The Clarksdale Municipal School District board made a decision on the future of Dr. Debra Ware’s future as WA Higgins Middle School principal.
CMSD superintendent Dr. Earl Joe Nelson opted not to renew Ware’s contract at the beginning of the fiscal year. Ware requested an open hearing and all parties were able to make closing statements during Thursday night’s board meeting. The decision was made during executive session.
“The district has made a decision, but they’ve authorized me to notify the employee,” said CMSD board attorney Carlos Palmer after Thursday’s meeting.
Palmer said he would not comment on the decision after the meeting as the employee must receive proper notification first.
Nelson reported the information was still not available as of Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Valerie Barnes is currently serving as interim principal of WA Higgins Middle School.
“We will look at how we have everybody assigned in the district,” said Nelson on the possibility of Ware being reinstated.
Barnes might be the permanent principal if Ware is not reinstated.
“We will look who will be the principal of that school at that time,” Nelson said.
Racial Concerns
Ware’s attorney Lisa Ross argued during Thursday’s meeting Ware’s contract was not renewed because she was a white female.
“Dr. Nelson did not set forth or through testimony a valid educational reason for non-renewing Dr. Ware,” Ross said. “In fact, the evidence seems to support our position that Dr. Ware has been singled out because of her race and her sex.
“It’s very ironic that tonight Dr. Ware is here begging this board to reject the superintendent’s recommendation at the same time when the board has approved 11.5 FY20 school recognition payout. The board received that money from the Mississippi Department of Education as a result of Dr. Ware moving her school from an F to a D.”
Ross said just one other school in district moved forward enough to receive school recognition payout from the Mississippi Department of Education.
“You’ve heard the evidence,” Ross said. “It’s not a threat, but it’s the truth and I might as well tell because you all have seen the EEOC complaint. I ask you to return Dr. Ware to her school at Higgins so you could put this matter behind us because, if not, then Dr. Ware is going to have to go to the US District Court. This board stands in a unique position to give her the justice that she deserves.”
Ross said Ware held her position for four-and-a-half years. She added Nelson was not around to evaluate her during the 2019-20 school year.
In rebuttal, Palmer said Ware filed two complaints to the EEOC and one was already dismissed.
“I don’t want anyone to get any confusion,” Palmer said. “If someone pursues the legal options they have, they’ve got the right to do that.”
Palmer said the district has filed an answer to the EEOC complaint.
School Stance
“The evidence speaks for itself,” Palmer said. “The superintendent set forth six reasons. He set forth evidence on those reasons. The record is clear as far as the documentation submitted on his behalf.”
Palmer said only one item was sufficient enough not to renew someone’s contract.
Nelson had previously stated he did not believe the school was continuing to improve.
“The district asks the board to uphold the superintendent’s decision based on the evidence,” Palmer said.
Two other personnel items came before the board.
Catherine Metcalf, who was a secretary at Clarksdale High School and 32-year district employee, attempted to speak on her termination publicly.
She had several student protesters behind her outside calling for justice.
The matter was not discussed, but the board did say if Metcalf asked to speak on her grievance prior to the next meeting, it could be heard in executive session.
Prior to Metcalf being a secretary at the high school, she was general programs bookkeeper/secretary. Shakina McBride is currently in that position.
“We switched some people around,” Nelson said. “She went to the high school and nobody’s doing the job she was doing.
“Secretary at the high school, that’s what she was doing before she came here now.”
Information technology specialist Larry Lewis also aired some of his grievances during executive session.
