The Alabama State Board of Education votes on a motion during its regular meeting on February 9, 2023. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama State Board of Education unanimously voted Thursday to take over the Bessemer City school system amid allegations of mismanagement by the school board.
State Board of Education Superintendent Eric Mackey said the local school board passed a resolution acknowledging they need state intervention. He said Bessemer’s school board meetings over about a month but had not been able to get work done due to repeated lack of quorums. Mackey said, they “shouldn’t be having 90 meetings” and that “they can accomplish everything in one meeting per month.”
“Their academic problems are really not about lack of resources, not about lack of commitment on the part of their teachers, but the dysfunction at the top is filtering down,” said Mackey.
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Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with the Bessemer City School Board and superintendent.