Griffin, who is seeking re-election to an at-large seat on the nine-member board, said his opponents, including a parent who sued to end
forced busing, are circulating misinformation in an effort to defeat him. Neighborhood school advocates, who Griffin says "are running as a pack," question the need for seats for 7,000
inner city children and new school buildings in the inner city. Griffin noted that the plaintiffs in the anti-busing lawsuit held a victory party at the home of school board member Jim Puckett and two
conservatives, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James and former commissioner Joel Carter, attended.
"This election is critical, because it doesn't matter what the court says, it is what the school
board does," Griffin said. "We can be flexible or inflexible in terms of how we address the needs of African American children."
Puckett, in an e-mail this week to Supt. Eric Smith, said the school system has a "serious credibility problem" and needs to reconsider efforts to maintain magnet schools while building
new schools in the inner city.
"We must now be very careful to not allow the magnet program to have a significant impact
on how we determine our capacity needs," Puckett said. "We have a tremendous monetary need for both facilities and programs. We can't allow any allocation and/or issuance of new
bonds predicated on our wish to maintain a magnet program for any reason other than to help with our utilization."
Griffin noted that under his leadership the school board has received more money for equity in
education, "than in the last 20 years."
"That's simply because of the makeup of the school board," he said. "This is the largest public
corporation in North Carolina that happens to be controlled by African Americans."
In addition to Griffin, three other blacks sit on the board: Wilhelmenia Rembert, a Winthrop
University administrator who is also seeking re-election to an at large seat. The others are district representatives George Dunlap, a police officer, and Vilma Leake, a retired teacher.
Dunlap and Leake are not up for re-election in Nov. 2 balloting.
Griffin lashed out at conservatives, including candidates Larry Gauvreau and Paul Haisley, who are supported by James.
"Control and power are the issues," Griffin said. "Joel Carter, Bill James and Jim Puckett are all card-carrying members of CFEG (Citizens for Effective Government). They are fighting
about lowering taxes. How are they going to do that and fight for equity?
"All this is a smoke screen. It is inconsistent. You can't ask for a rollback of taxes and say
they are going to give more (to poor schools)."
Griffin said conservatives also maintain new schools aren't needed in the inner city, noting that some of those schools are magnets now.
"There is a total ignorance of the needs of children of color and poor children by this group," Griffin said. "This election is important because they are going to be the ones who are going to
set policy. They are going to be the ones to provide the resources for those kids."
"You have heard of the Gang of Five (Mecklenburg County Commissioners)," it will be the
Gang of Five on the school board, with two on the sidelines Bill James and Joel Carter."
Griffin noted that Haisley has sent out letters asking for votes for Haisley, board vice chair
John Lassiter and Gauvreau. Lassiter and board member Lindalyn Kakadelis and Puckett are all neighborhood schools advocates who supported the parents who sued the system and
won an order from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Potter ending forced busing for integration.
If Rembert and Griffin lose, control of the board could shift to conservatives many view as
unlikely to support efforts to boost the academic achievement of inner city and poor children.
James sent e-mail this week cheering a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals decision banning the use
of socioeconomic and non-racial factors in funneling additional resources to inner city children.
Smith said the school district's lawyers are studying the appeals court ruling in an Arlington,
Va. case to see how it might affect Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Smith said he hopes to present a pupil assignment plan by mid-October for the public and
school board to review. He said he hopes to have a plan approved by the end of the year.
Magnet schools would be a part of that strategy, but they would be relocated to underutilized
campuses across the county. That plan would allow parents more choice, Smith said.
Plans for two new inner city schools in the Greenville community and off Craighead Avenue
are proceeding, but could take as long as five years to open, Smith said.
