Public commenters accuse board of ignoring teacher grievances and warn about low reading proficiency

Two members of the public addressed the board during the public-participation portion of the April 14 meeting, raising concerns about teacher grievances and students' reading proficiency.

Shamika Benjamin said grievances previously brought to the board were not addressed and alleged that follow-up meetings were constrained by a board member's stipulations. Benjamin told the board that four teachers had left East Lake Elementary and accused some board members of not taking constituent concerns seriously. She said she would campaign in November against members she believes are not performing their duties: "You need to do your jobs... We're tired and we are fed up," she said.

Lynn Mack, who said she lives in Allendale, focused on reading proficiency, telling trustees that too many students are not reading at grade level and urging system change: "A child's in fifth grade, that child should be reading at fifth grade level." Mack said low reading skills lead to disengagement and depress scores in other subjects and called for different approaches so children can read at grade level.

The board thanked the speakers and moved on to scheduled business. There was no formal board response recorded in the meeting to the specifics of the grievances or the reading-performance data presented by the speakers; staff had earlier described plans for monitoring and supports tied to Title funds and the strategic plan.