The Bessemer City Schools Board of Education voted Monday to accept State Superintendent Eric Mackey's offer of intervention and assistance to "improve student achievement and financial stability."
The board unanimously approved a resolution to formally invite the state takeover. District 5 board member Margie Varner was absent from the meeting.
Part of the resolution, which was read aloud during the meeting by board Vice President Terry Dawson, said, "[T]he Bessemer Board of Education does hereby fully acknowledge, agree, and consent to intervention assistance from the State Superintendent of Education under the authority allowed him under the Educational Accountability and Intervention Act of 2013 as well as any authority provided by law should the Alabama State Board of Education exercise its authority in the form of a formal ratified Resolution related to the statutes referenced herein."
Mackey sent a letter to the school board earlier this month expressing his concerns about how the school system was handling administration, personnel, facilities and finances, WVTM13 reported.
Board president Lee Jones told ABC 33/40 that he considered the state board's intervention more of a "partnership" than a takeover.
"We are not required to adopt this resolution," Jones said during the meeting. "However, I believe that doing so will send a strong positive statement to both the state superintendent and our community that underscores our commitment as a board to enhancing our organizational efficiency and effectiveness in ways that will lead to significantly improved educational outcomes for our students."
The state board will likely approve the intervention, which could last up to two years, during its August meeting.
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