Greenwood School Board member Kathy Whicker has resigned after three years on the board.
Whicker could not be reached for comment this morning, but Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams, a friend of Whicker’s since childhood, said Whicker had become “very frustrated and discouraged” in the position.
“She decided she could no longer do this because she wasn’t seeing the results that she so wanted to,” McAdams said.
Whicker’s resignation comes as the district prepares a response to a critical Mississippi Department of Education review of the district’s compliance with state and federal regulations. The 115-page audit report, released June 24, found violation of 17 process standards and a state accreditation policy.
McAdams said she would not consider appointing a replacement to the board until after the district submits its response to the state, which is due July 24.
“After that’s determined, I’ll start on the pursuit of yet another member for the school board,” McAdams said.
Whicker’s relationship with the rest of the board and Superintendent Montrell Greene had appeared to turn sour during the last several months, with board President Bill Clay and Greene both routinely refusing to address questions Whicker raised in recent board meetings.
Her resignation, which was effective immediately, was turned in Friday, the day after a district budget hearing during which she’d appeared exasperated with Greene, Clay and another board member, George Ellis.
During the hearing on the district’s proposed tax revenue increase, Whicker had asked whether the board had previously authorized the proposed budget. Instead of answering Whicker’s question — it had been approved at a previous board meeting that Whicker did not attend — Greene instead told Whicker she should address concerns with him before meetings.
Clay declined to speak about Whicker’s supposed reasons for resigning this morning.
“As a board member, I appreciate the time and service that she gave to the board and wish her well,” Clay said. “The district has to move forward. We’ve got four board members now, and we’re going to make the best with the board members that we’ve got.”
Whicker becomes the second board member to resign over the past year while the district has been under intense scrutiny from the state Department of Education. Lora Evans resigned last July while the district was preparing its response to an earlier highly critical MDE audit.
•Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
