UPDATED: Parents Urge Board of Education to Find Out Why Teachers Are Leaving Norup

The Berkley Board of Education meeting Monday night at was eventful, with Board President Marc Katz announcing he will not seek re-election and several citizens voicing concerns about an "exodus" of teachers from Norup.

Two Norup parents and the mother of one teacher at the school urged the board and Superintendent Michael Simeck to investigate why a significant number of teachers have submitted in-district transfer requests. They stressed that continuity is key to the school's prized International Baccalaureate program.

In response, Simeck argued during the meeting Monday that for him to intervene in the school's affairs at such a level would amount to micromanagement.

"Who is most able to address the issue?" Simeck said Tuesday. "The principal and the teacher involved.

"If people say step in and talk to the teachers, that undermines the principal," he said. "That creates a problem at not just one building but at (all of the buildings) because then there is a sense that problems are resolved at the central office level."

Having the central office intervene on behalf of school administrators when disputes arise not only creates questions about who is in charge, Simeck said, it also drains time and energy that district administrators desperately need to grapple with proposed school budget cuts. Coupled with increased costs for health care and retirees, the district stands to lose approximately $1,000 per pupil.

That is why, he said, he urges parents to work with their school administrators when concerns arise.

"Do we support our teachers? Heck yeah," Simeck said. "In the end, it's more about supporting teachers than supporting administrators."

He also voiced his confidence Tuesday in principal Jamii Hitchcock's ability to handle the situation and described her as hard-working, smart and innovative, with rigorous standards for the staff in her building. Simeck noted that the principal, who previously served in Novi, soon will be leaving the district to take a position in Birmingham.

During the Monday board meeting, Norup parent Stephanie Pandolfi read a prepared statement outlining her efforts to pinpoint what had caused seven teachers and five staff members to leave the school last year and more to put in transfer requests this year – something she referred to as a "mass exodus." She noted that a meeting with Hitchcock and assistant principal Sarah Fairman was "very positive" but failed to elucidate the issue.

Pandolfi said she followed up by meeting with Simeck, whom Pandolfi said denied being contacted by a union representative about the issue. Pandolfi said she was told it was up to school administrators to resolve whatever may be causing the teachers' discontent.

Simeck sought to clarify Monday that he only said he had not been contacted by a union representative from Norup, as opposed to not being contacted at all.

Pandolfi stood by her assertion Simeck had denied being contacted by any union representative.

"Maybe you misspoke," she said Monday.

Berkley Education Association Mary Lou Gleason confirmed during the meeting that the union has brought concerns to Simeck.

"Why would I deny that?" Simeck said Tuesday. "That would be foolish."

While the discussion was at times emotional and tense, the speakers all expressed support for Norup and a desire to resolve the issue.

Berkley School District Communications Supervisor Shira Good on Tuesday sought to put the issue in context, explaining that district administrators are focusing their efforts on how to head off Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed budget cuts.

"While we don't want to lessen the concerns these parents have, teacher transfers occur every year," Good said. "If parents have concerns about consistency in their children's education, we would encourage them to become active in our fight to protect funding from the governor's proposed cuts."

Quick hits

• Nominees for the Oakland Schools Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award were recognized Monday night. They include: Jim McKelvey, who teaches fifth grade at ; Mary Austin, who teaches math at Norup; and Paul Cierpial, who teaches English and other courses at .
• Judy Allen, director of legislative affairs for Oakland Schools, also raised the alarm Monday about Gov. Snyder's proposed budget cuts and their potential impact. "It will be – if this goes through as proposed – the most devastating cut to education in the history of Michigan, without a doubt," she said. Allen urged the board, superintendent and dozens of people in the audience to attend informational coffee chats and contact lawmakers to express opposition to the proposed cuts.
• The board heard arguments for new statistics and psychology/sociology textbooks. Both texts date to 2000 and are used in courses whose enrollments are increasing. The board will study the proposed books and consider whether to approve the requests at its next meeting.
• Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, director of Curriculum, Technology, Assessment & Grants for the , discussed the fall 2010 Michigan Educational Assessment Program test results that were released last month. In most categories, . However, Berkley students struggled in the area of writing: 60.8 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded expectations, while 52 percent of seventh-graders did so, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
• The board passed a funding resolution officially stating its opposition to Snyder's proposed diversion of money from the school aid fund to higher education.
• At the end of the meeting, Board of Education President Marc Katz announced that when his term is up Dec. 31, he won't seek re-election.