Email: Drawing upon current neuroscience about how the brain learns best, Dr. Blau specializes in creating highly engaging, interactive, experiential lessons designed to bring the curricular content to life for students so that they will connect meaningfully and deeply with what they learn. Before the school board meeting, about 60 people huddled together in freezing temperatures for a brief news conference highlighting concerns of parents and entities about the teaching of CRT to school children. It really does take a village. However, Macfarland says there is a middle line between teaching historical mistakes and teaching CRT. Both current and former board members expressed frustration over squabbles standing in the way of work that would benefit students in a district with continued declining enrollment. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. He is a two-time graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Public Affairs, co-majoring in International Studies and University Honors, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Herrera had filed a harassment claim against Smith,which she said citeda "hostile work environment." "Dr. Robert Herrera indicated a desire to resign his employment with the district," Green said. Carr currently chairs the Economic Development Corporation Board of Farmington Hills. Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, candidates must form a candidate committee. Carr: Careful review of issues related to the delivery of excellence in education to all students tends to result in these types of discussions. The United States Census Bureau found that 43.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.4 percent of state residents. So you get bogged down in all this minutia.. We have to gain the trust back. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The percentage of people below poverty level was 10.0 percent for the county, while it was 16.2 percent statewide.[7]. Currently, Mable is a consultant with Michigan Virtual. School Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month beginning at 5:30 p.m. I am concerned with turnover in our district. All rights reserved. The superintendent of Farmington Public Schools as well as two members of the districts Board of Education cited allegations of harassment and dysfunctional behavior.. . Angie Smith, Farmington School District Vice President Melanie Piana, Ferndale Mayor Brian Turnbull, Northville Mayor Barbara Morowski-Browne, Northville Pro Tem Brian Smith, Novi City Council Person Ericka Thomas, Novi City Council Person Tim Greimel, Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness, Pontiac City Council President While apparently emotional, Green read off the statement which mentioned that the resignation would be on mutual terms. The reasoning was cited as "conduct unbecoming of a board member," and was based on Smith's social media posts, which members agreed interfered with the superintendent's ability to perform his duties, among other things, a release states. She is the single mother of three daughters who all attended Farmington Public Schools - graduates of 2006, 2010 and 2016. The protesters lined the street in front of North Farmington High School, holding signs and waving at . Farmington Hills resident Angie Smith says she worked hard to help pass a 2004 Farmington Public Schools bond referendum. The priority for ARPA dollars should be focusing on helping students recover academically and emotionally from losing a year in the classroom. But I would have been good with that. Olson: Some of the attributes that make me qualified to be a school board member include being a parent of 4 kids in the district, a taxpayer in the district, and my strong business acumen. var encodedEmail = swrot13('pynhqvn.urvaevpu@scfx12.arg'); U.S. President | For example, the auditorium was divided into masked and non-masked sections. margin: auto; Later, when the censure resolution involving her was read, she returned and indicated having heard it, but did not comment. Smith said she has talked with district workers who are fighting to keep their homes, and an employee whose wife has cancer. After the motion was requested, board president Pamela Green read a statement regarding "extraordinary developments" since the last meeting. The Board of Education consists of seven school district residents who will hold either four or six-year terms. The fact that Farmington Public Schools was not able to retain him is a big black mark on our district, Mukamal said. Post-election reports were due by December 8, 2016. ", The larger problem she sees is a disconnect between the school board and the community. color: white; Carr: The very real challenge for the board of Farmington Public Schools is to gain the trust and confidence of parents and residents. "Angie Smith has had problems with every single person on that board," Terry Johnson, a former board vice president who also resigned in November, said. [4], Candidates received a total of $6,710.00 and spent a total of $12,632.11 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.[5]. This community has lost trust with the district.". } Farmington Public Schools will continue to serve the students and families well in our community; the District has a strong leadership team that will continue to move the District forward.. "So this is painful. I think it could have been done in a better way. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. The two boards members were not identified. Given the emergency timeframe, there were serious shortcomings in online education delivery. Green said the common thread was one of her elected colleagues, current trustee Angie Smith. This is a community with over 87 nationalities.. Farmington public School board trustee. We must concentrate on our literacy and math scores and closing the opportunity gap. We must create more academic challenges for our gifted students. Olson: I am not happy with the overall direction of the district as it stands. The board should establish clear expectations in terms of student achievement and then work with the Superintendent, finance director, and curriculum director to develop and implement a financial plan to address weaknesses from the past two years. Infighting wasfueled by big egos and big personalitiesandultimately pulled the board'sattention away from their primary focus: students, those critics say. Smith: Yes, because we have hired a new superintendent who shares the same values and understands our mission and vision for the district. I feel the role of a school board member is to be an advocate and voice for the community and to make sure we are serving our residents, staff, students, and stakeholders. padding-left: 10px; .widget-row.heading { After the superintendent's resignation, the board passed a resolution censuring Smith, who has been a school board member since 2016. Oakland County was home to 1,242,304 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau. The candidates listed below responded positively to our questionnaire and are ready to stand up for students and parents . It would require masks indoors and when social distancing is not possible "for all persons who are present on . } Carr: The priorities of the district should be on excellence in education provided to all students. As a school board member, she said, she would first and foremost listen to parents, teachers and students.

Dr. Blau also serves as an Arts Commissioner for Farmington/Farmington Hills, Farmers Market volunteer, Mansion volunteer, and marches with both the Farmington Warnerettes Parasol Drill Team and the Rosie the Riveter Lunchbox Drill Team. Incumbent David Turner and Mark Przeslawski defeated Fritz Beiermeister for the two-year terms. $('span#sw-emailmask-156').replaceWith(''); Minutes earlier, board vice president Terry Johnson, whose term expires next month, also resigned, effective Saturday. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. But, longtime elected officials will also admit theyve said that before. $(document).ready(function () { We look forward to working with you. Welcome to the Counseling Center! font-size: .9em; Through tears, Green, a former elementary teacher, said Herrera's dedication to educationinspired her to want to return to the classroom. She served as Chairperson of the Detroit Public High School Advisory Committee, several FPS PTA boards, and is treasurer of her homeowner association. In 2009, Mable was honored as Mother of the Year by the Detroit Free Press featured article "A Mother's Heart" and recently received the Mother of the Year Angel Award 2020 from Children Spa with Disabilities. In the past, she's been involved with the Oakland County School Board of Directors and is a former employee of Farmington Public Schools. The Federal Centers for Disease Control acknowledged that it did not respond well to the COVID-19 pandemic. $('span#sw-emailmask-153').replaceWith(''); } Weems said she and Smith are on good footing nowbut acknowledged the twohave faced issues in the past. Board members not in support of the plan were Zach Rich, Angie Smith and Terri Weems, according to a release from FPS. Her currently works for the Detroit School of Arts. $(document).ready(function () { FARMINGTON, Mich. As the chaos surrounding the Farmington school board continues, the superintendent and two board members resigned during an explosive, emotional meeting. "LosingDr. Herrera will be a great loss for our students," Zach Rich, a board trustee, said during the meeting. All Board Meeting videos can be found by searching or subscribing to Farmington Central 265 on YouTube. According to Weems, the board did not look at "meaningful" student achievement data for almost two years. U.S. Congress | Hometown Life obtained this complaint through a FOIA request. There was a problem saving your notification. At the start of the 2022/23 academic year there existed a shortage of teachers and bus drivers. OCHN Releases RFQ for Irrigation Services, Part Of I-696 In Oakland County Closing Down This Weekend, 1 Dead In Fiery Crash On I-696 In Oakland County: Police. Afterwards, Herrera will act in a consulting role until June 30, 2021, when his employment with the district will end. An active parent volunteer, she has decided to run for school board in a field that includes two incumbents, Karen Bolsen and Howard Wallach, with whom she has worked closely over the years. MINUTES 3 Michael Swiecki - Wyandotte Public Schools Regina . During the Pandemic, numerous other schools were a much better fit for their students, and as a result FPS enrollment suffered. The infighting eventually led to Green and Johnson resigning. "It's really unfortunate that we've actually gotten to a position where we can't even disagree without being disagreeable We need some real change in this district and we need to hold people accountable," he said. So in response to that, the board got together in spite of the fact that some members disagreed … everyone wanted to make sure the new board members wrestling with that decision had a chance to be heard.. } A Farmington schools trustee who was censured at a board meeting this week wheretwo members and superintendent resignedsaid the rebuke signals that they want her to "shutup" and not challenge or question her colleagues. "I am embarrassed and I feel so bad because I feel like I let everyone down. Email: [3], In Michigan, candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from corporations or labor organizations. One individual sported a shirt that read: We do NOT CO-PARENT with the Government., Parents were protesting a 21-Day Equity Challenge held by the Farmington Public School District last fall. "I don't like anything sticking," she said. This is just their way of telling me to shut up. He is the right man for the job.. Disclaimer: Farmington Public Schools shall not discriminate against an person based on race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, height, weight, or marital status in any of its programs, services, activities or employment. .widget-row.value-only.white { Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. Hometown Life sent each candidate a questionnaire on their ideas and the state of the district today. Following his resignation, the school board censured Smith, and twoboard members followed Herrera's lead and resigned, as well. Following the creation of the committee, candidates have an additional 10 days to register the committee with the school district filing official by filing a statement of organization. background-color: grey; Tweets by C & G Newspapers journalists Reporters' opinions are their own and retweets do not equal endorsements. I would place myself in the position of the bargaining unit to understand their needs, but it must be extremely important that it is explained that the districts needs have to be met to clarify the board's decision-making. } In fact, Ive had 3 conversations this week where the concerned parents shared very favorable accounts of the individuals that already give an excess of their time and energy in the program, but unfortunately theres just not enough to go around. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Sure," Macfarland said. display: inline-block; AP source: Rams parting ways with LB Bobby Wagner Feb. 23, 2023 06:10 PM EST. Its really unfortunatethat weve actuallygotten to a positionwhere we cant even disagree without beingdisagreeable. Weems: Mental health is a huge issue facing not just our district, but the whole nation. The adult behavior at the board has been horrible, and as a result, the children are suffering, Johnson said. Weems: There are researched backed reasons to support diversity and, practicing equity in education is a requirement. She is the proud mother of two Farmington High graduates. margin-bottom:0px; legislators. Smith is unapologetic for her approach. Mable is a lifelong community advocate, co-founding the Littlefield Block Club at the age of 16. Students need to understand the truth of history understand the history of this country, to better understand who they are and about the injustices that have occurred in this country, Vitti said, Chalkbeat reported. padding-left: 10px; Weems pointed to the boards decisions regarding in-person learning as evidence of that. Excellence for All in advanced placement courses, in technical courses, and throughout the curriculum is the appropriate response of the school board. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. Board president Pamela Green said in a statement that she read to the board that Herrera cited Smith's public statements and social media posts alleging he was against African American staff and students. Former board members Johnson, Green and Mukamal said problemsweren't limited to one person, arguingTerri Weems, the board's current president, has also fueled discord. Email: Minnesota Parents Alliance identifies and endorses school board candidates across the state who are aligned with our mission of prioritizing academic achievement, equality and parental rights in their school district. Since 2020, some classrooms have facilitated cultural arguments over equity and diversity and debated how history should be taught. Email: Upcoming Agenda: The next regular meeting is Monday, March 13, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. background-color: #f9f9f9; Before that, he attended Forest Elementary and Warner Middle School before being a Farmington District ambassador to the International Academy. $(document).ready(function () { Our curriculum is deeply using critical race theory especially in social studies, but youll find it in English language arts and the other disciplines. [1], Five of the seven seats on the Farmington Public School District school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. The issue was so upsetting to Green and board Vice President Terry Johnson that they resigned. Donald Walker was appointed to the board in 2021. FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Herrera has resigned from his position, allegedly following allegations of racism toward Black students and staff in the district from another board member. He's been involved with the Judson Center, United States Marine Corps, Grace Centers of Hope, Woman At Risk and Another Way Pregnancy Center.
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