Superintendent Meets With Community Members

MOUNT VERNON – Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland met with community members Wednesday evening, discussing the revised 2026-27 budget and dispelling rumors regarding District finances.
To find answers to frequently asked community questions, you can visit their FAQ at https://www.mtvernoncsd.org/departments/business-finance/frequently-asked-questions

The revote for the budget was held on Tuesday, June 16.

Key Features of Budget
Dr. Strickland discussed key features of the budget and how it was developed. The District conducted a community survey, which was answered by over 1,000 residents. Over half of the responses were parents. Their priorities, such as Gifted and Talented and Career and Technical Education programs, directly influenced the decision-making on spending in the budget.

Gifted and Talented was reintroduced in the proposed budget, with an addition of about eight teachers to provide enrichment. CTE pathways were also invested in, with two programs at Denzel Washington School of the Arts being identified for potential state certification. The District will also be eligible for the Perkins Grant for the first time due to increased CTE enrollment. The Perkins Grant is a federal grant that is offered to school districts to improve CTE programs.
The budget also supports areas such as athletics, extracurriculars and afterschool programs, giving students engaging opportunities. Dr. Strickland wants taxpayers to provide Mount Vernon students with the same resources as districts across the state, as opposed to sacrificing services such as field trip transportation and enrichment programs that will increase their enjoyment of coming to school every day.

Addressing False Rumors
Dr. Strickland also spent time addressing false rumors that have appeared online about the District’s finances. One rumor, that he spent over $25,000 to renovate his office, is completely false. When Dr. Strickland first came to the District, he installed a stand-up desk as an accommodation for his sciatica. Workplaces routinely provide accommodations to employees to make it easier for them to work effectively. He also bought a smaller table to make more room in his office and painted the walls school district colors. He decorated the office with his own belongings as well.

A rumor that the District paid $10,000 on a speaker is also false. The district hired a speaker, Principal Baruti Kafele, for about $7,000. When Dr. Strickland came into office, he often heard that people were leaving for other districts because of the culture. Kafele is a renowned speaker known as “America’s AP & New Principals Leadership Coach,” and Dr. Strickland wanted the whole District to hear his message about shifting culture. School districts often hire motivational speakers at the start of a school year, but Dr. Strickland ensured that it was an impactful speaker that could help begin a culture shift.
“It is not uncommon. And I don’t want people to think that going to conferences is uncommon either,” said Dr. Strickland. “It’s your professional development. The people starting these rumors are trying to make things that are common seem uncommon.”

Dr. Strickland sacrificed conferences for his staff and teachers this year to save money, but it is a common practice that school districts use to improve.

It was also claimed that the district paid $20,000 for food at convocation, which is a greatly exaggerated figure. Staff were provided with fruit, muffins, and coffee.

“It’s not uncommon for you to offer a light refreshment for all of your staff after they’ve endured a reconfiguration that shook everything up, and I just wanted to say ‘thank you,’” Dr. Strickland said.

The District was also accused of deleting comments on budget posts, but comments were only deleted after people attacked individuals. Some users were also flagged automatically by Facebook as spam or spreading false information. The District then proactively turned off comments for future posts to avoid further personal attacks.

Budget is About the Students
Dr. Strickland expressed his desire to keep the budget conversations about the children, who are the ones who will most be affected. He shared resources with attendees of the meet and greet to help them share information about how the budget supports students. You can visit our budget page at https://www.mtvernoncsd.org/votejune16 to learn more about the budget and the investments made to improve academic achievement and opportunities for all students.