Springfield alderman Gail Simpson has renewed her harsh criticism of the Springfield school board over the decision to part company with Superintendent Walter Milton and to enact cuts that she says disproportionately affect low-income and at-risk students.
Simpson was also part of a group last fall that suggested the board's treatment of Milton had racist overtones. She says Milton's departure and cuts like the elimination of the Capital College Preparatory Academy are an "indelible stain" on the community.
Simpson, who describes herself as "unashamedly black," says the board's actions divide the community, and result in a situaton where "those who have, get more, and those who have not, get left behind." She vowed that board members who supported those cuts could pay a political price in the April school board elections.
