The Alabama Education Association has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Montgomery Public Schools employees to block the sale of Georgia Washington Middle School to the Pike Road school system.
AEA's lawsuit, filed against interim state Superintendent Ed Richardson, Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone and others, said Richardson acted outside his authority and not in the best interest of Montgomery Public Schools when he announced the sale of Georgia Washington to Pike Road.
Pike Road separated from the Montgomery County school system a few years ago. Richardson worked as a consultant to help Pike Road start its own school system and has a conflict of interest, the lawsuit claims.
"Dr. Richardson is not looking out for the interest of children in Montgomery County," AEA Associate Executive Director Theron Stokes said at a press conference this afternoon.
Richardson issued a statement in response to the lawsuit, saying his only interest is improving the quality of education offered to Montgomery students.
"The student achievement in Montgomery's non-magnet schools are some of the lowest in the state," Richardson said. "In more than 50 years of education experience, and having been involved in numerous school interventions all across this state, I have never witnessed this kind of dismal student achievement.
"It is wrong, deceptive, and dishonest to sit by and continue to watch young people, who are full of potential, graduate from high school with reading and math scores that are unacceptable and don't even approach Alabama's average - much less other states."
Richardson said that if Georgia Washington is not sold, the Montgomery school system would have to lay off about 200 teachers and 75 support workers.
The state took control of the Montgomery school system last year under an intervention initiated by former Superintendent Michael Sentance. The intervention was intended to correct academic and financial problems.
Sentance resigned under pressure in September and Richardson was named interim superintendent.
Two weeks ago, Richardson issued a report on the intervention, announcing the sale of Georgia Washington to Pike Road and the closing of three other schools.
The Montgomery County Board of Education had voted to sell Georgia Washington to Pike Road for $11.25 million last year, but later reversed that decision after an impact study, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says Richardson has no authority to sell the school over the Montgomery County Board of Education's opposition.
Another issue in the lawsuit is $1.5 million owed to Montgomery Public Schools that the Alabama Department of Education mistakenly sent to the Pike Road school system.
"Dr. Richardson has made absolutely no effort to get that money back," Stokes said.
Richardson's intervention report says the Pike Road school system will pay $9.75 million for Georgia Washington, plus the $1.5 million inadvertently sent to Pike Road.
Stokes said the issues should not be "commingled."
"That was simply a debt owed that should be paid and it has not been paid," Stokes said.
In January, 11 of Montgomery's schools were declared "failing" under the Alabama Accountability Act, and 17 schools received F's on the state's report card.
Stokes noted, as does the lawsuit, that Georgia Washington and the other three schools planned for closing -- Chisholm Elementary, Dozier Elementary and Floyd Elementary -- are not among the schools labeled "failing."
Richardson's intervention report says the closings are because of declining enrollment and the need to increase the school system's fund balance.
Stone, Pike Road's mayor, issued a statement in response to the lawsuit.
"The Town of Pike Road and its officials have always made and will continue to make decisions that are motivated by the goal of serving all of our citizens, especially the young people," Stone said. "We also remain committed to being good partners with our neighbors."
The AEA lawsuit recounts the historic nature of the Georgia Washington campus, which was originally called the People's Village School and was founded in the 1890s by Washington, an African American educator. The school was renamed in Washington's honor after her death. Washington is buried on the campus.
This story was corrected on March 12 at 2:32 p.m. to report the correct number of schools designated as "failing" in the Montgomery system.
AEA Lawsuit vs Ed Richardson by Mike Cason on Scribd