at bbanasik@masb.org or 517.327.5929. Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). State executives | The district declined to elaborate on Herrera's claim. text-align: center; Bargaining units. The board was fighting bitterly over Terri Weems as president, and it was made very clear to me that she needed to go as president, Mukamal said of Weems previous tenure as board president. Smith had dialed into the virtual meeting minutes after Green spoke about Herrerabut said she couldn'tparticipate due to a family emergency. 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. Claudia has had a lifelong involvement in community service; she was a member of the Farmington Area Jaycee Women, PTA, Girl Scout Leader, Religious Education Teacher and Youth Basketball Coach. Three newcomers win seats on Farmington School Board. Smith: Offering programming and bringing in experienced DEI consultants to help engage and educate our staff and community. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Internal documents obtained by the Local 4 Defenders show that board member Angie Smith allegedly worked to create an intimidating and offensive work environment for the superintendent,. Pam Green, a former board president who resigned last November, said she never knew the board without problems amongst itself. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Olson: The schools priorities need to be returning to the basics of good curriculum, without the distractions of other important, but secondary issues especially social and political concerns. The resignation agreement makes Herreras complaint moot and will no longer be pursued. Weems: We need to do a better job of marketing the great things that are happening in our district. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. .widget-row.Republican { Her censure-ship was much more than what the portrayal is, Green said. .widget-row.value-only.white { Our curriculum is deeply using critical race theory especially in social studies, but youll find it in English language arts and the other disciplines. } The superintendent of Farmington Public Schools as well as two members of the districts Board of Education cited allegations of harassment and dysfunctional behavior.. The district paid Herrera a $105,000 buyout,and the district continues to pay his six-figure salary through June as his replacement is hired. Herrera had recently filed a complaint against board secretary Angie Smith for harassment, district officials said in a statement. Its the spreading rumors, the gossip and her attacks on different staff members.. I would work with the districts financial advisers and work out a five year plan, and discuss with labor relations what their input would be, and to make sure that funds would be allocated in technology to keep us current. } Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. I am concerned with turnover in our district. The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Education will take place on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 6:00 pm. Schools Details: Top candidates who won a seat on the Farmington 192 Independent School Board are: Melissa Gorman with 6,219 votes, Becky DeWilde with 5,693 votes, and Jessica farmington public schools board election Verified Just Now At a glance, things appeared fine in public meetings, but board members say personal attacks amongst themselves plagued their lives outside the board room. Smith denied posting commentsabout the board or Herreraon social media. Our goal and hope is to continue to hire individuals who are excited, and passionate about Educating our students. The district should not differentiate between students. The resignation comes after claims from board member Angie Smith that say the superintendent was racist toward Black students and staff, however, it's unclear what instances took place. Angie has also served the District as a Building PTA President, PTA Council president, PTA State Region D Representative, and Co-Chair of the Farmington/Farmington Hills MCMR MLK Walk. He is the right man for the job.. School board members set overall district policy and manages the district superintendent, in this case Superintendent Christopher Delgado, who oversees day-to-day operations. background-color: #f9d334; | Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. This was like Mean Girls.. Appointees Terri Weems and James Stark won six-year seats Tuesday on the Farmington Public Schools Board of Education, as did long-time district volunteer Angie Smith. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. $('span#sw-emailmask-152').replaceWith(''); Herrera hadrecently filed a complaint against board secretaryAngie Smith for harassment, district officials said in a statement. The protesters lined the street in front of North Farmington High School, holding signs and waving at . [7] The district was the 17th-largest school district in the state in the 20132014 school year and served 10,719 students. Not indoctrination.. 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. 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. In a Sept. 24, 2020, harassmentcomplaint, Herrera detailed actions taken by Smith he believes were in retaliation over a hire she didnt agree with. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Livonia Chamber stickers program helps businesses highlight inclusive values, Comerica bank to sell Livonia office building, move to neighboring Farmington Hills, Henry Ford Health brings new emergency room, specialty services to western Wayne County, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Later, when the censure resolution involving her was read, she returned and indicated having heard it, but did not comment. On Thursday, Greensaid through tears thatshe was exhausted bythe drama on the board. This is painful, very painful, school board President Pamela Green said. Carr: Careful review of issues related to the delivery of excellence in education to all students tends to result in these types of discussions. Smith questions the need for three assistant superintendents, and wonders whether the district's could have waited for a time when more money was available. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. If the district were to receive the full funding that is supposed to be provided it would free general funds for more programming and improvements. Fixing the boards culture is important to its effectiveness moving forward. 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. Green said the common thread was one of her elected colleagues, current trustee Angie Smith. Candidate Donna Swoboda did not submit a response. Ballot measures, Who represents me? 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. word-wrap: break-word; Contact reporterShelby Tankersley at stankersle@hometownlife.com or 248-305-0448. School board members agreed its roleis to manage the superintendent and let him or her run the day-to-day operations of the district. Please, 100 largest cities in America by population, Farmington Public School District elections (2016), List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016, Farmington Public School District, Michigan, 2016 Farmington Public School District Elections, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Angie_Smith_(Farmington_Public_School_District,_Michigan)&oldid=8513620, Pages using DynamicPageList dplreplace parser function, 2016 United States school district candidates, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The infighting eventually led to Green and Johnson resigning. Copyright © 2002 - var currentTime = new Date();var year = currentTime.getFullYear();document.write(year); Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. font-weight: bold; Many held signs, with one reading: Let me get this straight. . 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. 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). Personal conflicts, they say, also drew attention away from the schools. .clearfix { Two other board members also resigned. All Dr. Herrera had to do was come to me and say, Angie I dont like how this is going. Take a sneak peek inside. $(document).ready(function () { Questions or Comments? The Town Meeting will be held on the following day . It would be beneficial for the board to retain experience and knowledge so that we can continue to be a highly functioning board. What they've done now is they've caused tension between the races. Literacy and Math proficiency rates are at an all-time low, and getting lower. The leadership shuffle. 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. We must concentrate on our literacy and math scores and closing the opportunity gap. We must create more academic challenges for our gifted students. "That would never have happened under (former Superintendent) Bob Maxfield's leadership.". For subscribers: 'Dysfunction' blamed for loss of Farmington's top three school officials. I think we need to do some cutting at the top. Now with a mostly new school board who just picked Christopher Delgado as the next superintendent, board members say theyre determined to work together. Johnson, Green and Mukamal contend Weems and Smith allow their personal friendships to dictate their school agendas and frequently get involved in issues that should be handled by administration. This vote followed the Board of Education's decision in August to. $('span#sw-emailmask-4631').replaceWith(''); Herrera did not respond to multiple interview requests. Board members told Local 4 the issue is ugly. Two board members and the superintendent of Farmington's school district resigned from their positions last night, amid a big shakeup in leadership on the board. border:1px solid #FFB81F; Committee to Elect Angie Smith for Farmington Public Schools. But, longtime elected officials will also admit theyve said that before. 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 Currently, Mable is a consultant with Michigan Virtual. We must also continue the work that has already been established within our schools. Angie Smith (Farmington Public School District, Michigan) This disambiguation page lists articles with similar titles. Applicants can submit their resume, letter of intent, and three letters of reference here. This community has lost trust with the district.". 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. She's been involved with the PTA, Women of Tomorrow and her homeowners association. Mable is a lifelong community advocate, co-founding the Littlefield Block Club at the age of 16. Carr: I have a Ph.D. in Public Administration and my academic career has been in public education. Through tears, Green, a former elementary teacher, said Herrera's dedication to educationinspired her to want to return to the classroom. Terri Weems is running for a second six-year term on the board and was appointed in 2015. As president, Weems worried the controversy could impact the district's superintendent search; the board voted May 13 to offer the job to Christopher Delgado, who has been serving in a deputy superintendent role for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools. I could not emotionally continue, Green said. We have completed our strategic planning, identified the profile of a lifelong learner and negotiated long term contracts with our staff. We can urgently move forward to improve outcomes for those in need. I want to hold the position because I love our district and know that we have a very strong program already, but passionately want to be a part of improving it even more The Board is responsible for achieving aggressive education outcomes in Math, Reading, Writing, Science, and other areas that are required so that each student has a chance to become a productive member of our society as we know it and can reasonably expect it to be. Angie Smith has served on the school board since 2017. 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. 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. margin-top: 1px; She served as Chairperson of the Detroit Public High School Advisory Committee, several FPS PTA boards, and is treasurer of her homeowner association. We are trying our best to develop partnerships with experts in the area. In the past, she's been involved with the Oakland County School Board of Directors and is a former employee of Farmington Public. When you see a staff member having to buy groceries with a Bridge card, that troubles me," she said. "His skill set was like nothing we have ever seen in this district," she said. The Board of Education consists of seven school district residents who will hold either four or six-year terms. It was very clear there was a lot of disruption on the board, she said. font-weight: bold; Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Our priority should be delivering excellence in education. $(document).ready(function () { These seats included three seats with six-year terms and two seats with two-year terms. Cecile Richards, Former President of Planned Parenthood, Endorses Andy Levin .