Audio clip
Annette Thompson
Orchard Knob Middle School principal Maryo Beck conducted a closed PTSA meeting Thursday that ended with the election of a new president to replace Annette Thompson, the parent who helped start the organization.
The new Parent Teacher Student Association president is Sedara Bond, a parent. Mr. Beck said he would meet with her later this month to plan regular PTSA meetings and events for the upcoming school year.
He said Mrs. Thompson resigned on her own initiative this month. Mrs. Thompson said she felt she was being pushed out of office.
"What's the problem? Is it that I've exposed them?" Mrs. Thompson said after the meeting Thursday.
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Staff Photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press - Principal Maryo Beck leads a meeting of the Orchard Knob Middle School PTSA on Thursday afternoon prior to the election of new officers. Annette Thompson, seated at left, started the PTSA program at the school in 2009 and as president had been critical of the school principal in recent weeks, and she did not wish to serve in the coming year.
"They act like they have something to hide," she said. "They're mad at me because I've been telling people about our plight."
Earlier this month Mrs. Thompson publicly complained about the school not having enough textbooks for students to take home, and the school not having lockers to store the books.
When she worked with school officials and other parents to start the PTSA in December 2009 there was little participation, she said. Some meetings would only include her and about four others. But within the past month, meetings have included about 30 people, she said.
Mr. Beck asked the media to leave Thursday's meeting, saying that parents and community members could give input about the school without being worried about their concerns being recorded publicly or misquoted.
Afterward, he said the meeting was productive.
Of the 30 people present, only seven were school parents. Not all the parents were allowed to vote on the new officers because they hadn't paid the $5 membership fee.
The rest of the attendees were mostly teachers and administrators, whom Mrs. Thompson said cast most of the votes for the new officers.
Mr. Beck said the school needed to elect officers for the upcoming school year. He said he hopes the new leadership will work more toward supporting the school rather than focusing on its problems.
He said he wants the new PTSA to have fundraisers and organize events to support the school.
Orchard Knob Middle School alumni Cynthia Stanley-Cash said she witnessed no hostility between Mrs. Thompson and educators at the meeting.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orchard Knob Middle School officials say they don't expect to have any more PTSA meetings until the next school year.
Mrs. Cash said Mr. Beck also discussed a parent, teacher and student agreement that asks all three groups to accept responsibility for educating the student.
"It's saying we will all do our part," she said about the contract.
Mr. Beck said the agreement is a work in progress and he wants to work on it more before presenting it to the public.
Yolanda Putman has been a reporter at the Times Free Press for 11 years. She covers housing and previously covered education and crime. Yolanda is a Chattanooga native who has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Alabama State University. She previously worked at the Lima (Ohio) News. She enjoys running, reading and writing and is the mother of one son, Tyreese. She has also ...
Schools want teamplayers who go along to geth along, even as the students continue to fall further and further behind, no one wants the truth.
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