How much influence should parents and the community wield in deciding who should run a public school?

That question is at the heart of a dispute over the leadership of Blackwell Elementary School on South Side.

Former School Board member Reginald M. “Reggie” Malone Sr. has come off the sidelines and organized a community group, Blackwell’s Concerned Citizens, which is calling on the School Board to replace the current principal, Reginald Williams.

However, Mr. Malone and his group are facing an uphill climb as Mr. Williams has the support of Superintendent Dana T. Bedden and Dr. Derik E. Jones, the School Board member whose 8th District includes the school.

Undeterred, Mr. Malone, 69, is speaking out and circulating petitions in leading the campaign to remove Mr. Williams, who is keeping mum and has not responded to a request for comment.

Mr. Malone is fed up with the idea that a school filled with predominantly African-American children cannot be successful and will fail state standards, even when it receives extra dollars through the federal Title I program to provide tutoring and other help for struggling students.

So far, Mr. Malone has gathered nearly 200 signatures calling for the removal of Mr. Williams whom he accuses of managing by intimidation and creating a school with “poor teamwork, low morale and poor working conditions.”

He compares a principal to a quarterback whose goal is to lead a football team to victory. In his view, Mr. Williams has not been able to lead Blackwell to learning victory.

Mr. Malone cites the school’s inability to achieve accreditation since Mr. Williams took over as principal after being transferred from his previous principalship at G.H. Reid Elementary.

“We need to do better for our children,” said Mr. Malone, who has two grandchildren who previously attended the school.

Mr. Malone represented the East End on the School Board for eight years before stepping down to make an unsuccessful bid in 2006 for a City Council seat.

During Mr. Williams’ three-year tenure at Blackwell, Mr. Malone notes that the school has gone from full accreditation to accredited with warning because of low student pass rates on state Standards of Learning tests for English, math, history and science.

Mr. Malone also blames Mr. Williams for failing to ensure the school is well maintained. Mr. Malone talks about broken exhaust vents that create a stink in the boys’ bathroom, unclean vents in the cafeteria, dirty floors, unmowed grass and untrimmed trees and shrubs.

“This is a community school and it should be a model,” said Mr. Malone, who bought a home in the neighborhood eight years ago.

“If this school does not improve, it impacts the price of real estate. It impacts the entire community,” he told the School Board. “People won’t move here with their children” if the school “has gone down the pits.”

Dr. Jones, who said he pays attention to community concerns as a School Board member, does not agree with Mr. Malone’s conclusions and believes he is exaggerating and misrepresenting the situation.

Dr. Jones stated to the Free Press that he has “investigated Mr. Malone’s concerns and have found nothing to corroborate his accusations.”

“I have walked through Blackwell and speak with Mr. Williams frequently. His stewardship of the building, staff and students is commendable,” he said.

“This campaign by Mr. Malone to have one of our better principals removed is unfounded, and I disagree with his petition,” Dr. Jones stated. “Why would we allow kids to stay in a dirty and unsanitary building? We wouldn’t, and we simply don’t.”

As far as the results on the state Standards of Learning tests are concerned, “we continue to see incremental improvement at Blackwell,” he stated. “Finally, standardized test scores are not the only indicator of success. Staff morale is up, the students are excited about learning and many parents support Mr. Williams. Why would I push to remove him?”

Richard Davis, spokesman for Richmond Public Schools, indicated that Dr. Bedden and the executive director for elementary schools, Dr. Anthony Leonard, also believe that Blackwell is showing academic improvement under Mr. Williams’ leadership.

That, he said, “is evidenced by an 18 percentage point gain last year in the student pass rate on SOL tests for English and a 7 percentage point gain in the student pass rate on the SOL test for math.”

In 2013, only 41 percent of Blackwell’s tested students passed the English SOL test, compared with 59 percent in 2014, or still well below the 75 percent pass rate the state requires for accreditation.

In math, Blackwell’s pass rate rose from 51 percent of students in 2013 to 58 percent in 2014, but still well shy of the 70 percent pass rate needed for full accreditation.

Mr. Davis indicated that Mr. Malone’s concerns about the school have some merit. Mr. Davis said Assistant Superintendent Thomas Kranz is aware of problems with the 17-year-old school’s physical condition and is considering options to improve the school within budget constraints.