Says Board President Current River Sheltered Workshop Closing ‘Temporary’

The sudden closing of the Current River Area Sheltered Workshop last week purportedly resulted when “a disgruntled staff member made allegations against the manager over what may be an insignificant recordkeeping discrepancy.”

This is according to Mike Fleetwood, president of the Productive Living Board of Ripley County which annually provides $220,000 in funding to the Current River Sheltered Workshop.

Fleetwood said he was not present Thursday night (April 11) when the Current River Sheltered Workshop’s nine-member board informed the manager, Jessica Wilkerson, that she was suspended without pay “pending an investigation” into allegations that came from another staff member.

Nor was Fleetwood or his board part of the decision to temporarily halt operations.

He says, “I was as surprised as anyone to get the news that CRSW had been shut down. No prior notice was given to the Productive Living Board. My personal reaction is that the decision to shut down was a serious error in judgment and could have been handled in a much less disruptive way.”

The Productive Living Board of Ripley County is a state-designated body with fiduciary responsibility over property tax levies that are used to provide services to the “differently abled” population of Ripley County.

The Current River Sheltered Workshop Board is the governing body for the Sheltered Workshop which, unlike the PLB, is a public non-profit corporation.

Charles Abbott, president of the CRSW board confirmed that although a decision had been reached to suspend Wilkerson and investigate the allegations against her, it had not been the intention of the board to close the workshop.

The shutdown became necessary when another administrative staff member resigned, which Abbott stated, “resulted in a situation where there was no one onsite who was qualified to manage operations. That left us with no choice but to close.”

”We were put in a difficult situation. For more than three hours we discussed every possible option to try and avoid closing,” he said.

Abbott stated the nature of the allegations are “a personnel matter. As such I am limited as to what I can disclose.”

However, Abbott stated he also is eager to find a quick resolution which will make it possible to re-open the workshop.

Abbott, who is a school teacher, stated that had this been “a different time,” he would have stepped in and taken over management of the workshop on an interim basis.

He has done that in the past. In 2020, during Covid-19, he filled in when the manager resigned. However, explains Abbott, “My school district is in the middle of MAP testing. It is not possible for me to take this on right now.”

Abbott went on to say he is very concerned for the distraught CRSW employees who have reached out to him, wanting to know when they might return to work.

The workshop is a lifeline for 20 or so individuals who depend on their jobs, knowing that there is little likelihood of them finding employment elsewhere.

Abbott said he has done his best to encourage workers. He tells them the board intends that they won’t be unemployed for long.

“They rely on their income, just like anyone else, and we don’t want this to go on any longer than it has to,” said Abbott.

He also said that if the allegations against Wilkerson are proven to be unfounded, she may yet be reinstated as manager.

The situation has been unsettling for the management staff, as well.

Fleetwood said following Wilkerson’s suspension, other staff members have expressed reservations about returning to work due to the treatment of the manager.

Fleetwood commented, “The bottom line is that all the certified differently-abled employees and their families, as well as the workshop staff have received an unnecessary shock. They are worried about their jobs. But the Productive Living Board will do everything in its power to restore normal operations as soon as possible.”

Fleetwood has both a long history with the workshop and also a vested personal interest in its ability to thrive.

He shares, “In 1988 when my dad, Paul Fleetwood, retired and returned to Ripley County, he realized there was no place for people like my sister Tandy to work.

“Tandy has special mental and emotional issues that prevent her from holding a normal job. Most people like her are faced with a lifetime of solitude at home with no meaningful work or interaction with others. That also creates a huge burden on their families and guardians,” says Fleetwood.

In order to provide his daughter with a safe place to work and have friendships, Paul Fleetwood spearheaded the Productive Living Board in Ripley County and launched the workshop as a separate nonprofit organization.

Historically the Productive Living Board has channeled its funds through the Current River Workshop, but it is not required by law to do so.

“Whether the workshop is in operation or not, the Productive Living Board will find ways to use its funds to serve the differently-abled population in Ripley County. My sincere hope, however, is that the workshop will be back on its feet in short order,” said Fleetwood.