BOE Welcomes Three, Names 2016 President

Wilma Campbell won another term as school board president and received a birthday bouquet from her sons, three board members were sworn in and the board received promises of cooperation from City Council members at Tuesday's organization meeting.

Richard Wyatt Jr., John C. Campbell, Emily Morgan

Richard Wyatt Jr. and John C. Campbell had already been serving as appointees to the board when they won full three-year terms in the November general election. Emily Morgan, who ran with support of Mayor Adrian O. Mapp, won a three-year term on the nine-member board in her first run for elective office.

Their first official action was to choose Wilma Campbell to serve as president for 2016, in an 8-1 vote, in a 7-1-1 vote, with Deborah Clarke abstaining and Morgan voting "no."

After giving thanks for their support, Wilma Campbell wished all a "happy sweet sixteen" and a happy new year. The board unanimously chose Frederick D. Moore Sr. as vice president for 2016. Schools Superintendent Anna Belin-Pyles welcomed the winners and promised a"robust agenda" for 2016, including a high-tech high school and renovation projects.

John Campbell and Jordan Campbell, sons of Wilma and John C. Campbell, congratulated the board winners and presented their mother with flowers.

Superintendent Anna Belin-Pyles and Board President Wilma Campbell

"You are the apple of my eye," young John Campbell told his mother, and called his father "my best friend."

He recalled his father saying he wanted to get involved in education, but said, "I didn't know you meant this involved."

Councilman Cory Storch, chosen just on Monday to serve as council president for 2016, also congratulated the winners and said he has to appoint a liaison to the board.

"We have to find some common interests  that we can work on," Storch said.

New Councilman Barry N. Goode also offered congratulations and wished Wilma Campbell a "happy 30th birthday."

Among remarks from the new board members, Morgan said she wanted to see changes in how the children perceive themselves.

"I want each child in the district to have a dream," she said, "and we help them to make the dream possible."

Wyatt said he saw himself running not for an election, but for a job.

John C. Campbell spoke at length about his goals for the district, including attainment of "Blue Ribbon" status and reintroduction of vocational training. He said people should not come to board business meetings to criticize.

"God only gives you a certain amount of energy," he said, urging people not to waste it on such things.

In public comment, two speakers had questioned why Morgan was excluded from a closed session that preceded the organization meeting, while Wyatt and John C. Campbell attended. Board attorney Lisa Fittipaldi  told  blogger Dan Damon that Morgan was "not a full sworn member" at the time of the closed session, adding the board was frankly just doing some "housekeeping" in the session.

Resident Charles McRae followed up by saying technically the terms of Wyatt and John C. Campbell had expired on Dec. 31 when all seats were vacated, so they were not eligible to attend the closed session either. Fittipaldi said that was not true, but then declined to go back and forth over the issue.

The congenial tone of the organization meeting stood in contrast to recent spats between district officials and the city administration. Mapp refused to give a city permit for a pre-election picnic promoting young John Campbell's independent City Council candidacy and Belin-Pyles subsequently canceled a long-planned Youth Summit, saying it could be held a day later.

The board also voted late last year to change the annual school elections back to April, reversing the City Council's 2012 vote to move them to November. The year ended with apparent friction between the city and the district over a pre-Kwanzaa event, which was held at a local art school instead of its past venue at Washington Community School. The Youth Summit is now set to take place on Jan. 16 at the duCret School of Art.

The next school board meeting is a work and study session at 8 p.m. on Jan 12 in the Plainfield High School Conference Room. The business meeting is 8 p.m. Jan. 19 in the high school auditorium. See the calendar through June 2016 here.

--Bernice