UNITED BLACK CLERGY PRESIDENT ADMITS TO TARGETING SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS UP FOR RE-ELECTION

United Black Clergy Admits To Targeting Board Members

Mount Vernon Exposed caught up with United Black Clergy President Bishop Collie Edwars after he contacted Mount Vernon Exposed regarding a recent story. Mt Vernon Exposed reported that the Bishop offered support for Kevin Bunch, in exchange for the new board’s support for Bishop Edwars’ plan to establish a charter school. Friendship Worship Center is located on Lincoln, Avenue, on the north side of Mount Vernon.

UNITED BLACK CLERGY PRESIDENT
BISHOP COLLIE EDWARS

First, let me make this very clear, most of the over 400 churches in Mt Vernon have honorable Pastors, who do great work in our city. Only four churches have crossed the line into illegal actives. Those churches have hurt Mt Vernon’s School District, causing a generation of children to go uneducated.

 The conversation with the Bishop was extremely troubling to say the least.  It is very clear that Bishop Edwars is self-serving, tone deaf, and is not very educated when it comes to the issues affecting the citizens of Mount Vernon.  The Bishop constantly replies with false innuendo and bizarre statements, yet his group of four Ministers wants to take over our school district.

Bishop Edwars answered questions regarding his plans to establish a charter school in the City of Mount Vernon.  The Bishop stated that his application has been pushed back (denied) three times by the State, because the Mount Vernon City School District is on the “upswing”.  If the school district is on the upswing, as stated by Bishop Edwars, why is there a need to open up a charter school?  Historically speaking, Charter Schools were created because of failing school districts.  The purpose was to give parents an alternative to costly private school tuition. Additionally, if the school district is on an upswing, why is there a need to change one of the best boards we have had in the last 30 years.

Mount Vernon Exposed pointed out to Bishop Edwars, that if his plot goes through, and he gets his hand picked candidate elected, the Bishop could circumvent the New York State Board of Regents by having the school board vote to approve his charter school.  The Bishop disagreed, or was playing dumb that he didn’t know such power was vested in the school board.

The most outrageous revelation in the interview was Bishop Edwars admitted that the UBC is targeting Dr. Gningue and Ms. Jarosz, and is spearing their running mate.  This explains why the UBC’s handpicked moderators harshly treated this group at the debates. Nowhere in America does this happen. This type of behavior is the main reason our school system and city continually fails. Those debates were an embarrassment, and Ministers responsible for the debacle need to step down. People of God do not target people. Our elected officials deserve the decency of not being disrespected.

The churches always contend that the board favors north side schools, even though north side schools are full with south side students. His contention that no school on the south side has a k-8 program is not true.  Graham elementary school was the first school to have k-8 implemented. It is scary that Bishop Edwars did not know that Graham is located on the south side of Mt Vernon.

Mt Vernon’s Board should be applauded for cleaning up the mess these churches caused from 1997-2013. No other community has Pastors bullying their way into school systems. We need federal intervention. Most churches are good, but these rogue Pastors need to be stopped.

Join your fellow citizens who are fed up, and click on the IRS link below. Fill out and submit, IRS complaint form 13909. The more complaints, the faster the action.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf

Mt Vernon also urges the residents of Mt Vernon to contact the US Justice Department at (914) 993-1900. Lets demand that all past school bonds be investigated. We should not be spending a dime on the new bond while accused bond thieves are trying to wrestle control of the school board.  Enough is enough.

Clickhere to hear the entire conversation with Bishop Collie Edwars.