001Next, parent Mona Mowary would like to come to speak to the board about representation from Dearborn. Good evening. I'm going to make this brief. Um one common theme that we've seen tonight is that this community here does not feel represented in this school board, in the school administration, uh in the school staff. And uh and by the teachers. The staff in this school district does not reflect its students. At Sal Ford alone, over 65% of the students are of Yemeni descent. In this entire city, we make up a third of the population in the city. Yet, we lack representation all across the board, whether it's in city government, on this school board, everywhere. This is a problem because our students are surrounded by people who don't understand their backgrounds, their culture, and the unique disparities
002they face. You need to examine your hiring process. What happened to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Representation helps improve the school culture and student outcomes. We always hear about instances of Yemeni students being bullied in the in the school system. Research shows that when students see representation of themselves, it shapes how they imagine uh themsel- themselves and their place in the world now and in the future. I only see one solution to this, and it's districted elections. We need to change the election system for this body. It should not remain an at-large election system. We need a ward system here in Dearborn. So that our community is able to be represented adequately and appropriately. 50% of Dearborn, almost 50% of Dearborn is Arab. This body right here should at least be 50% Arab to reflect this
003community here. We need change. Next, community member Agil Almathel would like to come to speak to the board about the flawed hiring process that discriminated against a 13-year-old loyal coach, Al Tal's own Kamal, was not given a fair chance as the principal's decision for the next coach was premeditated. Hello, board. Thank you for your time. Kind words to Azebin Hussein Berry for acknowledging what we do as a community for Dearborn. Um I want to start off with um giving you guys a definition of a word. And that word is loyalty. Meaning the quality of being loyal. And I'll use it in a sentence for you guys. Haj Bedoun and Kamal Jaber have been loyal and at Ford for the last 40 years combined and got nothing but mistreatment and disrespected by Sal Ford High School.
004As a community member advocating for our kids and their future, we are asking for a reversal of this decision, investigation, and accountability with consequences to those who have made the unfair decision to not move forward with Kamal Kamal Jaber as the next basketball head coach for Sal Ford High School. This process was flawed. One out of the five parents were from the community. Two out of the seven students were from the community. In regards to the admins, one of the five were from the community, which didn't include any of the APs at Sal Ford High School. You disregarded the letters of recommendations and didn't have any audacity to properly vet your interviewees. The principal took it upon herself to make an executive decision based on what she wanted to do prior to the interviews. We
005were told last year that the job was going to a fellow member that wasn't part of the community. And also, Mr. Kamal Jaber was told that that person was going to get the position. Yet, he still interviewed, got letter of rec- letters of recommendation, and was disregarded. You got to ask yourself, if it was someone else that spent 13 years of their young life in the assistant coach position, would they have gotten that job? Kamal was racially profiled and was a ki- And we as a community are not okay with it. That was the last straw. The straw that broke the camel's back. And that camel was coach Aljami. We want justice for Kamal. We want Kamal for our coach. There is a vote coming up for a $30 million budget. We're all aware of
006it. The community is aware of it. How can we trust you guys with $30 million if we can't trust you guys for making a no-brainer decision in Kamal Aljami? Next, community member Stephanie Butler would like to come to speak to the board about community relation. Before I get started, I'd like to ask Mr. Berry, would you suspend the rules and put a motion on the floor right now because that's what the community is asking for, to do a vote on having an investigation into the hiring and firing of that coach. Please. and make a motion for a motion on the floor right now and let's vote on it right now. I'm asking you to suspend the rules. Suspend the rules. Put a motion on the floor and vote on it while we're here. We're sick
007of coming back. We're sick of excuses. We'll get back to you. We'll do it. We never hear back. The board usually will speak after all the public comment on all the items. It's time for public comment right now. I know, but this is time for me to ask you. No one else knows, and I can legally ask you to suspend the rules, put a motion on the floor, and vote on it. Just suspend the rules. It's not hard. Legal. And that's the legal Why don't one of them start my timer? It only takes two. Just do it. Somebody can suspend the rules. Somebody else can second it. All you have to do is vote on it. And all we're asking for is just the investigation part. To That's all we're asking you to vote on.
008The board's going to be reviewing everything that was just talked about at this section. what we always hear, Mr. Thorp. We're asking you to deal WITH IT NOW. WE'RE HERE. PLEASE MOVE AHEAD WITH YOUR CITIZEN participation comments. So are you refusing to to address the needs of this community? The board has not made a decision. YOU I HAVE EVERY LEGAL RIGHT TO suspend the rules AND PUT A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. So Guys, be courageous. One of you. Just a simple motion. Just ask for an investigation. That's it. That's all we're asking for. Let me make a quick comment. Just a quick comment. With all With all due respect, as a board of education, we do not have the power to hire Hussein. Okay. Don't interrupt. Okay. I'll shut up then if you're going to
009interrupt me. You do. We do not. We have the power to hire and evaluate one employee sitting to my left. We do not have the power to promotion and table to hire a coach or administrator. no, no, no, no. Well, then you would have to listen to President Thorp once we get to our comments afterwards. You got to let the process play out. This is just This is not asking you guys to do anything except for investigate the matter. Not hire, fire, not reverse decisions, none of that. Simply just a look into the matter of how that went down. That's all this community is asking for. I will I will state that a review is already in process. Okay. Excuse me, no motion is necessary for us to direct a review of anything. There is
010no no motion is needed. Ms. Butler, please go ahead with your comments. Okay. Well, at least the community knows that they they there was an option to do that legally, but Today I address you with a heavy heart, compelled to shed light on a grave injustice that has unfolded within our community. It is with a sense of urgency and a commitment to truth and fairness that I bring forth the reasons why what has transpired is unequivocally wrong. Just 6 weeks ago, coach Ibrahim Baydoun, a revered figure in our community and the head boys basketball coach for 27 years, was unceremoniously fired over email. This cold and impersonal act of dismissal, orchestrated by a newly appointed athletic director with only 3 months on the job, is an affront to the values we hold dear. The manner
011in which coach Baydoun was treated is an outright shame. His dismissal was based on an evaluation that upon closer examination reveals a blatant disregard for fairness and integrity. It becomes even more disconcerting to learn that the evaluator, the newly hired friend of the boss, spent a mere 5 minutes observing coach Baydoun's practice before forming judgments and an opinion. The unjust treatment is a stain on our community, a betrayal of trust, and cannot be tolerated. We must unite and demand justice. We must stand up against to this affront to fairness and integrity. Together, we call for coach Baydoun's immediate reinstatement as the head boys basketball coach at Edsel Ford while there's an investigation done. We demand a thorough investigation by a third party into the unjust evaluation and firing that transpired. Our community will not stand
012idly by as politics and corruption infiltrate our district. Our students, their futures, and their well-being are our utmost priority. I'm going to tell you a little story about Mr. Baydoun. My daughter is just a shy, quiet kid, just graduated, and she told me she begged coach Baydoun. She worked with him, wrote it down on a slip to make sure that even if he wasn't announcing her name, that the person who would announce her name as she walked for her graduation would learn to say it correctly after she's been in this school district how many years? And by God, thank God for coach Baydoun. He said her name correctly, and she was able to walk and smile and with dignity and honor under her rightful name, and that meant a lot to her. And I just
013want to say to coach Baydoun, we love you, we respect you, we thank you for everything you do for our kids. Everything you do for our kids. Coaching is not only about winning. It's about mentorship, and you do that better than anyone I've ever known. So, thank you. Next, community member, Monawar Al Sabahi from Dearborn would like to come to speak to the board. Hello. Hello. My name is Faisal Ali, and I stand here on behalf of my cousin Hatem, who was wrongfully denied to the right to participate in his graduation. My cousin, having no parents in this country, called me to inform me that he wasn't being allowed to participate in his graduation because he woke up late and missed the rehearsal. And he wanted me to advocate on his behalf. I arrived at
014Edsel Ford High School hoping to discuss the circumstances with the principal and perhaps persuade her to reconsider her decision. However, when I spoke with the staff members in the office and asked for their assistance, their response was uniform. "Sorry, we can't do anything. It's the principal's decision." It was at that moment when I realized the building was being run as dictatorship. And the staff at that at this building don't work as a team. It was very telling that although all of them would have been fine with him participating, they were powerless. I find this very alarming. When you choose a principal for a building, you are supposed to choose someone that leads. Not someone that dictates everything that happens in their building without the input of other staff members. I asked to speak with her
015directly and was told that she was too busy to speak with me about a very pressing matter. The principal should be available for discussion with parents, families, staff, and students, especially when the subject is of an urgent matter. Her role requires a customer service mindset. Yet, her response was, "I don't have time." So, my plea to the board members today is to look into the climate and the culture of this building and figure out why one person makes all the decisions and other member and other staff members have no say in what's happening in their building. Why has there been a such high turnover since the principal was placed in her roles in regards to staff? What is happening in this building that is driving so many away? Perhaps the principal needs to approach her
016decision-making from a different point of view. I don't want to question her ability to lead. However, I do want her to learn from this situation and lead with compassion rather than rather than lead with an iron fist. Her approach benefits absolutely no one, and in the long run hurts the students of the school. Thank you. Thank you. Next, community member, Mohamed Sheghaza from Dearborn would like to come to speak to the board. Thank you for pointing that out. We're not aware always what's going on in that camera. Next next card. Next, next community member, Mohamed Sheghaza. Next, Mohamed Sheghaza. What was the name? Mohamed. Next community member, Bashar Ali would like to come to speak to the board about teamwork and school administration. Community community member, Faisal. I'm Dearborn. Next, Rowan Ali and her father.
017All right. Next, Samra Lukman from Dearborn would like to come to speak to the board about disparities. I have with me I'm Jed, who also submitted a blue card, and is is giving me my time his time. Can you say that one more time? What was the name? I have with me Jed, who also submitted his blue card and is giving me his time. So, I wanted to start by thanking Jim Thorpe, Zane Barry, and Adel for coming to today's mock ceremony, and I wanted to ensure that everybody knew my support for Red for Ed. The Supreme Court states adverse impact claims are claims in which a plaintiff alleges that a facially neutral policy or practice disproportionately impacts a specific protected class. An exhibit an example of this would be for, you know, let's say
018an employer creates a policy where committees are created to hire personnel, but it results in the inequitable representation and the exclusion of a protected class of people time after time. At first glance, I did not oppose the hiring of the current head coach under the assumption that the hiring process was adequately representative of the community. However, upon digging further, I found that there were unfair there was an unfair tipping of the scales in terms of the selection of the people on the committees and contacting them in order to guarantee the selection of the preferred candidate. This is exactly what the Supreme Court was talking about. Your facially neutral policy disproportionately impacts my community. What happened with Hatem and Adam and Darren is another example of inequities and nepotism in this district. Last year, one director's
019daughter and niece caused destruction to school property when they drove on over a school's track. They were allowed to walk. Hatem was not, even though he did not have any personal conduct issues, ever. Valerie Page begged and pleaded for all with all of you, including Dr. Maleyko, two student directors, and a liaison, but was denied allowing her son to walk. But on the day of rehearsal, the principal at DHS allowed another student to walk under the same circumstances. This is exactly what the Supreme Court is talking about, your facially neutral policy disproportionately impacting my community, and we're tired of it. In 2009, your administration purposely left out a bilingual qualification on a secretary posting to deliberately enable an administrator to hire a non-Arab speaking candidate. Facially neutral, disproportionate impact. This year, these interview committees were
020created that had about half of the committee of white background, and 25% of the committee was of a Yemeni American background. You deliberately tipped the scales. You put your hand on the scales to select who you wanted in the position, resulting in more disproportionate representation of ethnicities in your schools. Mind you, 2/3 of Edsel Ford is Yemeni, but you have only four Yemeni coaches in the entire district. Shame on you. I'm not telling you to only hire Yemenis. I am telling you to stop deliberately excluding us from opportunities to work within the district. This is not the first time that we have come to board meetings to complain about the diversity inequity and exclusion. I'm here to ask why you as a board keep giving highly effective ratings for an administration that has created chaos
021in board meetings, repeated news media coverage, and worst of all, negatively impacted our students. You passed out those ratings like they're candy on Halloween, and I'm demanding that you do better. First, it starts with you your the stupid policy that Who? You had two cards? What What is the name again? Yes. I don't have that card. Do you know who you turned the card in? I'm sorry, I don't have that blue card. I don't have the blue card. All right. Ms. Lukman, the microphone's on. It starts with you your first the stupid policy that denies participation in ceremonies because of a rehearsal or lack of credits that they would eventually receive anyway. Those kids will never get to walk again. It's ironic that you celebrated Juneteenth, but you create policies that are disproportionately impacting people
022of color. And that was not lost upon us. We saw the color of the students that didn't get to walk. Kids that sat out on those commencement when they deserved to walk. The punishment of not receiving a diploma is enough for kids who have not earned those credits. Second, your evaluations need to be more reflective of the taxpayers and parents and students that you purport to represent. We the people do not agree with your BS ratings. You are not there to rubber-stamp everything that comes to your desk. You are there to hold people accountable. Do your job as a board. Third, accountability needs to be had. I understand mistakes were made, and we're we have empathy enough to not call for the principal's termination, but a realignment needs to be done to place a more
023empathetic administrator into Edsel Ford. The head of HR applied to leave the district. Bro, leave leave already. Allah. She has allowed corruption in the hiring processes, failed to hold people accountable, and has been the root of the majority of this community's issues. And you as a board need to rectify those the coaching issues by instating a coach that the community has been promised for years. KFC. Fourth, your so-called apology on Facebook rings hollow. There was no admission of wrongdoing, no I'm sorry, no we apologize. In fact, you insinuated that the student lied, just like you blamed the students for absences when Mr. Martin got up here. Learn from the Philadelphia School District. Be adults and say, "We made a mistake, and we're owning up to it." I invited the superintendent to the max ceremony to
024hand the kid his diploma, and he refused. How sad. I was the one that requested that another event be held in August celebrating these kids. It wasn't the district's doing. I'm not just a mother or a product of DPS. I'm not a social justice activist, but self-proclaimed and proud. And I promise you, I will leave no stone unturned to hold this district accountable, whether it be an EEO complaint, an OCR complaint, or more civil lawsuits, or opposing every single bond issue going forward, or if I have to organize absences on every single count date from now until eternity, until you start holding people accountable and fix the HR improprieties that have caused hundreds of people to turn out, we will continue to organize and fight the system from the outside in. And as a reminder,
025your actions have divided this community. It isn't the parents and the activists that have done that. It's you by giving privilege and preference to some races and ethnicities over other others. My name is Samira Lukman. I will be a thorn in your side until you start holding people accountable. Thank you. Next community member, Obad Mari from Dearborn would like to come to speak to the board about hiring process, student denied graduation. Obad? Okay. I'm speaking today on behalf of concerned residents of South Dearborn, CRSD. Um hello, Board of Education. I'm here to express another example of marginalization of the Yemeni community. The Yemeni community has been attending Edsel Ford since 1988. Since then, we have had two Gulf Wars, a black president, the invention of the internet, electric cars, and exploring the possibility of life
026on Mars. However, unfortunately, down here on Earth, specifically in Dearborn, the south end of Dearborn, getting a bilingual secretary in 2020 took an astronomical effort by our community. It wasn't easy. CRSD has been reaching out and attending community meetings with Dr. Maleyko and his team for many years to establish community equity within our community schools. Unfortunately, it seems like we are still light years away from being fairly treated by Dr. Maleyko and his administration. After 13 years of loyal service, a Yemeni, Kamal Jahmi, was not given a fair opportunity to be considered for the varsity coaching position at Edsel Ford. The interview process was unfairly assembled to the disadvantage of our community. These are facts. Only one parent from the community was allowed to participate in the process. That parent was also called Sunday night,
027the night the day before the actual interview process. A community that makes up 465% of the student body, a school that has historically lacked inclusion of our community in after-school athletics, an issue that the administration has raised with us during our many meetings over the years. Let me be clear. This is not about the candidate. This is about the hiring position, the hiring process. Therefore, it is no surprise that that one of our kids was stripped away of his right to express a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate his graduation with his peers. Let's not make this any more complicated than it is. This is not rocket science. He was He was being severely punished for missing a routine rehearsal. Now, this may or may not surprise you, but myself am a high school graduate. The supermajority
028of attendees here are high school graduates. The many people watching at home are mostly high school graduates. Every one of you on the board and in the administration are high school graduates. To quote the principal herself in the commencement speech, this is a quote from the principal. "Today is the day we all come together for one important moment, the moment one's name is called and recognized for the academic accomplishments for the last four years at Edsel Ford High School. One may ask, why is this such a profound moment in one's life?" The answer is simple. This is This is the moment that defines all of your trials and tribulations. Coming from the principal herself. We all know that missing a trivial routine rehearsal is no grounds for prohibiting a student from participating in a profound
029moment in one's life, but she was right about that. Being a moment that will define Hatem's trial and tribulations of his four years at Edsel Ford. He'll forever look back at this moment and know he did not let you deny him. Thank you very much for your comments. Next card, please. Community member, Donovan Farrell. Thank you for your comment. Next. Next community member, last call, Donovan Farrell. Donovan. What we're being told by our tech department is that the cameras are on and it's able to be seen on the live feed. Next card. Last card, parent, Ida Elsayed. Next, those were all of the Those were the blue cards for those who wanted to speak in person. These are the blue cards for those that did not want to speak, but want their thoughts in to
030be read out loud. Community member, Um Musa from Dearborn, does not want to speak. It's due time for DPS to invest in cultural competence and DEI training for admin and staff. There's a mass exodus of teachers from our district at Edsel alone, five teachers and more this summer are leaving due to toxic work environment, discrimination, and harassment led by the principal. Stop protecting bad apples. It is time for them to be fired. Next, Munif Mary from Dearborn. We are sick of long-term subs instead of certified teachers. Teachers are leaving and our kids suffer. Pay our teachers, we need them and you have the money. Next, parent, Mo Azdo. Where is the diversity? People lie, numbers don't. Um K is the clear-cut choice in my opinion. Next, parent, Hamad A. Over 60% of Yemeni students, but
031only one Yemeni American parent is part of the interview process. What was this a mistake? Next, community member, Saleh Agma Algami from Dearborn. K is a wonderful and amazing community member. We would love his support in Edsel Ford as coach. Next, student, I think they they selected student, parent, and community member, and employee, so I don't think that's correct. But, Joey Algami, he deserves the best and what is asked for by the people in the community for all the hard work he put in the last 13 years. Parent, Abdallah Ali from Dearborn. I would like to know how and why they ignore what happened with these students. Next, Saeed Alwathi from Dearborn. Hiring process needs to be fair and search committee members need to reflect the student body. Um no name, decision was racially motivated.
032Next, community member, Abraham's Sara. We need a just justice process. Next, community member, Khalil Algami. Justice for coach that has been coming for 13 years. That I'm sorry, that has been coaching for 13 years. Next, employee, Hussein Ali from Dearborn. Uh Dearborn Board of Education, it's been evident for some time that there's needs to be a complete overhaul of the administration team. The DPS administration is ethically bankrupt. The district is made up of administrators who are corrupt and running the most vital part of our community, our schools. The district is responsible for our most valuable assets, our children. Yet, we have most administrators that have no vested interest in our district outside of their careers. They live outside the district and do do not have any children attending our schools. Yet, they shepherd our limited
033English-speaking parents to the schools to sell them on bonds. Time for the board to flush them out and fill the district with ethics and integrity integrity instead of bailing them out every time we do something wrong. Next, community member, Bassam Goba. We would like to request a formal investigation into the hiring process of the head basketball coach. Next, Faram Almuhajed from Dearborn, a parent. I'm here to express another example of a marginalization of the Yemeni community. They have been attending Edsel Ford since 1988. Since then, we've had two Gulf Wars, a black president, the invention of the internet, the iPhone, electric cars, exploring the possibility of life on Mars. However, unfortunately, down here on Earth, specifically in Dearborn, the south end of Dearborn, getting a bilingual secretary 2020 took a monumental effort by our community.
034It is no surprise that one of our kids was stripped away of his rights to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate his graduation with his peers. Let's not make this any more complicated than it is. Next, Zachary Frank Almuha Almujahid from Dearborn, a parent. Our schools are on fire. Abuse of power, racism, nepotism, and favoritism has run rampant in our schools. Our our city will soon suffer because of the failures of our schools, which are the heart of our great city. Schools are the foundation of all cities. We drive property values, reduce crime, and affect our children's future. We all have a vested interest in seeing our schools run effectively. Currently, we have many teachers leaving the district. Walk into any random school or ask parents of children who are in Dearborn schools, substitute teachers
035who are unqualified to teach or in the building for weeks and months of a time. It is also not lost upon us that you continue to hire are unrepresentative of the community and taxpayers that you are beholden to. Next, Jake Jacob Abdal, I'm sorry, Abdul, student from Dearborn. Um The turmoil in our schools is the product of a superintendent who lacks true leadership skills. It seems that uh for Yemeni student to be excluded from graduation for such a bogus reason highlights poor decision. Who are these administrators that are crowning that you are crowning as our youth leaders? Shameful. Um We have seen Dearborn Heights Board of Education reinstate a principal and suspend their superintendent. You as the board overseeing the district have the power to make these changes. Uh do your job. Next, Ishmael Algami,
036a parent. Uh this goes to the coaching position at Edsel. Our students and teachers work so hard to get these kids to cross this once-in-a-lifetime finish line, only for someone to tell them they cannot cross with their family and friends. Uh This one is from Yaya Naji Algami. I wish you raise with your morals and leave your racism. Talal Yaha Umsh Now, a Yemeni coach was unfairly deprived of a chance to coach varsity basketball for his underserved community by a rigged a rigged interview process. A Yemeni student excluded from participating in a once-in-a-lifetime high school graduation ceremony. The common denominator, administration. You have people here that are sick and disgusted by the administration. Uh you have teachers that have been wearing red for Ed for years now, and you have done nothing to investigate or
037hold the district accountable. Um Mo Farouk Almuhaibi I'm sorry, Almujahid from Dearborn, a parent. The years of systematic marginalization of the Yemeni community have taken a toll in our community in the south end, east end, and Dearborn as a whole. The culture of Edsel Ford High School is having a negative impact on our students' self-esteem. All children should feel valued and so have self-worth. Unfortunately, the recent events of a well-deserving Yemeni coach being passed over for a varsity coaching position and a graduate student with a 3.6 GPA without any behavioral issues in his first 4 years in high school not allowed to walk are the latest examples of racism by administration in the Dearborn Public Schools. Saddam Mohamed a parent and a community member. Um also speaks about the graduation was a right of the
038student when he completed his prerequisite credit hours for high school. The arbitrary denial of a Yemeni candidate that dedicated 13 years of service and the denial of a student to enjoy the fruit of his labor because of a missed rehearsal screams of an abuse of power by an administrator. The lack of empathy shocks the conscious. Trustee Watts Two more. Let's call for the extension right now, though. I'll make a motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes. Support. Motion by Trustee McDonald, support by Trustee Berry. Can I have a roll call, please? Trustee Berry? Yes. Trustee Di Ambrogio? Yes. Trustee McDonald? Yes. Trustee Mosap? Yes. Trustee Petroff? Yes. Trustee Watts? Yes. President Thorpe? Yes. Please continue. Faraz Alsaka a community member. There's nothing on there. Apologies. And the last one, Mohamed Khalid, decision on coach.
039Good evening. In any industry, whether private or public, when a person shows 13 years of loyal service with expectation of being considered for a position when it it becomes available, at the very least, they will get a fair opportunity. I ask the board to investigate the process and the parties involved, and I ask that you change this policy, which is clearly negatively and unfairly impacting the people and the color of this district. Please take the appropriate measures on behalf of the community to repair the harm to all parties, including the student excluded from his once-in-a-lifetime high school graduation. Thank you. Before we start responding to comments, we have talked with the AV techs. They have done a review and everyone was on camera. If you see the lights on this change from green to red,
040that doesn't mean that the camera's off. Uh let's start uh Dr. Malekow, uh one of the big items that was discussed was uh the coaching uh coaching hire and the process behind the coaching hire. Would you like to comment on that? Yeah, I've already I've ordered a review of the uh specifics related to the coaching uh over here at at Toll, and I I actually had some requests by community members, including um you know, different individuals. So, I did review that. We I have already ordered that review that was requested. Um we're also, as I mentioned, you know, we're an educational institution. Last year, we did a review of our overall el- uh administrative um hiring process. Uh this year, we did a review of the evaluation of coaches. We're always looking to do that,
041and we will be doing that as well with our coaching uh to make sure we're standardizing processes across the district and always looking to improve those. And I can tell you um we've been in uh we promote the hiring of diversity, equity, inclusion, and we're multiple training sessions that includes hiring, includes training for our staff, and our our uh students as well. So, those things are Thanks. All right, what additional comments do we have from trustees? Trustee Mosab? Thank you. So, Dr. Malekow, about this um review. So, I I I did ask on June 10th for an internal review. Can you expand Trustee Mosab, I can't hear you. Can you Okay. It's good. Uh can you expand, please, on the internal review so we can be very fully transparent with the community what that entails?
042Sure, it entails looking at all the documentation from the committees' final decision, and it'll also involve uh looking at the makeups of the committees and the it'll involve interviews of people that were on the committee. And possibly interviews of candidates as well. And there may be more, depending on uh what we're obligated to do through our investigation. Our human resource department will be taking the lead on that. Do you have an estimated time as to when we should expect answers? I don't right now. Cuz you we've got to interview. Do know um as we're um in negotiations, but I know that HR would would be happy, I believe, to clear some time and make it a priority. Um but again, depending on where it goes, it can take time, especially when you're calling people in,
043trying to arrange interviews. Um I would think um I don't know, Mason, if if you want to comment on a timeline, maybe. So, I'm not speaking for HR. So, the commitment It's not working. It's It's on. So, the commitment that I uh made via email with the community member um was that we would be investigating it. Um and that we would be interviewing um people that served on the different committees. So, my plan was to begin on Friday, because we have negotiations tomorrow. We have interviews on Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday was the first available day. However, I just canceled negotiations for tomorrow, so I'll be able to begin the inves- investigation tomorrow. Thank you. Trustee Berry? Yes, sir. I have President Thorp, I have a few things I want to comment on, but I
044just want to follow up on this review. Uh Dr. Malekow, can we look at the the history of this issue that we're dealing with right now with the basketball coach, maybe going back 15 years? Uh it just seems there's a pattern that every time we have a new principal at the building, this issue comes up. So, please uh maybe you can add that into your review, please, if possible. history of the coaching? The Well, I mean, yeah, it's been going on for as far as I know, for 15 years. I know we faced the same issue uh with uh former uh superintendent, God bless his soul, Brian Winston, back in 2013. Pretty much the same issue. Uh first-time administrator, we're pretty much putting these principals in a bad situation when we're you know, we're addressing
045when we get into this issue. I have other words I can use, but I'm just going to say addressing this issue. So, if that's okay. So, going back to my uh my my my comments. Uh first of all, I'd like to personally congratulate Hatem, and hopefully at the end of the summer, Darian. So, congratulations to those two Thunderbirds. I just want to clarify my comments earlier regarding administration. Yes, I stand behind my words that we do have some good administrators in our district, but it doesn't mean it's all of them. Um take a little further and say there are administrators that are not nice to teachers. There are administrators that question teachers taking days off. There are administrators blaming the substitute budget on teachers taking days off. That is That's just un- unheard of. That's
046I can't even comprehend that. I know a lot about negotiations, and when you negotiate days off, you gave up something to get those days off. So, never ever bully your teachers for taking days off and try to blame them on the shortfall when it comes to substitutes. Speaking of substitutes, I respect our substitutes. But more important, we need Nobody would disagree. Nobody at this table or none of the administrators would disagree with that we have to have certified teachers in the classrooms. When we have three different substitutes teaching a science class, an eighth-grade science class for a little over a semester, those those those young people are going to high school next year. That's not fair to them that they're getting cheated. Uh Regarding the camera going off, I mean, and I know in the
047world we live in, things happen, but this is not the first time that I've personally heard about uh when we're during our meetings. I've heard from people that their comments get deleted. I've heard from people that they get bullied on on Facebook. We don't have the liberty to be checking Facebook when we're we're at this meeting, but I think we need to do a better job when it comes to transparency. When our students get bullied, we tell them we see you, we hear you, and we try to empower them, and we try to make them feel good about themselves. When you got a big portion of your community telling you, "We're not being heard. We're not being seen." We We, the administration and the board, need to step in and do something about that. When
048when when it's the same It's the same theme. Different people, but the same theme that keeps coming up. Reminds me of God bless his soul, Dr. Artist. He had a vision. He saw the community was changing, and he stepped up to the plate, did all the right things. What's so different now than 20 years ago? Brian Winston, God bless his soul. Wow, everybody I'm mentioning, I better not mention my own name. I might kill myself tonight, I guess. But you know what? Brian Winston took the baton from Dr. Artist and empowered the community. When we step away from meeting with the community, when we step away from telling the community that we no longer want to meet with you on important issues, shame on us. There's a couple people that mentioned put a motion on
049the table, investigate, a third-party investigation. I'm going to get back to that in a second. But bonds. You want us to support your bonds. Was mentioned at least six to eight times tonight. In 2017, when we were potentially looking to change the boundaries of our district, our PTA parents stepped up to the plate, stepped up to the plate big time. But we as a board referred to them as just a few angry parents. Well, I guess they showed us in 2017. In 2019, we went out for a bond. We pretty much Let me find the right word here. I know what the easy word to say Well, I'll find the right We angered a lot of people cuz we weren't meeting them where they were. And we know how that worked out. It was mentioned
050earlier that we're going to be going out for $30 million. Wow. I wish to God that was the case. We're hearing numbers like $1.2 billion over the next 10 years in today's money. It could be as high as $1.6 million. dollars. Can't anger teachers, anger PTA, anger a huge part of your community, then go out there and ask for for money. It just does not work that way. If we don't change the culture, if we don't change how we're dealing with our community members, I answer my phone. And when somebody comes knocking on your door, Remember Brian Whiston? Brian Whiston always bragged about open door policy. And one time I made a comment that he didn't have an open door policy. He took his door off door off the hinges. We need to listen to
051our community members. Has nothing to do with Yemeni Americans, Lebanese Americans, you know, any other, you know, It's all constituents. Last year, it was a different group. It was a different community that we were like angering. We need to listen to people. We need to listen. Going back Going back to uh Dr. Maleyko, you started this meeting with the word reset. And I clearly, clearly, you said the same words at at the all graduations. I clearly understand what you're saying. You need to put your words into actions, too. If you're ready to push that reset button, I think the right things will happen. Now, like I was telling one of the speakers earlier, we as a school board, we can't we we don't have that power to hire employees, teachers, coaches, what have you. The
052only person in charge of that is the administ- is is the superintendent. Dr. Maleyko, I I ask you personally. I can't Last time I said we I was in I got myself in trouble with one of my colleagues. I personally ask you follow the words you just said earlier. Potentially look at a reset. And if not, I will be putting a motion on the table maybe for an outside an outside uh an outside party looking to do an investigation. We're We're in like rough waters right now. I will not do that tonight understanding the whole scheme of things. But if we don't have relief for our community, I I I will not even start talking about the coaches. One of them is like a brother to me. One of them is like a son to
053me. I've watched these people these two these young people. They're younger than me. I've watched what they've done in our community. How shameful. How shameful that we took advantage that whole lot of new people in one building and we we pushed what? I'm going to wrap up with Paul Castiglia. God bless his soul. My football coach, my gym teacher, my basketball coach. His exact words were "Hussein, if it looks like it or smells like it, don't bite it." We're looking pretty ugly right now. We need to do something about it because we are going to need money for our buildings. And if we keep angering a huge part of the community, different parts of the community, what are we going to be able to do? What are we going to tell the people at the
054buildings that should have been torn down and rebuilt years and years ago? That's all I have, President Thorp. Thank you. Any additional comments at this time? I'm going to call for a motion to extend before we go to their next item, then. So moved. Support. I heard Trustee Berry with the motion. I Was that Trustee McDonald for support? All right. Can I get a roll call, please? Trustee Berry? Yes. Trustee D'Ambroso? Yes. Trustee McDonald? Yes. Trustee Mosab? Yes. Trustee Petcoff? Yes. Trustee Watts? Yes. President Thorp? Yes. You know, one thing I was going to mention, uh somebody else had talked about board member access. There is contact information for each of the trustees on the district's website under the Board of Education section.