Black faith leaders accuse interim CMS superintendent of ‘disrespectful’ behavior at meeting
The Rev. Jordan Boyd accused Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ interim superintendent Tuesday of lying about his behavior this month at a meeting with the African American Faith Alliance.
Boyd was one of a handful of local Black leaders who attended a June 3 meeting with interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh and the African American Faith Alliance to talk about how to help students in the district. Those in attendance said Hattabaugh slammed papers down on a table and stormed out of the meeting.
“His dismissive, disrespectful and deliberate attitude is a reflection of a leader ... unfit,” Boyd told the school board, with several members of the African American Faith Alliance holding signs as his backdrop.
Hattabaugh, whom the school board appointed in April to replace fired superintendent Earnest Winston, and board members did not address the allegations during the meeting Tuesday.
Hattabaugh issued a statement to the Charlotte Observer last week acknowledging the situation. He said the meeting had a “confrontational tone and was less-than-productive from the start.” Hattabaugh said after an hour-and-a-half of trying to steer the conversation back to the agenda it became clear “the meeting was not going to lead to collaborative solutions for the students we serve, and I left.”
Boyd challenged Hattabaugh’s account Tuesday during the public comment section of the school board’s meeting.
“When asked about what can be done in the now around responding to the academic crisis for families and students, he got up and walked out,” Boyd said. “When asked about his actions, he lied and gave a false narrative. As the moderator of the meeting, I asked him to stay an additional 15 minutes.”
In Hattabaugh’s statement last week, he explained the purpose of the meeting with the African-American Faith Alliance. He planned to discuss the district’s plans to increase accountability and improve outcomes for students in the district’s highest-poverty schools. He also wanted to discuss how African American Faith Alliance churches might partner with the district to provide support for CMS students and families.
The alliance is a Charlotte-based group whose mission is to “engage, educate and empower African-American parents and community members” in public education.
But Mecklenburg County Commissioner Vilma Leake told The Charlotte Observer last week the June 3 meeting with Hattabaugh, herself and members of the African American Faith Alliance was cordial until Hattabaugh’s abrupt exit, which was first reported by WSOC-TV.
Rev. Monty Witherspoon, a member of the African American Faith Alliance who spoke Tuesday, told school board members they should be laser-focused on solving problems that impact students. He said the crisis of student achievement gaps, learning loss and the district’s 42 low-performing schools belongs to the entire community and each person has to do his/her part.
“This board cannot afford to lose one community partner, one student or teacher,” Witherspoon said. “Students don’t need politicians. They need effective leaders. Stop controlling the narrative with rhetoric and behavior that does not serve students, and work cooperatively with the community to create a new narrative where all students succeed.”
Pastor Hamani Fisher, a member of the African American Faith Alliance, said the alliance was “disrespected” by the school leader’s behavior. Fisher, a parent of three boys who attended CMS schools, told the school board, “we are the advocates you’ve asked for in word, but you’re not treating well in action.”
He told board members that CMS should embrace community involvement at all levels, convene with parents, listen to them and act.
“But this cannot happen if we have meetings, and we get up out of that meeting and we say, ‘We’re not going to listen,’” Fisher said. “This cannot happen if we come against those who are advocating and serving our children with their lives.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 9:01 PM.
