The Union County chapter of the NAACP says Union County Public Schools has failed to make good on an agreement to partner on several education initiatives — an accusation the school district denies.
Union County NAACP president Archie Hansley said in a news release and at a recent school board meeting that his organization had a longtime agreement with UCPS, including for tutoring initiatives and support for low-performing schools.
Hansley has accused the school board and Superintendent Andrew Houlihan of failing to help advance those goals or publicly acknowledge a partnership with the NAACP.
“It's one thing to say you're in partnership with someone behind closed doors, but if you're not doing anything to establish that partnership, then to me, honestly, it's just an abusive one-sided relationship is what it is,” Hansley told WFAE.
Hansley also said the district has failed to implement recommendations from a citizens advisory committee that sought to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.
But UCPS leaders said in a joint statement last week that the accusation is “false, deceptive and misrepresents board and district leadership and integrity.”
The district said it has long worked with the NAACP on multiple initiatives over the last decade, including launching a local Youth Council that’s still active in several schools and a mentoring program at Monroe Middle School. The district says it’s met with the NAACP to work on community outreach and student achievement initiatives.
“For more than 10 years, there is clear evidence of Union County Public Schools partnering with the Union County NAACP on multiple initiatives, as UCPS is listed as a partner on the Union County NAACP’s website,” said the statement, signed by Houlihan and Union County school board chair Jimmy Bention, Sr.
Hansley told WFAE that there is a memorandum of understanding in place between the two organizations, but he argued that his MOU outlines specific goals between the two organizations, and that the NAACP has not pulled its weight in accomplishing those goals, and has not addressed concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion.
He said the two groups have met in the past, but argued the meetings were not productive.
“And I would venture to say, yes, we did think Union County was a partner,” Hansley said. “But in light of that, over the last decade, we've just come to realize that while we've been holding up our end of the deal, they have not been. So that is actually not a partnership, so that was actually one-sided.”
