Fed up with repeated policy violations and dysfunction by the Clayton County school board, the two governor-appointed advisers said Friday they cannot help the district save its accreditation.

"I don't think they have a chance to keep their accreditation," said James E. Bostic Jr., a state board of education member appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue to help the district. "With the things they've done over the last three or four days, they have absolutely not done what is right for accreditation, and that is very bad."

William "Brad" Bryant, also appointed by the governor, echoed Bostic's views. "With the current board composition, we are confident that the district will be unable to retain its accreditation," Bryant said in a statement.

Bostic's and Bryant's statements came as board chairman Eddie White steps down and the board's accreditation attorney quits. All three cited a string of ethical and policy violations this week, including an illegal meeting on Thursday and the board violating its own policy in calling a meeting for Saturday.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave the district nine mandates to meet by Sept. 1 or lose accreditation. Those mandates include a properly functioning board that follows its own policies and state laws.

"The board is being run by people who do not care if they have accreditation or not," Bostic said. "I hope the people in Clayton County pay attention to what's going on. They are the only people who can decide if these people stay in office or not."

White, who will resign from the board in the next few days, said the board violated its own policy when it scheduled the special Saturday meeting to vote on the superintendent's contract. Board policy says only the chairman or superintendent can call a special meeting.

"I did not call it, I was not aware of it, and I don't plan on attending," White said Friday.

Interim Superintendent Gloria Duncan also did not call the meeting, according to her attorney.

Clayton board attorney Dorsey Hopson and board Vice Chairwoman Michelle Strong refused to say who called the meeting.

Board member David Ashe said the meeting was called by Strong. Ashe said several board members met Thursday after a news conference and decided they needed to vote on a contract for the temporary superintendent. That meeting was never advertised to the public as required by state law.

Hopson said he was unaware of any meeting on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the board voted "to bring in" Thompson as corrective superintendent to help the district save its accreditation.

On Thursday, an attorney for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the vote did not follow state open meetings law, which requires the board to reveal details on a salary and a contract.

That's when several of the board members got together to review the minutes from Wednesday's meeting and decided they needed to hold another public meeting to vote on the contract, Ashe said.

"You said it was wrong, and we went back in the minutes and checked," Ashe said. "We decided to call a meeting to vote on the contract."

The unadvertised meeting on Thursday is the latest in a string of open meetings violations, according to John Trotter, president of the Metro Association of Classroom Educators.

Earlier this week, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution filed a complaint with the attorney general's office, alleging the board illegally closed its meetings.

"The purpose of the Open Meetings Act is to protect the community and enable it to monitor its public officials," said Hollie Manheimer, executive director of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

"An informed public makes better decisions, and the open meetings act is the mechanism which enables that knowledge. The mandatory notice and agenda requirements of the open meetings act are the tools that enable the public to fulfill its watchdog function," Manheimer said.

SACS also cited the board for violating the open meetings law.

Board members Lois Baines-Hunter and Rod Johnson did not return phone calls Friday. Board member Yolanda Everett said she was at work and could not talk. Board member Sandra Scott declined to comment.

Thompson, whose $285,000-plus contract is scheduled to be voted on Saturday, will begin work Monday. Thompson will serve as temporary superintendent until June 30, 2009 and be tasked with helping the district maintain its accreditation.

The two governor's liaisons and the head of SACS have said Thompson is not qualified for the job.

It's unclear what will happen to Gloria Duncan, who has been serving as interim superintendent since last July.

Duncan has a $176,600 contract that expires in July. She was not at work Friday, but she issued a statement, saying she hopes to "continue with the Clayton County school system in a leadership capacity."

Reprinted with permission from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 04/26/08