Deep Rift in Beaumont on School Administration - NYTimes.com: ...Mr. Thomas, who was widely praised when first hired, has recently become the focus of criticism for his leadership — criticism his supporters say is racially motivated. Mr. Thomas did not respond to several requests for comment made through his spokeswoman, Jessie Haynes.
In May, residents will vote on a ballot initiative to make two of the school board’s seven seats at-large positions. At present, each member represents a geographical region. Mr. Thomas’s supporters view the proposed change as an effort to remake the board, which now has four black members and three white.
His critics see it as an opportunity to reclaim control of an institution still central to the life of a struggling city with an 11 percent unemployment rate and a median household income well below the national average.
