The Charlottesville School Board voted 5-2 in favor of accepting the resignation of Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Scottie Griffin on Thursday.
Griffin, who was Charlottesville's first black superintendent, resigned after 10 months on the job.
M. Rick Turner, dean of African-American affairs and the chair of the local NAACP chapter, said he thinks that the resignation of the superintendent is representative of community-wide apathy towards racism.
"The primary issue is not giving Scottie Griffin, a black female superintendent, an opportunity to do what she was hired to do," Turner said. "This is an insidious form of blatant racism by elite white parents and the media. This is not new to Charlottesville."
Turner said the African-American community is also "implicated in her demise" for sitting down and not supporting her.
It has been a difficult year for the Charlottesville school system, Charlottesville Mayor David Brown said.
"At this point what I think we need to do is look forward --- to bring the community together behind our schools, to maintain the things that are going well in our schools," Brown said.
Still, whoever ultimately replaces Griffin will face issues such as the achievement gap between black and white students.
The University has had longstanding involvement in the Charlottesville City School system helping to bridge the achievement gap, which community members said they appreciate.
"I'm looking forward to that being a more active role," Brown said.
The University is likely to continue to play a role in the post-Griffin era. With the help of the Teachers for a New Era grant, the relationship between the University and the Charlottesville City School system will continue to grow, Education School Dean David Breneman said.
"We really look to schools to tell us what help they need," Breneman said. "We've been seeking to work with them in a partnership."
Currently, University students in the Education School are placed in Charlottesville schools to assist teachers and gain teaching experience.
"The great thing that is happening -- regardless of what is happening with Scottie Griffin -- the college chapter of the NAACP knows they have a responsibility," said Turner.
One of the newest programs implemented at the University to help local schools is the tutoring program created by the University's NAACP chapter. The group, along with member groups of the Inter-Fraternal Council and other University students, will tutor for the next two Saturdays and begin again in September.
"They're a courageous group of young people who are doing what they can," Turner said.
An amendment to the higher education restructuring legislation, formerly the charter initiative, asks state universities and colleges to adopt students struggling academically. In accordance with this, the University has developed a close relationship with Clark Elementary School.
As superintendent, Griffin chose Clark Elementary School to be adopted by the University because the school had not met the annual academic progress standards required by the No Child Left Behind Act and was in jeopardy of losing its long-term accreditation, Breneman said.
Read More
Will the Faculty Senate’s no-confidence vote impact the U.Va. Board of Visitors?
By Brandon Kile | 4 hours agoIn many cases, a no-confidence vote may soon be followed by steps taken to remove the leadership that may be acting against the wishes of a community.
Two senior U.Va. Health leaders quietly take new jobs without formal announcement
By Ford McCracken | YesterdayKibbe’s departure marks the end of an ongoing battle between U.Va. Health employees and their senior leadership.
Letter from 12 deans to Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
By Naima Sawaya | YesterdayAt the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
