A local pastor continued to question hiring practices within the Brookhaven School District during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

     The Rev. Larry Jointer, from St. James Baptist Church, spoke at the meeting for the second time. He said he never heard from the board after his first visit in May.

     He asked that the board explain to him what its policies are and how it worked. He went on to say he wanted to know how the board went about hiring new personnel.

     “Fifteen positions were filled this past year,” he said. “Only two were filled by African-Americans.”

     Jointer pointed out that some 60 percent of district students are black, but he questioned whether the board was taking that into consideration when hiring and he brought up a 1970 court order regarding integration.

     “Your hiring practices are not in play as it relates to the court order,” he said.

     Jointer also asked the board if they were hiring qualified applicants and he pointed out that some of the recent hires were from failing school districts. He made note of a sign on the school district office door that says the district is “high-performing,” and he questioned whether the school board was intent on keeping it that way.

     “Are we being fruitful,” he said, “or are we setting (the district) up for failure?” 

     Before leaving, Jointer implored the board to “just be fair” in its practices and to “give everyone an opportunity.”

     The board thanked Jointer for his comments. Board member Willie Harrison said they would take his comments into consideration and get back to him.

     “We want you here, but give us time to reply,” he said.

     Superintendent Dr. Lisa Karmacharya said after the meeting that she was glad Jointer had been there.

     “It’s important for us to hear from the community,” she said.

     Other public comments included representatives from the Southern Wildcats Youth Football League, who were asking the board to reconsider their denial of a request to use the district football field this fall for games.