Christopher Peak Photo
A ]sign at the latest Board of Ed meeting, where parents and teachers spent hours calling for the superintendent’s departure.
As the Board of Education works on a deal to show Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks the door, one member is suggesting a time-out.
That member is Mayor Toni Harp.
During her latest appearance on WNHH FM’s “Mayor Monday” program, Harp called for postponing talks on having Birks leave her post mid-contract. Her remarks came hours before a scheduled board meeting at which members are expected to discuss during an executive session how to have Birks leave the district. Suggestions have ranged from buying out her contract to seeking termination.
“Can the city afford to buy out Carol Birks’ contract?” a “Mayor Monday” listener asked Harp during the program.
“I don’t think that we can. I can’t see what having what is supposed to be a $30 million deficit, to buy her contract out would take at least half a million dollars. Those dollars could go into the classroom,” Harp responded.
She said she thinks the board has finished paying off the remainder of the contract of Birks’ predecessor, whom the Board of Ed also forced out early. “We’re still paying for Will Clark probably,” she added, referring to the severance agreement reached in January with the district’s chief operating officer.
While the board is proceeding with efforts to have Birks leave, Harp called on the program for that effort to be put on hold.
“The most important thing for the Board of Education to do — I’ve said this to members of the board — is to focus on getting schools open and to focus on what is our main responsibility, which is to come up with a balanced budget. We need to be working on that. This personnel issue is … creating too much of our attention. Or core responsibilities are not being addressed,” Harp argued.
Click on the video below for the full episode of WNHH FM’s “Mayor Monday” program:
WNHH’s “Mayor Monday” is made possible with the support of Gateway Community College and Berchem Moses P.C.
Oh for goodness sake. If you're not interested in governing anymore, Mayor, just step aside.
For the benefit of the judge in future litigation related to Birks' contract, we are firing her for cause and have no intention of "paying out" her o contract. FFS, we ought to sue her and demand she reimburse the City for paying out Clark's contract, too.