Rocky Mount NC – N.E.E.D. Inc. Employees Voices Their Concerns About The State Of The Head Start Program

We have serious concerns about the present state of the Head Start Program in which we have dedicated our lives too.  Our concerns consist of the following:

1.  At the present time, we do not have a Chief Finance Office due to the fact that the former CFO stated that he felt like there were unethical practices as it relates to spending.

2.  At the present time, we do not have a Head Start Division Director who was terminated and the Policy Council was not made aware of the termination until a week later and then at that time a emergency call meeting was made by the Executive Director to get their approval of such termination and they denied it.  This has cause the Policy Council to feel like they are not a part of the decision making process as it relates to governing of the Head Start Program.  They are now in a impass with the Board of Directors.  The Head Start Division Director was terminated because the Executive Director felt like he was in opposition with her.  And anyone that is in opposition with the Executive Director will be retaliated against by the Executive Director who is Ginell Rogers.

3.  At the present time, we do not have a Governing Board that is fiscal and legally responsible for the oversight of this entire agency. Out of 18 Board of Directors we do not have a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasury and 6 other Board of Director seats are empty.  So in total we are missing 9 Board of Directors at this agency which now put this agency at a high financial risk.  Also, the 9 that are on the Board of Directors are new board members and they don’t have a clue as it relates to the operations of the Head Start Program nor the Head Start Performance Standards.  Also, since we now do not have a treasury, we do not have anyone that is able on the Board of Directors to sign off for checks.  So, we now are in the situation in which we do not know how bills will be getting paid nor staff salaries and fringe benefits due to the way in which the Board of Directors were overthrown on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

We are emailing you because we feel like our voices needs to be heard and we are true advocates for the children, families and our communities in which we serve.  We need the Office of Head Start help in this matter because things are getting worse by the day.

December 4, 2018, we sent an email to the Human Resource Specialist requesting a meeting with the board of directors as it relates to Ginell Rogers. The response given was denied stating there was no meeting in December for the board of directors.

December 12, 2018 Ms. Rogers called for an emergency policy council meeting to fire management staff without just cause as a form of retaliation against the  management team.

December 6, 2018  the management team met with the board chairman concerning Ginell Rogers (Executive Director). The following was discussed:

*Inappropriate use of Head Start Funds of $5200.00  to write an Early Head Start Grant after we were advised by T&TA not to apply for this grant because we needed to ensure we made the proper improvements of the Head Start program.

*There are some HR violations such as the Head Start program is not allowed to utilized the current Human Resource Specialist whom is paid 1/2 of their out of the Head Start budget to take care of all personnel and human resources administrative job duties.

*We are not able to hire staff to ensure that Head Start is fully staff at all site locations and ensure management is fully staffed.

*High staff turnover and morale is terrible.

*Harassing and retaliating against management staff for being whistle blowers.

January 10, 2019 @5:30 pm there was a compliant of approximately 50 Head Start staff members to the governing board concerning the Executive Director, Ginell Rogers. Those concerns are listed below:

*Lack of classroom supplies

*Hiring of staff to ensure child staff ratio

*Hiring of substitutes to ensure staff will be able to have time off *Work for personal time off (doctor’s appointments)

*Complaints about the morale level was low

*Complaints about micromanagement of management team

*Personnel and children files being stolen

*Funding being sent back for two consecutive years knowing that we still were in need of other items to ensure the Head Program could run successful so that the children and families can be served.

January 10,  2019 @5:30 pm the following was discussed to the board of directors:

There were also  concerns by management as it relates to being micromanage by the day to day in the Head Start program. They are as follows:

*There are 5 lawsuits against Ms. Ginell Rogers (The Executive Director)

*Inappropriate use of Head Start Funds of $5200.00  to write an Early Head Start Grant after we were advised by T&TA not to apply for this grant because we needed to ensure we made the proper improvements of the Head Start program.

*There are some HR violations such as the Head Start program is not allowed to utilized the current Human Resource Specialist whom is paid 1/2 of their out of the Head Start budget to take care of all personnel and human resources administrative job duties.

*We are not able to hire staff to ensure that Head Start is fully staff at all site locations and ensure management is fully staffed.

*High staff turnover and morale is terrible.

*Harassing and retaliating against management staff for being whistle blowers.