hire an independent court monitor to Jan. 22.

At Dec. 15 and Jan. 7 meetings, the school board hired Educational Planning Group to fill both the independent court monitor position and act as experts to revise the medical magnet program.

Educational Planning Group was hired at the Dec. 15 board meeting with a 4-2 vote. Jennifer Haneline, Vickie Dayton and Bill Willson said they had not been notified that the board would be hiring someone at that meeting. Board Vice President Brenda Shelling proposed taking all four agenda items pertaining to the consent decree as one action and added the Educational Planning Group while making the motion. Haneline left before the vote was taken.

Board President Rodney McFarland later said the board would revote after concerns about fairness were expressed.

Educational Planning Group is owned by William McElroy, owner of the M3A Architecture firm that is developing the new Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, the Barkdull Faulk Elementary project and the Wossman High School field house. That information was not stated to the entire board at the Dec. 15 meeting. At the Jan. 7 meeting, Dwayne Ludley, a member of the public who addressed the board, said McElroy had given a $250 campaign contribution to McFarland during his 2014 school board campaign.

At the Jan. 7 meeting, ULM and WYRevolution also presented proposals on the positions.

Shelling again made the motion to hire the Educational Planning Group as the independent court monitor after members of the public and Superintendent Brent Vidrine requested that the board hire the ULM group. Shelling's motion passed 4-3 with a split along racial lines.

Shelling later made separate motions to hire Educational Planning Group to fill the position jointly with the ULM contingent after the ULM group had left the meeting. Both motions passed, though some board members questioned whether ULM would be amenable to the arrangement.

On Jan. 8, ULM announced that it would not be entering the partnership.

On Thursday, Eric Pani, vice president of academic affairs at ULM, said the group would have to take a look at the issue and talk with the school board. In general, they would like to be the lead group on the project but will have further discussion among themselves and with the board.

Dayton disagreed with the DOJ decision, noting Educational Planning Group's tie to William McElroy and M3A Architecture.

"I am extremely disappointed that the overall concern about the architect's lack of experience and the questionable ability to be objective since he continues to be paid large sums of money for contracted architectural work for Monroe City Schools was not factored into the DOJ' s decision," Dayton said. "I plead to Judge James to intervene so that this process can be conducted properly."

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