| McGuire appointed to Head Start task force | By: By JOHN BRANNON Messenger Staff Reporter
| | By JOHN BRANNON
Messenger Staff Reporter
Obion County Mayor Benny McGuire has been appointed to a five-member task force that will answer two recent federal reports about the West Tennessee Head Start program based in McKenzie.
The Nov. 9 reports contain a total of 19 discrepancies, each a violation of federal law, regulations or performance standards.
Officials of the Head Start regional office at Atlanta and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services at Washington performed separate probes of the program.
HHS, which administers a Head Start program nationwide, has imposed a Feb. 9 deadline for local officials to make corrections in the McKenzie-based program that serves 13 counties in West Tennessee.
West Tennessee Head Start is a subsidiary of Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council .
McGuire was appointed to the task force by Lake County Mayor Macie Roberson, chairman of NWTEDC board of directors.
“I appointed five people to the task force. Three are elected officials, two are not,” Roberson said.
Elected officials are McGuire, Crockett County Mayor Larry Griffin and Gibson County Mayor Joe Shepherd. Non-elected officials are George Bass of Henry County and Michelle Adkins of Carroll County.
“Bass will represent the poor. Ms. Adkins will represent the private sector,” Roberson said. “I wanted diversity on the task force and I think we’ve got a good mix.”
Their first meeting was at 10 a.m. today at the Dresden Head Start office.
Also attending the meeting was Marilyn McLeod of Memphis, a training and assistance specialist from the Head Start regional office in Atlanta.
“I work with Head Start programs throughout West and Middle Tennessee,” Ms. McLeod said. “I will help (this one) facilitate the process of answering and responding to the (federal) reports. I’ve been with Head Start 12 years.”
Published in The Messenger on 11.30.07 | | | | |
