When Superintendent Malcolm Thomas announced his decision to close A.A. Dixon Charter School, he didn’t count on the outpouring of support for Rev. Lutimothy May, who stepped up in August to chair the school’s board of trustees. The last time Thomas dealt with Rev. May was in 2010 over Friendship Missionary Baptist Church trying to buy the abandoned Brownsville Middle School.
Thomas refused to let the final proposal (Nov. 2010) from the church, which Rev. May pastors, go before the school board. He sat silent while his Assistant Superintendent for Operations Shawn Dennis twice accused Rev. May of lying and continually interrupted him during the workshop when Rev. May tried to get his proposal before the board.
But Thomas faces re-election next year. He doesn’t want anything to draw someone else in the race or to interfere with his October pep rally in which he announces his re-election bid. When Republicans started calling him in support of Rev. May and the school, Thomas had to change his mind.
Yesterday, I attended the celebration at A.A. Dixon when Julian and Kim MacQueen and about 30 Innisfree employees announced their partnership with the school. Thomas was a no-show. None of the school board members were there.
Looking around the cafeteria that doubles as auditorium, I saw teachers that cared and students that need help. The public school system has failed these children. They aren’t at Dixon because they ace the FCAT every year. They are there because their parents hope more individualized attention will make a difference.
IN reporter Jeremy Morrison was also there and he wrote about the celebration: here.
BTW: Brownsville Middle still hasn’t been sold. The AC units have been stripped of their copper.