Romulus resident Rita Hampton took her concerns about the Romulus Community School District to the members of the city council this month.
Hampton, who led the drive for a recall of three current school board members, addressed the city council members during the audience portion of the meeting earlier this month.
“How can the city prosper when the school district is in free fall and subject to public embarrassment. Clearly you know but remain paralyzed,” she said. Hampton demanded to know “where have you been, I ask. We all ask.”
Hampton was attempting to secure city officials' involvement in the current school controversy following the firing of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Benjamin Edmondson in December. His firing and surrounding administrative issues have prompted protests by school groups, parents, students and teachers at public meetings along with resignations of administrative personnel in the district.
“So here we sit after his (Edmondson's) departure in December with a former emergency manager serving as interim superintendent making $6,000 a week, the second highest paid superintendent in the state. With his expertise and networking and alignment with the board, we have an interim executive director of finance, an interim director of instruction, an interim director of human resources, an interim director of technology and two interim administrators at middle schools,” Hampton said.
“As we are public servants, I ask if you don't serve the kids and their well-being, then who are we going to serve. If not for their future, then for the preservation of our community. When you have a failing school district you will slowly suffocate the community,” she said.
Members of the council responded to Hampton during a later portion of the meeting agenda, noting that the city officials had nothing to do with the operation or management at the school district and had no authority under law to interfere or act in the situation.
They were, they explained, elected by voters to represent their interests at the city level, not in the schools and had no authority to take any leadership role in the school district.
Councilman William Wadsworth was obviously taken aback by Hampton's criticism of the council noting that he was a 55-year resident of the community and had three sons who were educated in the Romulus schools along with four grandsons and had always supported the school district.
“I campaigned for school millages and got negative feedback for it,” Wadsworth said. “I don't want to leave the impression with people that we don't do anything. I've done a lot for the schools as a parent and a supporter,” he said, noting that the school district was a separate and autonomous entity in which city officials have no authority.
