Erin Hill
Gadsden County News ServiceConcerns are mounting among parents and county officials after it was revealed that student applicants for Gadsden County’s summer youth employment program were selected through a random lottery system rather than a merit-based process.
During a May 6 Board of County Commissioners meeting, which had not initially included the program on the agenda, several parents spoke out against the selection method. This year, 291 students applied for just 150 available positions. Applicants were required to meet several eligibility criteria, including submitting an essay, a letter of recommendation, proof of residency, a minimum 2.0 GPA, and a timely application. They were also told they might be interviewed.
However, both commissioners and applicants say they were unaware that a lottery system would ultimately be used to determine who was selected.
Commissioner Ronterious Green raised the issue during the meeting, questioning the fairness of the process and asking Interim County Administrator Roosevelt Morris to explain the selection method.
“I want to make sure these children’s essays were read and that each of them had the opportunity to be interviewed,” Green said.
Morris then called on Human Resources Director Jeronda Robinson to clarify. Robinson said the department received 248 completed applications and was directed to select 30 students from each of the five commission districts. To ensure fairness, she said, a digital lottery system was used to randomly draw names.
“If we were to interview, I still feel like we’re handpicking children,” Robinson said. “We didn’t want to do that, so we ran it through the lottery.”
According to Morris, the names were entered into an application that randomly selected the final candidates.
The process didn’t sit well with educators or parents. Gadsden County High School teacher Tomeka Lightfoot, who spoke on behalf of her students and daughter, criticized the use of the lottery, arguing it undermined students’ efforts.
“I had students write genuine essays. I made my daughter write her own. We didn’t use AI,” Lightfoot said. “We believed the interview process would show who actually put in the work.”
Parent Dahlia Mitchell echoed those concerns and urged the board to expand the number of available positions, which were reduced this year from 250 to 150. Commissioner Brenda Holt explained that last year’s higher capacity was funded through the American Rescue Plan, a one-time federal funding source that is no longer available.
In response to the outcry, commissioners agreed to revisit the selection process. Interim County Attorney Louis Baptiste recommended tabling the discussion for legal review, while Morris noted that shifting to interviews would require more time and resources from the Human Resources Department.
The summer youth employment program is set to begin June 10.
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