Leflore County School District Conservator Robert Strebeck says he has resigned from his post effective Dec. 31 because he wants to do other things.
Strebeck, 65, said today he wants to “do whatever one wants to do when one gets up.” The twice-weekly, four-hour drive from his home in Huntsville, Alabama, has become tiresome, he said.
He submitted his resignation Wednesday.
Strebeck came to the school district in October 2013 after Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency there. The district had received two consecutive “F” grades from the state.
Its superintendent, Dr. Viola Williams McCaskill, and the Leflore County School Board were removed from power.
Since the takeover, the district has made modest improvements on state tests.
Strebeck had previously served as conservator at five other districts: Jeff Davis County, North Panola, Tate County, Sunflower County and, most recently, Aberdeen City Schools. Prior to that, he had served in various capacities in the Newton County School District for 34 years.
He said progress has been made in Leflore County.
“I am proud of the accomplishments the district has made. There were many, many issues, layers, that only can be corrected in time,” Strebeck said.
He said his impending resignation should not be cause for concern regarding the district’s direction. The appropriate administrators are in place at both the central office and the schools, he said.
Patrice Guilfoyle, director of communications for the state Department of Education, said the Office of School Performance has begun the process of finding Strebeck’s replacement. A new conservator would be appointed by the state Board of Education.
The board is scheduled to meet next on Dec. 17, but Guilfoyle said she is not certain if a candidate will be up for consideration at that time.
State Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, said Strebeck seemed to have a negative attitude, particularly when it came to meeting with the parents and the public in general.
“You have to be committed to education. ... I felt that Mr. Strebeck wasn’t being fair to me nor to the people I represent,” he said.
Jordan who has served on the Senate’s Education Committee for 24 years and also spent 33 years as a teacher, said Strebeck never connected with him.
“You’ve got to relate to people about their problems. I think that was Mr. Strebeck’s problem,” Jordan said.
He said, at some point, the district will be returned to local control, but “you’ve got to get back on level ground.”
Lula Moore, president of Parents for Public Schools of Greenwood & Leflore County and a former county educator, said the group has found it difficult to get into county schools as volunteers during Strebeck’s tenure.
“Prior to Mr. Strebeck, we were allowed to come into the schools. When we tried to meet with him, there was opposition,” she said.
Later, after several attempts had failed, representatives of the group met with Strebeck, she said, adding, “He was not very cordial, but we met.”
Strebeck did finally allow the group to participate in the district’s after-school program, she said.
Overall, “there were some positive changes that were made, but as far as the personable side, I had to push and prod,” she said.
Moore said she hopes the next conservator will focus more on outreach to the community, particularly the parents.
Dr. Rusty Douglas, a critic of McCaskill and the former board, said Strebeck has made progress, but more must be done.
“Without parental support, they’re not going to make a lot of progress,” Douglas said.
Staff Writer Nick Rogers contributed to this report.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
