AEA calls on Montgomery School Board members to retract their statements

The Alabama Education Association urges members of the Montgomery County Board of Education to retract their statements regarding the resignation of Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melvin J. Brown.

“There have been unfounded attacks and harassment by certain members of the Montgomery County Board of Education, particularly Dr. Lesa Keith,” said Kynesha Brown, AEA public relations manager. “During Dr. Brown's tenure as superintendent, these falsehoods and obstructions have hindered the performance of his function – creating a difficult work environment and damaging his reputation and character.”

Before voting to accept Brown's resignation, Keith said that while she had enjoyed working with him, Brown was not willing to “sit down and work as a team. … He has a wonderful vision, but you have to have a shared vision, and you have to share it and get the board involved,” she said.

“I have intentionally kept a low profile throughout this process because a profession requires a certain level of class and discretion, and that is very important to me,” Melvin Brown, the now-former superintendent, said in a video response. He said while he understands he will be criticized as a public official, he “never imagined that the family allegations and the false claims about professional life would overshadow the work we were trying to do in the district.”