Press
Release
Head Start contract
veto under fire
Commission should reverse Wharton decision, Ritz says
By Alex Doniach,
Commercial Appeal
September 18, 2007
Shelby County Commissioner Mike Ritz isn't satisfied with Mayor A C
Wharton's decision to veto a contract that would move a sizable group of
Shelby County Head Start children under the management of a local nonprofit.
Ritz is sponsoring a resolution up for discussion Wednesday to override the
mayor's veto and put the early childhood education program's contract back
on the table.
"I'd like the commission to revisit the issue." Ritz said. "I don't think
what (Wharton) did was fair to anyone."
Three weeks ago, the County Commission approved a contract to transfer 460
Head Start kids from the care of Shelby County government to the management
of Porter-Leath Children's Center, a nonprofit that had promised to give $5
million to build new Head Start facilities.
The compromise was brokered by Wharton's administration after it became
clear the commission could not reach consensus on an original proposal to
give Porter-Leath 1,120 Head Start kids.
But following the compromise, Porter-Leath said its donors would not supply
the $5 million under the new contract because the center would be handling
too few kids to make a significant change in the program.
Because the money deal fell through, Wharton vetoed the contract.
The compromise was approved unanimously by commissioners, but Ritz said it
wasn't clear that Porter-Leath was required to provide capital funds.
"I believe many commissioners voted for (the compromise) under the
assumption that there were no requirements to build the buildings," Ritz
said. "I want to clarify those votes."
Ritz, who would like to see the commission revisit the original contract for
1,120 kids, said he also has other questions for Wharton about the way the
contract was handled.
Yet whether Ritz has the majority plus one vote needed to successfully
override the veto is unclear. Many of the commissioners reached Monday were
in favor of the veto.
Commissioner Henri Brooks said the mayor may have a better plan in mind. "I
want to give the mayor the opportunity to present that," she said, adding
that she'd also like to learn more about the Head Start program and the
"governance role" of the commission.
Commissioner J.W. Gibson, who supported giving all 1,120 kids to Porter-Leath,
said he wasn't pleased with the compromise and doesn't want to "force the
administration to hold up to that agreement if it was not satisfactory."
Commissioner Sidney Chism also supports the veto, as long as that means
Wharton takes a closer look at the organization and "gets our kids where
they need to be," he said.
Commissioners Steve Mulroy and Mike Carpenter said it doesn't make sense to
send kids to Porter-Leath unless the nonprofit can provide additional
resources.
Mulroy proposes working out another compromise that would include extra
funds.
Carpenter said it's worth looking at other options in the meantime, whether
that means contracting with other entities or looking into whether Shelby
County can fund some needed renovations.
Commissioners Joyce Avery and James Harvey said they both want more
information.
Harvey said he'd like to know "what's really going on that is not being
discussed and that we cannot see," he said.
But Commissioner Wyatt Bunker said Ritz would get a vote of support,
especially if that means revisiting the original contract. "I would push for
the original proposal that the mayor put before the County Commission," he
said. "I thought that was the right way to handle it."
