Tag: Flint Community Schools
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Passed over by state in December, Flint public schools seek debt relief
By Harold C. Ford “Change must happen in Flint Community Schools, but we cannot do it alone.” – Kevelin Jones, superintendent, Flint Community Schools, Jan. 26, 2024 press statement Six financially distressed school systems in Michigan stand to benefit from debt relief legislation passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Gretchen…
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Commentary: You can’t “right size” a district by only closing buildings
Guest commentary by Paul Jordan To survive in the long term, the Flint district must provide every neighborhood with a local elementary school. Children can be well-educated in buildings that consist of only a few classrooms. (My parents, and perhaps yours, were educated in them.). Given the low density of potential students in the district,…
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Education Beat: Flint Schools seek Mott Foundation partnership for Holmes-Brownell campus upgrades
By Harold C. Ford The snarl(s) – those visible to the public, and those unseen – in ongoing effort(s) to upgrade the aging lineup of school buildings shepherded by Flint Community Schools (FCS) untangled a bit with the unanimous passage of a proposal by the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) to seek a $14 million…
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Tribute: Remembering Flint Central’s Ray Bearden, teacher of “Truth, Beauty, Love, Justice, and Faith”
By Tim Retzloff Ray Bearden’s long career as a teacher at Flint Central High School left an indelible imprint on thousands of students whose lives he transformed. Mr. James “Ray” Bearden died in August at age 84. His obituary circulated on Facebook but, sadly, his passing did not receive mention in the Flint Journal or…
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Pierce School to close in 2024-25, Neithercut in 2025-26 as Flint school board moves toward “right-sizing”
By Harold C. Ford At a special meeting Oct. 5, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) voted to close two elementary schools in the next two years. The FBOE voted 6-1 to close Pierce Elementary to students on Flint’s near east side at 1101 W. Vernon Dr. in the 2024-25 school year. Votes for closing…
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Education Beat: Mixed results on post-pandemic assessment data for area schools
By Harold C. Ford Area student performance in the first post-pandemic year, 2022-2023, offers a mixture of good and bad news, according to data provided by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), with Flint students showing a small gain in one area and losses in two others. In all three cases, Flint area student performances…
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Commentary: What lies ahead for Flint’s colleges? — Centennials, conflict, change, and challenges
By Paul Rozycki The University of Michigan-Flint has a new chancellor; Mott Community College’s president is applying for a position in Kentucky; Kettering University has a new vice president, is looking to a “transformational decade”; and, since 2005, the Flint Community Schools have had eight superintendents and are facing dramatically declining enrollment while dealing with…
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Education Beat: New school year starts with $156 million ESSER funding moves; new backpack policy in place, administrative changes announced; Washington demo delayed; MSU partnership renewed
By Harold C. Ford A new academic year at Flint Community Schools (FCS) began Aug. 9, as students reported back to school under a newly-adopted backpack policy. The day before, on Aug. 8, several changes in administration positions were announced by FCS Superintendent Kevelin Jones in a press statement. And at its Committee of the…
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Commentary: Indictments, recalls, demolitions, resignations, and more — 10 things to watch for in the dog days of summer
By Paul Rozycki We may be in the midst of record-breaking heat during these dog days of August, and the political future may be as hazy as the Michigan horizon on a humid summer evening, enveloped in Canadian forest fire smoke. But with all the risks, and in no particular order, here are a few…
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Education Beat Analysis: Upgrades proceed on Flint Schools’ same lineup of 11 buildings; fewer than 3,000 students to report back on Aug. 9; no decisions on building closures
By Harold C. Ford Fewer than 3,000 Flint Community Schools (FCS) students – based on last year’s enrollment data – are scheduled to start the 2023-2024 school year Aug. 9. The district moves into its fifth year on a “balanced calendar” schedule in which students and staff report back earlier in the calendar year. A…
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