Education Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, Part Two — Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, unanimous adoption of Strategic Plan June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface By Harold C. Ford “It’s been going on for years and years – hostile work environment, hostile board environment.” –Joyce Ellis-McNeal, president, Flint Board of Education; June 9, 2022 [Editor’s note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat reporter, Harold C. Ford, attended the Flint Board of Education’s (FBOE) ...
Education Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, from “uncommon civility” to “familiar tensions” Part One
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, board unanimously adopts Strategic Plan [Click here for Part Two, June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface] By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes, for the sake of the children, we have to put aside our personal philosophies and beliefs and do what’s right for our children.” –Eddie Thomas: principal, Eisenhower Elementary; president, Congress of Flint School Administrators, Inc.; June 8, 2022...
City Council tosses out months’ long investigative hearing on botched waste collection bid
By Tom Travis A botched bid for the city’s waste collection contract in 2021, revealed in a June 2021 city council meeting, launched an investigative hearing that lasted nearly a year and over two different city councils. One year later, in Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting, city council voted 5-2 “to end all legal services and investigative hearing.” How the council got to an investigative hearing In a...
Commentary: The legal road to Roe v. Wade and back: It’s more than just a court case
By Paul Rozycki Perhaps nothing illustrates both the legal and personal sides of the abortion issue better than two unrelated recent events. A few weeks ago, we learned that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to overturn a half century of protection for abortion rights, and, in the same week, we learned that the lack of baby formula is reaching a crisis level. Based upon a leaked court opinion, (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health...
Education Beat : At May Flint School Board meetings, EDEP dismissed; no school closings or staff layoffs; infrastructure woes continue; intra-board tensions ongoing
By Harold C. Ford The May 11 and 18 meetings of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) – together lasting nearly 12 hours – began with purported good news that Flint Community Schools (FCS) had been released from the imposition of an enhanced deficit elimination plan (EDEP) by the Michigan Department of Treasury. Any euphoria elicited by the EDEP-dismissal announcement soon evolved into a parade of FCS constituents anxiously and...