The Board of Education (BOE) Monday night voted to approve funding for five summer youth programs while leaving a sixth program on hold only days before a scheduled July 1 start.
During the BOE meeting via Zoom, board members discussed and ultimately voted 4 – 3 against approving a summer program sponsored by First Calvary Baptist Church. The majority cited a lack of space requested for the program at the school.
The program’s contract included $33,187.18 for up to 40 students at King-Robinson Inter-District Magnet School.
Board Vice President Matt Wilcox argued that approving the program Monday would bypass the board’s process of getting a proper recommendation from the administration and the Finance & Operations Committee. Board member Darnell Goldson pushed for the program to get approved to provide an additional 40 K‑8 students with academic and enrichment activities this summer.
The summer learning program was set to be run by retired Davis Street School Principal Lola Nathan, who was supervisor of the church’s learning hub during the pandemic’s peak last fall.
The First Calvary program agreement was pulled from the BOE agenda at the last minute after it was reported at a special meeting of the Finance & Operations Committee Monday afternoon that King-Robinson no longer had the needed two classrooms available to host the program.
First Calvary Pastor Rev. Boise Kimber testified during the meeting’s public comment session that this is the second time the item has been pulled from the BOE agenda. The first removal stemmed from an unsettled insurance requirement for the program to happen in a New Haven public school building. After the insurance issue was resolved, the item was added back on the agenda for Monday’s meeting until Finance & Operations got word that there was no longer space available in the school.
The five summer programs approved Monday night are run by Little Scientists, Arts for Learning Connecticut, Our World Care 4 Your Own, LLC, The Green Peacock Corporation, and Boys and Girls Club of New Haven. The board also approved a legal services contract with Berchem Moses PC.
The board discussed the First Calvary matter for nearly two hours. Goldson said he wanted to avoid “punishing the students” by not approving the First Calvary’s program.
“We had a funeral today of an African American young man who was killed, and apparently there was a shooting at his funeral,” said Goldson. “These kids need these kind of distractions in the summer.”
Meanwhile Wilcox argued approving the agreement would “override” the BOE administration.
“I’m not gonna vote to go around our processes with contracts,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox suggested the board hold a special or emergency meeting before the start of summer programs and discuss the First Calvary program’s need for a location.
Member Tamiko Jackson-McArthur said she recently received a complaint from a summer service provider who has historically run programs within the school for 60 – 100 students. The service provider was told at the last minute that the camp “was not welcome to house her camp within our school buildings because all of our school were full,” said Jackson-McArthur.
“It’s hard to believe that we are taking up every single classroom within the schools,” she said.
After a failed first vote to approve the six agreements not including the First Calvary program, Goldson, Jackson-McArthur, and Larry Conaway supported a motion to approve all seven agreements with a contingency that First Calvary be given 48 hours to find an appropriate location for the program. The motion failed 4 – 3.
Chief of Youth, Family and Community Engagement Gemma Joseph Lumpkin said the BOE administration will be working to find a space for the program. She noted that several early childhood summer programs have been expanding due to the demand for summer programming.
“We’re not picking on First Calvary Baptist. We know that they run the summer learning program, so we want to be supportive,” said Joseph Lumpkin. “It just was not appropriate for us to move forward tonight telling 40 students saying that 40 spaces are available tomorrow, when I have no idea where we can place 40 students.”
Wilcox, Mayor Justin Elicker, board Secretary Edward Joyner, and President Yesenia Rivera voted against approving the First Calvary program agreement with a 48-hour contingency.
“I don’t think its appropriate to tie [Supt. Iline]Tracey’s hands without her having solid plan on what she’s going to do here,” Elicker argued against the contingent agreement.
The board voted unanimously twice to approve all agreements except the First Calvary program.