MPS intervention approved by state: What we learned
After more than a month of speculation, the state has officially approved an intervention in the Montgomery Public Schools system.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to allow for a state takeover of MPS. The intervention is expected to last 3-5 years. During that time MPS will be bifurcated, State Superintendent Michael Sentance said, meaning the state will only intervene in 20-23 priority schools in the city while allowing the Montgomery County Board of Education and Superintendent Margaret Allen to continue overseeing the schools that are doing well, namely the magnet schools.
Sentance's Chief Academic Officer Dr. Barbara Cooper was named Chief Administrative Officer for the takeover. As CAO, Cooper will be in charge of the implementation of the takeover from an administrative standpoint. A Chief Education Officer will also be hired in coming weeks.
Here's what else we learned after the vote:
- Thursday's meeting was the first that Montgomery board members or Allen heard of a CAO being appointed.
- The state board continued to stress that the intervention will be collaborative. It is unclear if the MPS programs in place at the 20-23 priority schools will remain in place, but the bifurcated approach will separate MPS into two branches: MPS-controlled schools and state-controlled priority schools.
- Nearly $1 million has been set aside at the state level for the intervention. Sentance said that amount is "not insignificant."
- The State Department of Education will also, during this time, create a new office within the department. That office's sole function going forward will be to learn the steps necessary to successfully intervene and improve a school system. The idea is for that office to handle interventions in other Alabama counties and school systems in the future.
- MPS recently hired a Chief School Financial Officer on an interim basis due to the uncertainty surrounding the takeover. The lack of a CSFO position was one of the reasons the state was legally able to intervene. Sentance said the interim CSFO will not be kept in that position as they already have a person selected for the job.
- Sentance said the state is aware of discipline issues in Montgomery and that the issues are "certainly on our minds."
- Sentance addressed the academic gap in Montgomery schools in financial terms and said the top schools often spend about $20,000 more a year on teachers. He said the novice teachers will often get hired at the poor performing schools which makes it difficult for either the teacher or the student to improve.
- The state is currently crunching MPS data and will review the data collected during the spring semester. The state will also do an annual review of the data to track progress in key areas.
Check back for updates.
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