CMSD holds special meeting addressing decision to end GTECHS partnership

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The decision to end the GTECHS program was a shock to many students who live in the Columbus School District and their parents.

The board is focused on one issue they said resulted in their decision to end the relationship with the school.

Columbus School Board President Jason Spears said he wants to know where the money is going.

“It came to the light that some of the funds that we are having to, today, on that particular item,” said Spears. “Directed Dr. Labat and our board attorneys to look into, was the usage of those MAEP funds for the cost of attendance for students who are not CMSD students but were accepted. And, so of course you know we are using those funds to pay for those students attendance at the program.”

But families said they were blindsided when the school district decided to cut off the contract.

Some students are one year away from an associate’s degree along with a high school diploma.

Now, they said they are left hanging.

“When she found out she cried. My husband had to console her because she was so upset,” said GTECH parent Denise Mize.

“We invested into this thing and it’s a four-year program and our son’s a Freshman and we’d like to complete it because it has a lot of the aspects of, I guess, education that we were excited about for our child,” said another GTECH parent, Shane Tompkins.

As for what’s next for those students impacted?

“We are having continued dialogue to see what is the best outcome moving forward but you know at this particular point we are still awaiting feedback for questions that have been asked that we don’t have answers to,” said Spears.

No one from GTECHS program was available for comment Monday.