I have always been impressed with Dr. Jennifer Wilson’s intelligence and her lifelong commitment to education and the children of Leflore County.
A product of the Mississippi Delta, she embodied the hope and the promise that we all have for our children — that they will work hard, excel in their pursuits, be purposeful in their efforts, and serve others with unparalleled passion. Her ascent to the position of interim superintendent of the Greenwood School District was a testament to the power of hard work, the reward of preparation and the confidence of the school board in her abilities.
My admiration for Dr. Wilson, though, was “shaken” by her decision to abruptly resign from her post after Dr. Montrell Greene was selected for the district’s top post — a decision by Wilson that revealed a lack of administrative maturity.
In recent weeks, those claiming to be “concerned citizens” (promoting Dr. Wilson’s selection as superintendent in the interest of our community’s children) rallied behind a local radio announcer’s contempt-filled allegations against school board members, his claims that they were incompetent to serve, his calls for the resignations of all board members except one, and his rallying for protests of the board’s meetings and selection process. While Dr. Wilson’s voice could not be heard among the announcer’s ranting (except on an occasional playback of her report to the school board), and though her silence might have been presumed by some to be a form of agreement with this advocacy on her behalf, most believed (as I did) that it was her dedication to education that kept her out of the fray. At least that is what I believed until I learned of her resignation — mere weeks before the schoolchildren begin state tests.
How did the resignation reveal a lack of administrative maturity? It was evidence that somewhere along the way, the fight for superintendent became less about the children and more about the individual — an individual who, known or unbeknownst to herself, had become a pawn in the political games being played by the local masters of political games, Team Jordan/Perkins.
During last Tuesday’s announcement of the newly hired superintendent, Sen. David Jordan became irate, not because he was so concerned about the children or Dr. Wilson, but because he wanted to take advantage of a volatile situation. It didn’t matter to Jordan that Dr. Greene’s minor children and church members were in the audience Tuesday just like it didn’t matter to him when he called a young man a “pop-up Negro” in front of his parents simply because the young man was seeking political office.
Not to be outdone, Rep. Willie Perkins took the “stage” to remark that Mayor Carolyn McAdams merely “went through” the school system “because she definitely didn’t learn nothing while she was there.” There was lots of talk about the mayor’s competency and very little about the children. Surprise, surprise.
Then, mayoral candidate and former Mayor Sheriel Perkins brought it home: the protest was about Dr. Wilson. It became apparent that Sheriel Perkins’ goal was not to stand on her own strengths (including a commitment to the children) but to campaign for “Dr. Wilson for the job” rather than “the best person for the job” — riding the controversy into the mayor’s seat by blaming McAdams and members of the City Council for a manufactured vendetta against Dr. Wilson. Fueled by the hatred of the state senator and the representative, she allowed herself to be a pawn as well. This type of behavior is one of the reasons why our first African- American female mayor in the history of Greenwood was also the first mayor in the history of Greenwood to serve only two years.
In the midst of it all, and despite attempts to bully them into doing otherwise, it is obvious to us now that the Greenwood School Board, under the leadership of President George Ellis, did its job and selected the best candidate. Dr. Greene’s credentials speak for him and attest to his capacity to lead the district.
What a great team Dr. Greene and Dr. Wilson would have made. Yet, sad to say, we won’t ever realize that greatness. Why? Because of Dr. Wilson’s faith in a group of people who merely used her for their own selfish purposes — from the former superintendent who used her to catapult a son into a director’s position in front of veteran teachers and administrators, to a radio announcer/school district bus driver hedging his bets on being able to keep the district’s advertising dollars by urging folks to protest the board and its selection (undermining the ability of anyone other than Dr. Wilson to be selected), to local politicians who had no qualms playing Russian roulette with her career just as they had no qualms playing Russian roulette with the career of a noted physician (taking advantage of his hatred to fund their campaigns but not worth a “backwards glance”).
Had Dr. Wilson simply taken a step back and focused on what she declared to be most important — the academic success of our children — she would have realized that the board’s decision to conduct a national search was not a “slap in the face,” but proof of their sincere regard for the same children. She would have realized that it was the fairest way for the process to be conducted and that allegiances and alliances were not enough. Perhaps then she would have decided to stay and be part of the transformation that she had to know was critical to attaining a culture of academic excellence.
In writing this article, I realize that some will read it and perceive it as me “attacking” former Mayor Perkins, Sen. Jordan, and Rep. Perkins — and thus using the superintendent selection process for my own personal gain. But, you are the same group that declares that those who call board members “boy,” question the educational background of the mayor, and call for most of the school board members to resign are fighting “for the children.” You won’t get the point because you don’t want to. And you are the very ones to blame for the departure of one of this community’s “brightest stars” in school administration.
• Troy D. Brown Sr. is a contractor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
