'Not necessary' NAACP leader criticizes proposed group for performance gap

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — District and NAACP officials are already working to close the achievement gap between white and black students — there’s no reason to change those efforts, local NAACP President Tony Brown said Monday.

Brown’s comments came after school board members discussed creating a committee to examine how to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. The proposal by board member Kevin McDonald would update a 2022 policy written to demonstrate the district’s commitment to the desegregation plan when the district achieves unitary status.

The district remains under a federal desegregation order from 1964. In 2018, the district received partial unitary status to meet facilities, non-instructional and instructional staff requirements. The district has sought to achieve full unitary status, which would free it from the federal system entirely. One of the court’s requirements is to have a task force of four NAACP members, three district representatives and a school board member to continue making progress on the other parts of the court order.

The 2022 policy created a committee with the NAACP and district representatives to continue looking at the achievement gap for at least five years after the district receives unitary status.

More: Indian River School Board member unveils new achievement gap committee, but without the NAACP

McDonald proposed on August 26 that the committee be changed to a six-member group appointed by the board members and the superintendent, omitting mandatory NAACP representation. The proposal drew criticism from NAACP officials.

“How dare you cross out the NAACP when this whole issue has been relevant to mistreatment (and) mistreatment of African-Americans in the Indian River County School District,” Brown said after the workshop. “Come on, let’s get real. You’re going to cross us? You’re going to give us a little representation at the table? That’s not relevant. That’s not true.”

Brown said he is concerned the proposal was an attempt to circumvent the desegregation order and minimize the NAACP’s role.

“It’s not necessary. I think we’re doing pretty well with the federally mandated task force,” Brown said. “I see no need to duplicate.”

For his part, McDonald said he wanted the district to look at the performance of all students, not just focus on black students. He also wanted the work to begin now, rather than waiting until the district achieved unitary status.

At the workshop, board members discussed ensuring that the committee, if approved, would include NAACP representatives.

School board member Gene Posca said he wanted to ensure the committee met in perpetuity, not just five years as the current policy states.

The board plans to take back the proposal for possible measures on September 23. Brown said he will attend the meeting, along with a large contingent from the NAACP and the community.

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Any change to the current policy must be made by a supermajority of four of the five-member school board. School board members Peggy Jones and Teri Barenborg have expressed concern about the proposal.

Colleen Wixon is an education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. She covers school districts in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie County.

‘Not necessary’ NAACP leader criticizes proposed group for performance gap

‘Not necessary’ NAACP leader criticizes proposed group for performance gap