Art Debut: CALC opens multi-discipline “Works and Working”

June 17, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

Friday night proved to be the quintessential evening for a walk around downtown Carlisle and then taking in a brand new art exhibit at Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC). “Somewhere Over the Rainbow…bluebirds fly…” kept going through my head as I discovered art that could only be found in the “Land of Oz.”

I followed the yellow brick road through the front door. All my favorites were there, most of all the Tin Man who wanted a heart desperately, and Toto, too. It took some sleuthing, but after meeting the artists, Arlyn Pettingell and Sharon Pierce McCullough, I found out that even the great and powerful wizard was there—behind the curtain, of course.

What sets apart McCullough’s work as a sculptor is that found objects form the foundation of her pieces.

“I seek to repurpose items others would discard and give them new life,” she said.

When you mix those objects with cement, metal and glass, one-of-a-kind creations emerge. And for this exhibit, she picked up gemstones along the yellow brick road.

Her Tin Man really is constructed out of a discarded car muffler, and the open cavity in his chest reveals a heart wrapped in metal wire. Mr. M, as she refers to the sculpture, is life-sized and characteristically quirky in the most endearing way.

Toto in this iteration is actually titled “Smokey,” a stretched-out, elongated cement dog with a bundle of colorful sticks tied to his back. After all, an impromptu game of fetch with the flying monkeys could be just the thing.

Departing from Oz momentarily, I was agog at seeing “The Man in the Moon” in a close-up, concrete orb replete with moon-sized craters. Filled with the remnants of a multi-colored meteor shower made from the bottoms of colored glass bottles filling its holes, it made for an unexpected treat.

She finished off “The Man…” with another miniature made of used spark plugs and wire standing within the cavern of the moon surveying the scene on the gallery floor. Another life-sized sculpture, “All Dressed Up,” takes evening wear to a whole other level when the attire is a cement sheaf adorned with a metal necklace. McCullough works intuitively, operating under the umbrella of an artist without borders. Hers is a polymath universe of art mediums, displaying skills in drawing, painting and sculpture.

In the Upstairs Gallery, where the Munchkins may have decamped, I found an equally whimsical installation. As part of the CALC Collaborative, artist Tom Oakes worked with a group of 16 students from CPARC, distilling a magical land of creativity. Working in diverse media such as pottery (vessels), craft on homemade paper (butterflies), cork board and pipe cleaner (flowers), a gallery of hand-tinted trees were resplendent in spring tones of nature, demonstrating that developmental disabilities bear no weight on the spark of imagination and the ability to express it through art.

Traveling from Oz to Paris all in the same evening, I was brought back to the G. B. Stuart Gallery. Expressionist painter Arlyn Pettingell works with a palette rich with muted tones of inky blues, lichen greens, dusty rose and mud brown. Pettingell’s paintings tell of a workforce complicit in celebrating their vocations. Those celebrations are restrained and refined just like the visually arresting quality she brings to her works.

“The sense of accomplishment during one’s day is desired and deserved by all,” she said. “I feel we must appreciate the simple beauty of everyday life.”

A Francophile through and through, she has a certain je ne sais quai about her. Eight years spent in Frenchville, a hamlet north of State College, she immersed herself in the history of the region settled by French and Irish immigrants. Her works guide the viewers to another place in time like Paris at the Fin-de-Siecle. In many instances throughout her portraiture, she inserts the Eiffel Tower as her landmark of love. Represented in her collection is The Cook, The Grocer, The Seamstress, The Truck Driver and the list goes on. All are lovingly depicted in dark shades that give an added depth of emotion to the dedication these laborers bring to their professions.

Personal favorites depart from the professional panoply to lend equal inspiration to leisure activities found in “Afternoon in the Park,” with families enjoying life away from the toil of labor. Another, “The Sidewalk Café,” one of her larger works, shares a scene of a street café in Paris, perhaps in the 16th arrondissement by the Seine.

“The Eiffel Tower motif repeats itself, representing our highest ambition, the promotion of culture, and a beacon of hope and contentment,” according to Pettingell.

The commitment to her art has been enhanced by travel to New York City and France.

On my way out the door, I happened upon the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Cathy Stone, curator at CALC, stepped away from the curtain long enough to take a quick bow for curating this monumental show. Her deft staging and placement of “Works and Working,” so subtle in its delivery, belies the adroit approach she has brought to her craft for the past five years.

Art transports us to lands both real and imagined all in the blink of an eye. And remember, there is no place like home.

“Works and Working” runs through July 27 at the Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC), is 38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle. For more information, visit https://www.carlislearts.org/exhibits.

The Week that Was: A summary of news and features around Harrisburg

June 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Lenwood Sloan speaks as the pedestal for “A Gathering at the Crossroads” is unveiled in Strawberry Square.

The news and the arts shared equal time this past week in our coverage. Did you miss a story that we published? If so, catch up on what happened over the past week.

Art Association of Harrisburg will hold five “summer soirees” this season in its annual series of summertime art and fundraising events. Click here for the full story.

Brain Vessel Gallery opened its latest show, “Along the Painted Journey,” an exhibit of works by the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society. Read what our arts reviewer had to say about the exhibit and about Brain Vessel’s unique collection of items.

Harrisburg City Council last week voted to spend $72,500 for a study as the city tries to lessen the impact of a planned widening of I-83. At the same meeting, council approved the final land development plan for Harrisburg University’s new downtown high-rise. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg River Rescue received a check for $45,000 from Harrisburg Beer Week. The River Rescue is the beneficiary of the annual, 10-day tribute to the local craft beer community.

Harrisburg school district furnished its response to the state’s petition to put the district into receivership, denying many of the state’s claims. The court hearing on the petition is slated for Monday. Click here for the full story.

Judge William Tully issued his formal order stopping the Harrisburg school district from entering into contracts until he rules on receivership for the district. Click here for the full story.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore will host author Casey Cep this coming week, as she discusses her new book, which finishes the story that renowned author Harper Lee never completed. Click here for the full story.

Rapper Geniuz was the first central PA musician to be profiled as part of TheBurg’s new series in honor of African American Music Appreciation Month. Click here for the full story.

Sara Bozich has assembled a long list of things to do around Harrisburg during this early summer weekend. Click here for the full story.

Strawberry Square last week hosted the unveiling of the first part of a new monument meant to honor both voting rights and Harrisburg’s long-missed Old 8^th Ward. The pedestal portion of the monument will be publicly displayed through the summer. Click here for the full story.

Also in TheBurg Daily last week:

Central Pennsylvania athletes make their mark at the National Senior Games.

The Eastern Hellbender is more than just the state amphibian; it’s also an indicator of environmental health.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here.

Art + Tradition: Five “Summer Soirees” planned to benefit local artists, Art Association

June 13, 2019 | by Hanna Martin

Wendell and Brenda Hoover will host the first Art Association summer soiree of the season in their home on Italian Lake. Sketch by Jonathan Frazier

Five historic central Pennsylvania properties will exhibit local art ranging from oil painting to glass mosaics as part of the Art Association of Harrisburg’s annual summer benefit soirees.

The soirees, which start on June 22, are held at the homes and properties of patrons of the Art Association for an evening of art, socializing and refreshments.

“[Attendees] can buy the art, enjoy the art, enjoy refreshments, and see the lovely home and garden of the host,” said Carrie Wissler-Thomas, president of the Art Association. “They’re very nice social occasions, as well as a way for the artist to get their work out to a new section of the public.”

This year, the soirees will feature the work of 14 local artists, including Julie Riker’s oil paintings, Josephine Alexander’s glass mosaics and works from contemporary artist Linda Benton-McCloskey. Attendees can expect to enjoy watercolor and oil paintings, en plein air (outdoor) paintings and digital photographs on aluminum.

Settings for the soirees include Wendell and Brenda Hoover’s home overlooking Italian Lake, Josephine and Bob Alexander’s historic farmhouse, Lowell and Linda Gates’ restored Victorian farmhouse, the Cornerstone Coffeehouse and the King Mansion.

Marc Kurowski, a veteran host of a soiree, said that the most important part of being a host is coordinating with the artists and advertising the soiree. Kurowski, owner of the King Mansion, will serve as host during the final soiree on Aug. 25.

He said that he likes to host a soiree to support local art.

“It’s a great place for folks who know art to see local artists that they might not have experienced and for folks who really don’t know much about art to try it for the first time and get a look at what local artists are doing,” Kurowski said.

The money from art sold at the soirees are will go to the artists, with a small commission going to the Art Association. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door.

This summer, the schedule is:

June 22: “Italian Lake Soiree” (Italian Lake)
June 29: “Solstice Soiree” (Dover)
July 20: “Soiree in the Country” (Mechanicsburg)
Aug. 4: “Cornerstone Culinary Kitchen Soiree” (Camp Hill)
Aug. 25: “King Mansion Soiree” (Harrisburg)

To learn more about the Harrisburg Art Association’s Summer Benefit Soirees and to access a full list of the featured artists, visit https://www.artassocofhbg.com/Soirees.htm.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

June 13, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Hey hey! Today our Harrisburg Beer Week team presents our BIG CHECK to Harrisburg River Rescue & Emergency Services! Join us at The Millworks at 4 p.m. for the announcement! Sunday is Father’s Day — what are you doing for dad? I sent my dad some cinnamon rolls, and we’ll probably take Andy for ice cream (plus I/Bo got him some ? gifts. Otherwise, things are thankfully tame this weekend because we’ve been busy, and the events keep coming. Be sure you’re on the email list so you know about everything we have going on!

What are you doing this weekend?

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Harrisburg school district denies charges in receivership petition, says students may fall under “external management”

June 12, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A recent meeting of the Harrisburg school board

The Harrisburg school district today responded to a state petition seeking to place the district into receivership, denying numerous charges and stating that the district’s 2013 recovery plan could compel the state to place students “under external management.”

In his 31-page response, district Solicitor James Ellison took issue with the charges leveled against the district by the state Department of Education.

In his response, Ellison repeatedly denied claims made in a petition last week by education Secretary Pedro Rivera, which included that the district allegedly failed to meet student achievement targets and allegedly failed to fulfill key initiatives in the 2013 financial recovery plan.

Ellison’s response repeatedly stated the district has followed both the law and the directives of the district’s state-appointed chief recovery officers.

“The District hereby affirmatively represents that it has performed its statutory obligations under the Financial Recovery Law as well as the Second Amended Plan passed by its Board of School Directors on May 31, 2016 as confirmed by Exhibit 8 of the Petition, and substantially (if not fully) complied with all directives issued by its assigned chief recovery officers related to the governing recovery plan applicable during their respective tenure,” Ellison wrote in response to many of Rivera’s charges.

Ellison further stated that the district will “establish by clear and convincing evidence that the petition for appointment of a receiver is arbitrary, capricious, or wholly irrelevant to restoring the school district to financial stability.”

Dauphin County Judge William Tully is slated to hear the case on Monday, in which the district must show that the state’s request for receivership is, in fact, “arbitrary and capricious.”

After the hearing, Tully has 10 days to affirm or deny the state’s petition to put the district into receivership. The state also has asked Tully to appoint the current chief recovery officer, Dr. Janet Samuels, as receiver for the district.

In his response today, Ellison also repeatedly stated that, according to the district’s 2013 recovery plan, a failure to meet recovery plan goals compels the state to “take the necessary steps to transfer District-educated students to schools under external management.”

The recovery plan indeed does contain the phrase “external management,” but fails to define what precisely that means.

“If the Court denies the Harrisburg School District’s prayer for relief and issues an order appointing Dr. Janet Samuels as Receiver, the Harrisburg School District respectfully submits that such order must direct the [sic] Secretary Rivera and Dr. Samuels to take all necessary steps to transfer all District-educated students to schools under external management effective for the 2019-20 school year,” Ellison concluded.

Meanwhile, the district remains under a court order banning it from entering into contracts without Samuels’ express consent. Tully issued that order last week after the district met in “special session” to consider a settlement with Premier Charter School without previously notifying Samuels.

The district today also issued a statement saying that it was prepared to cooperate with the state’s “real-time” financial audit—the state’s intention to review results of its financial audit of the district as the audit continues.

“We remain committed to transparency, the process of financial and academic recovery and a continued effort to put students first,” according to the district’s statement.

Headed to HBG: Author Casey Cep takes up where Harper Lee left off

June 12, 2019 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Everyone has their favorite book as a child. You know, the one that you read over and over again with a flashlight under your blankets way past your bedtime. For Casey Cep, that book was Harper Lee’s famous “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

However, Cep’s infatuation with Lee did not stop at her childhood. The book that made Lee withdraw from the public eye took Cep to Alabama to explore the town “To Kill A Mockingbird” was based on, have articles published in The New Yorker explaining the different sides of Lee and eventually to Lee’s unpublished manuscript.

That manuscript became the catalyst for Cep’s first book titled “Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee.” Next week, the author is coming to Midtown Scholar to share the story that Lee never finished.

“Any material from her is precious, and anything she touched feels miraculous to me,” Cep said about Lee’s manuscript. “No matter what writer or artist you are writing about, any historical piece of them feels almost godlike. It’s truly a miracle that it survived.”

The book begins with the story of Willie Maxwell, better known as “The Reverend.” Between the later 1960s and 1970s, five of the Reverend’s family members were found dead under “suspicious circumstances.” Rumors spread through the town. Some called it voodoo, the detectives called it insurance fraud. No matter what they called it, the Reverend was raking in thousands of dollars in life insurance money, and no one could stop him. Until someone did.

During the funeral of the Reverend’s last alleged victim, his step-daughter Shirley Ann Ellington, the girl’s uncle, Robert Burns, shot the Reverend three times in the head at point-blank range.

Less than a year after Maxwell’s murder, his lawyer, Tom Radney, convinced the famously reclusive Harper Lee to write a book about the six murders. She read about the murders in the newspaper, but it was Radney’s eagerness that made her start writing her first book almost two decades after “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

However, the only thing Radney got to see was four typed pages by Lee. By the time Radney passed away in 2011, the book still was not finished, nor was it finished when Lee passed away in 2016. Many gave up on ever seeing the book published, but the Radney family did not.

Enter Cep. After getting in contact with the Radney family, Cep wrote a piece for The New Yorker about Lee’s unfinished book in 2015. But after publishing it, more people who knew Radney or the Reverend started showing up, and Cep knew she had to tell the whole story.

“It’s thrilling to have my book out in the world,” she said. “Such an honor to get to talk with so many readers who are as intrigued by the story and its characters as I am.”

Even though “Furious Hours” was published a little over a month ago, Cep is already working on a second book that she is sure Lee would appreciate.

“It’s one of the best books of the year, hands down,” said Alex Brubaker, manager at Midtown Scholar. “Casey Cep delivers one of the most riveting true crime stories you’ve likely never heard about.”

See Casey Cep next Tuesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information visit www.midtownscholar.com/featured-events.

At a Crossroads: New monument to commemorate Harrisburg history, struggle for voting rights

June 12, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Lenwood Sloan, with members of the Harrisburg Past Players, spoke on Tuesday at the unveiling of the pedestal portion of the monument, “A Gathering at the Crossroads.”

If you were passing through Strawberry Square late Tuesday afternoon, you may have been surprised to see the following: several gentlemen in top hats and tails, a big red ribbon and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

If you had stuck around, you would have learned what connected these very different things.

A crowd had assembled to watch the unveiling of the first portion of a monument that, around this time next year, is slated to be dedicated at N. 4^th and Walnut streets in Harrisburg, on the lawn of the Capitol’s Irvis Office Building.

The monument, called “A Gathering at the Crossroads,” commemorates the Old 8th Ward, the densely populated warren of streets and alleys demolished a century ago to vastly enlarge the Capitol Complex. The expansion of Forster Street some 40 years later destroyed the final part of the working-class area, a largely African-American neighborhood that also housed much of the city’s immigrant and Jewish populations.

“The more you hear, the sadder you become,” Fetterman said during his remarks, referring to the destruction of hundreds of buildings and the displacement of thousands of people. “But all you can do is celebrate and promote the efforts to remember.”

Indeed, yesterday’s two-hour ceremony was a celebration, led by local arts activist Lenwood Sloan, who is spearheading the project. It featured speeches, songs and dramatizations by the Harrisburg Past Players, a group that represents figures from local history.

Sloan said that the monument has a dual purpose. While it honors the Old 8^th, it also is designed as a tribute to voting rights—specifically, the U.S. Constitution’s 15^th and19^th amendments, which secured the vote for African Americans and for women, respectively.

Next year marks the 150^th anniversary of the 15^th Amendment and the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment, making the monument a timely endeavor.

“This project is about vigilance, about being vigilant about the blood, sweat and tears it took to advance these things,” Sloan said.

The monument’s Orator’s Pedestal in Strawberry Square, where it will be displayed through the summer.

The statue depicts four figures with strong Harrisburg ties meeting in the Old 8^th Ward, conversing and sharing a text of the 15^th Amendment. They’re gathered around the “Orator’s Pedestal,” the completed part of the bronze-cast monument unveiled on Tuesday. The pedestal features images from the Old 8^th around its four sides, along with a high relief map of a section of the ward at the top (close-up below).

Sloan and his team still must raise about two-thirds of the $360,000 needed for the project, he said.

“The next step is the casting in clay and the molding of the four figures,” he said.

Those life-sized figures are civil rights activist William Howard Day, Harrisburg native, journalist and lawyer Thomas Morris Chester, musician and restaurateur Jacob T. Compton and abolitionist and suffragist Francis Ellen Walker Harper. The third piece of the monument, besides the pedestal and the figures, is the circular landing, meant to mimic cobblestone, on which the figures will stand.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this,” said Becky Ault, president of Lancaster-based Art Research Enterprises, which is sculpting the monument. “This is so much more than just art. It’s history, it’s social studies, it’s everything.”

Sloan said that much work lies ahead before the planned June 2020 monument unveiling, coinciding with the anniversaries of the 15^th and 19^th amendments. A large sum of money still must be raised to complete the project. Afterwards, the state legislature must vote to accept the gift.

In the meantime, visitors can drop by Strawberry Square to see the pedestal, which will be on display, along with an explanation of the project, until Labor Day.

“This will not just be a place for pigeons,” Sloan said of the completed monument. “It is about that junction in time through which we make the awareness of the vote.”

To read more about the project, read our March story, Pieces of the Puzzle, and watch our Burg in Focus video, featuring interviews with Lenwood Sloan.

Click here to contribute to the monument project.

Harrisburg hires consultant in effort to rein in I-83 widening proposal

June 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Aerial view of I-83 in Harrisburg from 19th Street to the Susquehanna River. A PennDOT proposal would double the width of this segment of the highway.

A split Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday night approved hiring an outside consultant to study the proposed expansion of I-83, with an eye towards possibly slimming down the project.

Council voted 5-2 to spend $72,500 to hire Harrisburg-based Kittelson & Associates to conduct a traffic and community impact study of the current state proposal to double the number of lanes running through the city.

The study would review PennDOT’s widening plan, which envisions as many as 12 lanes and new interchanges, and determine whether alternatives exist to reduce the project’s footprint and the impact on the community.

Before the vote, Councilman Westburn Majors said that the city had received a letter from PennDOT stating that it would take into consideration Kittelson’s findings.

“It looks like they’re open to further analysis,” Majors said following the meeting. “They trust Kittelson to be a straight shooter with them.”

At a work session last week, several council members requested such a letter prior to the vote today.

The letter wasn’t enough to sway council President Wanda Williams, who maintained her opposition, which she first publicly expressed at the work session. Before voting no, she reiterated that she believed that the expenditure was a waste—that it ultimately wouldn’t change PennDOT’s plans and that the money would be better used elsewhere.

“I don’t think that the city of Harrisburg should be committing $72,000 when I have potholes all up and down my streets and my pools haven’t opened yet,” she said.

PennDOT’s current widening plan would have a significant impact on areas of South Harrisburg, displacing as many as 28 city residences and 20 businesses.

The city plans to pay for the study from its large fund balance, Mayor Eric Papenfuse has said previously.

In other decisions on Tuesday night, City Council:

Unanimously approved the final land development plan for Harrisburg University’s new academic tower, hotel and restaurant, which allows HU to begin the project at S. 3^rd and Chestnut streets.
Voted 4-3 against the appointment of Franchon Beeks as the city’s new director of Housing and Development.
Voted 5-2 for the appointment of David Baker as the city’s new director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities.
Unanimously passed a resolution closing several “paper” streets (streets that exist only on paper) on the future site of the state Archives building near N. 6^th and Hamilton streets.
Unanimously passed a resolution supporting U.S. congressional efforts to enact the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019.

From the Mud: Rapper Geniuz rhymes to put Harrisburg on the music map

June 11, 2019 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Andu Desbele, aka Geniuz

A lot of people call Andu Desbele soft-spoken. He disagrees, but there might be some truth to it. There’s such a gentleness to his voice, it’s hard to imagine him being able to speak over a crowded room, let alone perform in front of one.

But, when he is on stage under his rap name “Geniuz” a different side of him comes alive.

“I am more vicious, I get to unleash more.” he said. “I can jump around, dance, do crazy stuff, throw shirts and everything I feel like doing. I get to get that energy up.”

The 22-year-old rapper has “unleashed” at multiple venues in and around Harrisburg. According to Desbele, all of his songs reflect moments of his life.

“[My music] is very reflective of my issues with being poor, and not having money when I wanted it, having a broken heart,” he said. “That fuels a person to do a lot of different things. For me, it was writing.”

Desbele fell into music during a cypher, a freestyle rap battle, with some of his friends when he was 14. Though they were mostly all rookies, Desbele might have been the rookie of the rookies since he barely listened to rap music before entering the ring. Most of the lines in the cypher were aimed at the other’s hairline or outfit. Still, Desbele felt the start of something.

After that, he dove into his music, writing rhymes whenever he had time and recording them on his laptop. According to Desbele, no one believed him when he told people he wanted to pursue rap until a year later, when he was chosen to participate in BET’s “Next Hit” in North Carolina.

For the first time, Desbele got to work with other established and emerging artists, record in a studio and send a professional email (which, at 15, was a huge accomplishment).

Since then, Desbele has been working the underground Harrisburg music scene. He performed at several locations such as Little Amps, the Harrisburg Improv Theatre and the Underground Bike Shop. His favorite thing about the Harrisburg music scene is the grittiness of the artists and how they are fighting to make a name for themselves and their city.

“We don’t have any big, Harrisburg rappers to put our name on the map. We’re really coming up with our own studios, our own venues,” he said. “The sound is so unique and everything’s just from the mud, and everyone is just trying to do everything by themselves and not by the book.”

Desbele is currently cultivating artists for his new music group Naomi17. The goal is to have the music group established in the next few months.

In 10 years, he plans to be in the later years of his music career and branching out into other venues such as television or comic books. But, he promises the music will never stop.

“I’m probably never going to retire, I’m just going to slow down a lot,” he said. “Music will always be a heavy presence in what I do.”

Check out the music yourself at soundcloud.com/geniuz717. Follow him on social media @Geniuz717 and @N17worldwide.

This story is one in a series of local musician profiles in celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month.

Judge issues order preventing Harrisburg school board from acting on contracts

June 10, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district’s Administration Building

A Dauphin County judge has issued an order preventing the Harrisburg school board from unilaterally entering into new contracts, including a settlement with Premier Charter School.

Judge William Tully issued the order late Friday, following a hearing in his courtroom, but the order was just made public this morning. It bars the board from entering into binding obligations without the express consent of the state’s representative to the district, Chief Recovery Officer Janet Samuels.

The order states that “. . . the [school] board is enjoined from binding the district to new—or terminating existing—commitments, obligations, or expenditure of resources, including by amending, altering or entering into any contracts for goods or services (including the hiring or contracting of personnel), unless such action is done with the written consent of the Chief Recovery Officer as being consistent with the 2016 Amended Recovery Plan . . . .”

The final sentence of the order specifically prevents the board from “entering into any settlement authorizing the granting of a charter to Premier Charter School.”

Last week, the board hastily scheduled a “special” meeting, which Tully stopped by issuing an injunction as the meeting’s private executive session was occurring. At that meeting, the board was to consider voting on a settlement with Premier Charter School, which would have allowed the school to continue operating, despite the board denying it a charter renewal last year.

The meeting also was called to discuss a variety of personnel issues, which district critics feared included entering into contracts with Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and Solicitor James Ellison.

On Friday, Tully held a hearing that revealed that Thursday night’s school board meeting would have taken up the issue of a settlement with Premier Charter School. According to Tully, Samuels had not been made aware of the proposed settlement.

In its petition for placing the school district into state receivership, the state Department of Education has recommended that Samuels be named the district’s receiver.

“Shouldn’t you have discussed the settlement with your CRO and possible receiver?” Tully asked Ellison during the court hearing on Friday.

Tully also criticized the school district for calling the special meeting so suddenly and then posting the agenda, which made no mention of the proposed settlement, just hours before the meeting was to occur.

“That timetable had a smell to it,” Tully said.

The hearing on the district entering into state receivership is slated for June 17.

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