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There is now a full-court press in Montgomery to do … something … about the resignation of school superintendent Melvin Brown.
Thursday morning, the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, with state superintendent Eric Mackey in attendance, passed a resolution calling upon the Montgomery County School Board to reconsider its actions in the wake of Brown’s resignation. It also asked for a thorough review of the actions of board members leading to Brown’s decision.
What the resolution, or even the resulting pressure it will surely apply to the four board members who pushed Brown out, will accomplish is unclear. Multiple sources who have spoken with Brown privately in recent days told APR that the superintendent is not wavering from his decision to resign.
“He told me there is absolutely no chance he would reconsider,” said one source. “We all know circumstances can change in a situation like this, but he certainly seemed sure of his decision.”
However, Montgomery County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton, during Thursday’s Chamber event, said that after speaking with Brown, he thinks there is a chance Brown might reconsider if board members would open a dialogue with him.
Brown’s resignation came about as the result of four board members – a majority on the seven-member board – deciding not to renew his contract, which expires in November. The decision was a shock to the community, which had embraced Brown like few previous MPS superintendents. He had, remarkably, managed to win over teachers and MPS employees, city and county leaders and prominent leaders from Montgomery’s business community, as evidenced by the Chamber’s actions on Thursday.
Making the matter all the more controversial is the fact that the decision not to renew Brown’s contract had little to do with his accomplishments as superintendent, but was instead apparently the result of petty, personal grievances between board members and Brown.
“… to lose this great leader not because he has been recruited away, but because he has been driven away by four elected members of our own board of education has shocked and frustrated the coalition standing before you today,” said Caryn Hughes, chairwoman of the Chamber.
Already, there is talk of an organized write-in campaign to challenge board member Arica Watkins-Smith, who is up for re-election in November, but running unopposed. Board member Lesa Keith should also expect a well-funded challenger should she decide to run again in a couple of years.
Keith’s recent actions have flamed the fires of what was already a raging controversy. She has publicly made several disparaging comments about Brown, including about his family life – allegations that Brown and others have refuted.
