Smith also questioned if Herrera, who is Latino, was the diverse person she feels is needed to lead the district and felt he did nothing to sooth racial tensions in the district. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Information, Information for the 2021-2022 School Year, Social Emotional Support Tools for Families, School Closing and Repurposing Information, NWEA Student Progress Report - Parent Information, Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation, 2018-2019 Farmington School Culture & Climate Survey - Staff, Absence Management / Attendance Reporting, Board of Education Committee and Representative/Liaison Appointments. Dr. Herrera was appointed as superintendent in 2019. Parents protest outside of North Farmington High School on Jan. 11, 2022. Ithurts our community, it hurts our students, our parents and our schools. We have great programming, sustainability projects, state and national honors, and boast the largest CTE department in Oakland County. "Publicly accusing people especially without investigation is dangerous, Weems wrote in an email to Smith in January2019. 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. Herrera said in his resignationSmith'sharassment against him created a hostile work environment. To help you prepare to cast your ballot, we've put together a handy collection of links to our candidate profiles, and those published by other organizations. In a July 8 Mlive story titled Critical Race Theory isnt taught in Michigan schools, so why is it such a hot topic?, the writer, without citing evidence, claims that Critical race theory is most often taught in colleges and universities. Though different factions present different reasons for Heitschs retirement, all say he left the district sooner than he wanted to because of board dysfunction. .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { $('span#sw-emailmask-157').replaceWith(''); Claudia retired in 2015 after a 40 year career in education, teaching high school mathematics at Riverside High School in North Dearborn Heights, Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, and Stevenson High School in Livonia. color: black; Spotlight Junior Players proudly presents Disney's "Aladdin Jr" for ONE weekend ONLY! font-size: .9em; "I'm going to ask questions. Walker: I was appointed to the Farmington Public School Board in 2021, so I have the confidence of the current board. Hometown Life sent each candidate a questionnaire on their ideas and the state of the district today. Cities | word-wrap: break-word; float: right; Smithsaid dysfunction on the board is nothing new, "it's just become more visible.". T.R. Through tears, Green, a former elementary teacher, said Herrera's dedication to educationinspired her to want to return to the classroom. 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. She volunteers her time to several organizations which provide tax assistance to those in need, food for the homeless, accounting educational awareness, mentorship, and scholarships to high school and college students. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. Smith said she has talked to teachers at the high school level who want to move back to semesters from the current trimester scheduling, a move she would support. If you would like to help our coverage scope grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia. I am MASB board certified which means I have taken the needed classes to learn how to be an effective board member. I believe that by serving on the Board that I can help move the district in the right direction and correct shortcomings of the past. $('span#sw-emailmask-152').replaceWith(''); We need to continue to support career readiness across curriculum. State and local courts | FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Herrera has resigned from his position, allegedly following allegations of racism toward Black students. Prior to the start of the pandemic, anxiety and depression among adolescents was growing, and now is at an all time high We also have a District Mental Health Program Coordinator who support staff in providing resources, programming, and learning opportunities for social, emotional, mental, and behavioral well-being.
} Together they raised 4 daughters who attended Farmington Public Schools from preschool through high school graduation. $('span#sw-emailmask-153').replaceWith(''); Smith is unapologetic for her. 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. Personal conflicts, they say, also drew attention away from the schools. Mable is a 24 year resident of Farmington Hills and a former member/president of the Timbercrest Homeowner Association. 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.. The Michigan Education Association has given Andy Levin a "Highly Qualified" rating in his run for the 9th Congressional District seat. [7] The district was the 17th-largest school district in the state in the 20132014 school year and served 10,719 students. "I am embarrassed and I feel so bad because I feel like I let everyone down. She's been involved with the PTA, Women of Tomorrow and her homeowners association. A lot of boards dont do that.. But, longtime elected officials will also admit theyve said that before. 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. Herrera had recently filed a complaint against board secretary Angie Smith for harassment, district officials said in a statement. Angie Smith, Farmington School Board Vice President, Endorses Levin. Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade. Green said the common thread was one of her elected colleagues, current trustee Angie Smith. It was very clear there was a lot of disruption on the board, she said. The district declined to elaborate on Herrera's claim. The Farmington School Board approved a "Communicable Disease Plan" Tuesday evening. We must also continue the work that has already been established within our schools. Under this boards leadership we have completed our audit and are now using it as one of our guides to create a safe and culturally respectful district. I have the experience of providing leadership and direction in the hiring of a new superintendent and guiding our district through a pandemic, contract negotiations and threats of violence against our work. . Incumbent Terri Ann Weems ran against challengers Donald David, Clark Doughty, Bruce Lilley, William Lubaway, Tammy Luty, Ed Richardson, Tera Shamey, Angie Smith, and James Stark for the six-year terms. I believe the intent of the challenge was equality, but I think it did the opposite. "You cant tell a board member to keep quiet, but that is what they like to do.. Carr: The very real challenge for the board of Farmington Public Schools is to gain the trust and confidence of parents and residents. The county seat is Pontiac. The motion was requested by board vice president Terry Johnson. Green added that she had not seen or heard any of harsh comments posted on social media by Smith about the board or superintendent. U.S. President | This is painful, very painful, school board President Pamela Green said. 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. She runs a nonprofit and was formerly a financial advisor. 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. It's like saying, 'Honey the house is in foreclosure, but there's a Bentley in the driveway.' She also would like to see Superintendent Susan Zurvalec take "more of a cut" in salary and eliminate more staff from the central office to get more money into the classrooms. At the start of the 2022/23 academic year there existed a shortage of teachers and bus drivers. The superintendent of Farmington Public Schools as well as two members of the districts Board of Education cited allegations of harassment and dysfunctional behavior.. $(document).ready(function () { U.S. Congress | We have hired a new superintendent who is dedicated to our school district, onboarded 4 new board members, and become a highly functioning certified board. Carr currently chairs the Economic Development Corporation Board of Farmington Hills. Johnson and Weems have gone as far as filing complaints against each other to the district. Herrera will continue as superintendent until Jan. 22, which is the end of first semester. Carr: The district faces a number of significant challenges: decline in test scores in math, reading and other subjects, the loss of students to surrounding districts, loss of teachers and support staff (bus drivers among others). The Farmington Public Schools superintendent and the top two members of the board of education resigned Monday amid allegations of harassment and racism.During a special meeting Monday, the. Budgeting 2.Privatizing/school closings 3. .widget-row.Republican { She has resided in Farmington Hills for over 20 years and was involved in her daughters' academics and extracurricular activities. A Twitter List by candgnews [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]. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. FARMINGTON, Mich. As the chaos surrounding the Farmington school board continues, the superintendent and two board members resigned during an explosive, emotional meeting. background-color: grey; One action local districts can take to address diversity, equity and inclusion is to evaluate teaching materials to ensure materials represent diverse perspectives and content, represent a range of voices, and are culturally responsive. font-size: 1.2em; var encodedEmail = swrot13('mnpu.evpu@scfx12.arg'); Many held signs, with one reading: Let me get this straight. $(document).ready(function () { You want to teach less reading, writing, and arithmetic so you can teach Critical Race Theory and DEI?. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports. Olson: Most issues are certainly on the radar of the residents, but one that seems to be overlooked, but should not be, are improvement opportunities for the FPS Special Education Program. Pam Green, a former board president who resigned last November, said she never knew the board without problems amongst itself. Currently, Mable is a consultant with Michigan Virtual. In public comments, some people called for the 21-day challenge to return, while others called to abolish it. I could not emotionally continue, Green said. She is a certified public accountant and is a member of the American Institute and Michigan Association of CPAs, as well as the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Later, when the censure resolution involving her was read, she returned and indicated having heard it, but did not comment. "Dr. Robert Herrera indicated a desire to resign his employment with the district," Green said. FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A lengthy school board meeting heard more than 80 people speak during public comment with a clear divide when it comes to the district's approach to teaching. text-align: center; Weems, who led all voting, has lived with her family in Farmington Hills since 2010. I support in-house relations opposed to resourcing out, revisiting this would be major for me, so I would have a meeting of the minds of all stake holders, to keep from this happening again. font-weight: bold; While this is not how or the time that I wanted to leave the district, I felt it was necessary to do what was in the best interest of our entire school community, Herrera said. } Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The board is expected to decide in coming weeks on the next steps to fill the vacancies and select the next superintendent.