4 CENTRAL CITY NEWS Thursday, May 10, 2012
Central Will Decline to Participate in Jindal’s Plan to Import Students Here
Voucher Plan Supt. Mike Faulk Considering Whether Unlikely to Find To Withdraw Appointment of Principal Support Here CENTRAL — Central schools Supt. Mike Faulk said Wednesday he is still considering what action to recommend regarding the appointment of a new principal for Central Middle School. Last week, Supt. Faulk recommended the appointment of Al Chapman, former superintendent of the Channelton School System as the new principal for Central Middle. The Central school board unanimously approved his recommendation. However, immediately after the meeting, several parents began doing a Google search on Mr. Chapman and learned that he had been dismissed from his previous employment. After the parents raised questions about the circumstances of Mr. Chapman’s dismissal, Supt. Faulk said he would gather more information and report back to the school board. In an interview with the Central City News Wednesday, Faulk said
he is still reviewing the situation and will make a recommendation to the board Monday night. Faulk said he could do one of two things: • Allow the appointment to stand • Recommend that the appointment be reconsidered Faulk said the top four finalists for the position were very close and that he could choose another qualified individual. One source who has researched Mr. Chapman said his dismissal appears to have been political and not based on any serious problem and that that may be why Supt. Faulk has hesitated to withdraw the appointment. School board president Dr. Jim Gardner said he is not sure what the board will do if Supt. Faulk recommends standing by the appointment of Mr. Chapman. “Mr. Chapman would probably do a good job, but I’m not sure this controversy would serve him
well if he were appointed. The position at the middle school requires a very strong hand, and I wonder if he would constantly be second-guessed over the things that happened in Indiana.” Gardner said the controversy over the appointment of Mr. Chapman points to a flaw in Gov. Jindal’s education reform bill. “After July 1, when the new law goes into effect, the school board and the public will have no role in the appointment of principals or any other positions. The education reform bill puts hiring 100 percent in the hands of the superintendent. I opposed and lobbied against that provision of the law. It completely strips the board of any power over hiring. Fortunately, Supt. Faulk has voluntarily agreed to continue to consult the board on hiring issues, but what about the next superintendent? This law really needs to be changed.” — By Woody Jenkins, Editor
their hands full taking care of the children who reside in Central. “We’re still growing here in Central and have all we can do to
keep up with the needs of people here,” Faulk said. The Zachary Community School System at first announced that it
would accept some students under the Voucher Plan, but yesterday announced that it had reconsidered and will not participate.
Woody Jenkins
Editor, Central City News
Continued from Page 1
port in the Central Community School System. Central schools Supt. Mike Faulk said Wednesday he will recommend that Central not participate in the state’s new “Louisiana Student Scholarship Voucher” Plan when the school board meets Monday night. Likewise, school board president Dr. Jim Gardner said he knows of no support from board members for participating in the voucher plan. Under Jindal’s program, if Central chose to participate, the state Recovery School District would send a number of students for Central to enroll. The school system would have no say over which students to accept or reject. In addition, the school system would lose about $1,900 per student. Supt. Faulk said, “Changing the rules for our citizens would not be fair to them. They wanted their own school system, and they have
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