AMERICUS - The local NAACP is questioning how some members of the Sumter County Board of Education can be concerned about declining enrollment, but sends their children to schools out of the system.

School board member Doug Gooden, a Sumter County employee, sends his children to schools in Ellaville, GA while fellow member Mark Waddell of Sumter Bank and Trust in Americus, enrolled his children in Southland Academy; a school founded in order to segregate White children from Blacks in the school system, according to the president of the NAACP.
"This seems to be showing that they don't have confidence in the system they are suppose to be running," said Matt Wright, president of the Americus-Sumter County NAACP.
The local civil rights organization [NAACP] raised the issue after the school board announced during a finance meeting earlier this year that Sumter County Schools were losing funding because of decreased enrollment. Enrollment at Sumter County Schools dropped about 300 students from last school year - which resulted in $1.7 million of lost federal dollars.
School officials blame the loss on the county's slumping economy.

As a result, school board members are considering layoffs, required furloughs and cutting services to address the financial concerns.
However the NAACP believes the school board should answer why two elected members of the school board's financial committee are sending their children to systems outside of Sumter County- Waddell and Gooden - during this crisis of declined enrollment. He also reminds the public that there are teachers and other school personnel who send their children to other schools outside our county.

Wright said the NAACP is considering asking the United States Department of Education to look into the issue.
"They are serving as elected board members in the system but are contributing to the cut in funding by enrolling their children elsewhere," Wright said.
Wright said he has not been able to get answers from the Sumter County Board of Education because members have begun to not respond to the NAACP's complaints and inquiries.
Wright also has sent a written complaint to GA Gov. Sonny Perdue about the lack of responses from NAACP correspondences sent to the school board.
Purdue responded with a letter advising him to appear before the local school board at the next meeting and to voice your concerns, citing O.C.G.A. 20-2-1160.
"Every local board of education shall provide a forum for hearing and determining any matter of "local controversy in reference to the construction or administration of the school law."
Purdue added:

"I would strongly urge you to avail yourself of this opportunity to make your views known," [to the school board] Purdue said.
President Wright further states why the Governor made the above statement because the school board is in violation of the Georgia Code. The violation occurred in a Board of Education letter dated October 27, 2008 stating, "We do not respond to organizations that purport to speak for parents and employees; rather we have a process for employees and parents to meet and discuss their concerns with the appropriate administrators. Therefore, we will not be responding to questions you asked on behalf of individuals." Wright said that the school board refused to discuss issues even though the board received signed release forms from each individual the NAACP represents. We want our citizens to know how Gooden and Waddell are making critical decisions that impact our children while they trust another system with their children.