‘Fix It or Get Rid of It’: FAMU trustees demand changes at DRS

Three Key Takeaways

• Trustees want immediate action: A third-party review identified 15 recommendations involving leadership, governance, finances, staffing and accountability at FAMU DRS.
• Staff credentials are a concern: Trustees were told roughly one-third of faculty hold professional certifications, while others hold temporary or district certifications.
• The board wants results in 14 days: Chairman Deveron Gibbons said FAMU must either fix DRS or consider eliminating it.

The FAMU Board of Trustees is demanding sweeping changes at FAMU Developmental Research School after a audit raised concerns about the school's leadership, financial controls, governance and employee credentials.

The review produced 15 recommendations, including stronger financial controls, recurring financial reporting, a review of teacher compensation and certification, and the appointment of a transition and implementation officer who would report to FAMU's president.

Trustee Chairman Deveron Gibbons made clear that trustees expect action, not another round of deliberations. 

“We either get rid of  it (the school) or fix it,” Gibbons said.

A certification gap is limiting FAMU's teacher pipeline
Trustees were told that roughly one-third of DRS faculty hold professional certifications, another third have temporary certificates and another third are district certified. The review also raised questions about the credentials of some school leaders.

Those gaps affect FAMU's teacher-training mission. Teachers without professional certification cannot host university education interns, and trustees were told that only one FAMU student is currently interning at DRS.

Trustee Victor Young stressed the need to address both leadership and financial oversight, while Gibbons questioned how the school had been allowed to operate without stronger controls.“We have no controls. We don't know what's going on. We have uncredentialed people. It's a mess. It really is a mess.”

Gibbons gave university administrators 14 days to present a plan for addressing the findings.“Here's how it's going to be fixed. If heads got to roll, I'm fine with it,” he said.

FAMU President Marva Johnson told trustees that she understood the urgency and that DRS would be a priority.

“We have to run faster,” Johnson said.

The board's message was clear: The university now has two weeks to show trustees how it intends to address the problems identified in the review and establish the accountability measures needed to prevent them from recurring.