By FARAH TABET
RIVERDALE, Ga. – The race between Xavier Ross and incumbent Ophelia Burroughs for the District Five School Board seat in Clayton County is heating up. Among the hot topics are struggling graduation rates for area students and repeated allegations about unprofessional disputes between board members. Is 22-year-old Xavier Ross the refreshing face and hope needed by the board to uplift its questionable politics and renew its priorities?
“I will work to put our children over politics by ensuring the district’s highest accountability and overall student achievement,” Ross said.
Clayton county schools could use some serious uplifting. From 1997 to 2007, the district’s school dropped from 2nd place to 113th place in Georgia school ratings.
The county also received unwanted attention after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools took away its accreditation in 2008, because of fallout among board members. On Oct. 2, the Clayton County School Board received yet another letter from SACS threatening to take away their accreditation.
Dishonorable Behaviors Endangering Accreditation
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, officials of the Clayton County School District were in danger of losing accreditation due to quarreling, bickering and micro-managing. Dishonorable behaviors in question include members warning to sue each other, failing to adhere to board policies, and publicly embarrassing system employees.
Students left the district by the thousands in fear that their diplomas would not be honored when Clayton County lost accreditation in 2008. The district regained accreditation in 2011 and thousands of students returned.
Xavier Ross is running against incumbent Ophelia Burroughs for a seat on the school board, which will be voted on this November. Both candidates seek voters through Facebook pages and by visiting district residents door-to-door.
Controversy surrounds both candidates. Burroughs is involved with the disputes and conduct in question by SACS while Ross was accused of stealing money at a Parent Teacher Association meeting in May 2012. According to Clayton News Daily, Ross was a prime suspect when thousands of dollars went missing from a PTA meeting at Martin Luther King Elementary in May. Ross was, however, never charged with theft.
Ross works at Sequoia Middle School, serves as a youth pastor, and studies political science at Morehouse College. Though he is nearly 50 years younger than his opponent, he believes that his fresh perspective gives him greater insight on issues affecting the students.
“It’s time to put our children back first. Our students can and will do it,” Ross said.
If elected, Ross said that he would give students more constructive outlets such as parks and recreation; organize a community empowerment summit that will break the disparity chain of parents who are living paycheck to paycheck; and stay informed about school functions and achievement.
“I actually heard a board member say that she didn’t even know that students take the End of Course Test. I was truly shocked and disappointed. Our students have been taking the EOCT for at least ten years,” Ross said regarding school board members’ blatant lack of awareness about what goes on in schools.
School board members meet weekly to direct the superintendent by bringing up issues and topics for him or her to consider. Also, the members set the district school pay scales and budgets, conduct hiring and firing of principals and act as district liaisons between the county commissioners.
Incumbent Ophelia Burroughs is serving her first term on the Clayton County School Board. Burroughs was a teacher for nearly 40 years. Her website states: “When you are right all the time and everyone else is wrong, you need to check yourself.” She declined to be interviewed for this story.
Both candidates are Democrats. No Republican currently holds office in Clayton County.
Clayton County School Board (district five) encompasses Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lake City, Lovejoy, Morrow, Riverdale and part of College Park. The area is mostly comprised of African-Americans, who make up around 60 percent of residents.
No Parental Involvement Despite 50 Percent Graduation Rate
Chaouki Tabet, who is a karate instructor at the Riverdale Recreation center in Clayton County, emphasized the lack of parental interest and guidance on school issues in the district.
“Parents lack involvement. They don’t know how to get involved in kids’ learning. They think school is a day care,” Tabet said. “They just drop their kids off and go.”
The school board is an important entity for the district, receiving a bigger budget than any other faction in the county. The Clayton County school system is the fifth largest in the state of Georgia.
According to Clayton News Daily, the graduation rate in Clayton County is only 50 percent. However, many local residents still seem uninvolved and uninformed.
Clayton County resident and father of a 4-year-old boy, Kareem Spence, expressed his disregard for the school board vote.
“To tell you the truth I’m not really concerned about it,” Spence said.
Can either candidate be trusted? In a community heavy with disparity and uneducated parents, the need for a leader with integrity is dire for the school board to keep conflicts at bay and improve student success rates.
According to Ross, his eloquence and dynamic nature make him the obvious forecasted winner for the Clayton County School Board election.
“My opponent is 71 years old. She is old enough to be my grandma. After people hear her speak and then hear me speak, they look at me and tell me I have this election in the bag,” Ross said.
Some voters disagree with Ross’ confidence and doubt his ability to hold a board seat due to his minimal experience and age.
“He’s only 22 years old. That’s just too young to run for school board,” Tabet said.
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