Tag: Melody Relerford
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Education Beat: Teachers’ unrest hits Flint school board, ALA building next one to close
By Harold C. Ford “I was kind of overwhelmed today.” –Michael Clack, Vice President, Flint Board of Education “Obviously tonight, and the past couple of weeks, are very emotionally charged.” –Dylan Luna, treasurer, Flint Board of Education At the Feb. 14 meeting of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) , scores of teachers protested a…
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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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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: 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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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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Education Beat: Flint Schools — too many buildings, not enough students to fill them
By Harold C. Ford “It’s April; school closings should be announced today, May at the latest … I’m begging you to get focused.” – Bruce Jordan, teachers union official, Michigan Education Association; April 2023 “You only need half of the [existing] buildings.” — Nicole Blocker, senior vice president, Plante Moran Cresa, May 25, 2023 “The…
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Education Beat: Flint Community Schools challenged by its aging lineup of buildings; Washington demo approved
By Harold C. Ford In May, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE): approved the spending of tens of millions of ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) dollars for infrastructure upgrades; turned down a substantial offer to sell the Zimmerman property on Corunna Road; approved the demolition of Washington Elementary on Flint’s east side which…
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Education Beat : Two days, two memos, two views of Flint school district: Superintendent elevates “positive stories”; teachers’ union cites “grave concerns”
By Harold C. Ford Within two days, two memos with two different views were issued by the superintendent and teachers’ union leaders at Flint Community Schools (FCS). FCS Superintendent Jones On May 5, FCS Superintendent Kevelin Jones issued a statement that attempted to elevate the “positive stories happening in our district every single day.”…
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Education Beat Flint Community Schools: Assistant Superintendent Keiona Murphy Resigns; Terae King Removed as Flint Board Vice-President; Charges of Racism Block Bid to Make MacIntyre Treasurer
By Harold C. Ford “We have met the enemy and he is us.” –Cartoonist Walt Kelly’s Earth Day 1970 parody of a similar statement by Master Commandant Oliver Perry in the War of 1812 The resignation of Keiona Murphy, assistant superintendent for Flint Community Schools (FCS), was announced by Superintendent Kevelin Jones in a statement…
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Education Beat Analysis: March 15 Flint School Board meeting collapses into chaos
By Harold C. Ford “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” –The Who’s Peter Townshend, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” 1971 After a few months of fragile collegiality sprinkled with polite platitudes, the newest iteration of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) has descended into a chaotic reminder of what board-watchers have regrettably witnessed again…
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