Education Beat: Flint schools test scores show modest gain, still lag behind area, state averages
By Harold C. Ford Test scores for students in Flint Community Schools (FCS) showed modest gains in 2018-2019, but lagged significantly behind “similar students” and state averages, according to data released the last week of August by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) scores in Grades 3-7 show overall modest improvement: M-STEP was administered to students in Grades 3-7...
Flint City Council chaos continues: Mays and Gilcreast’s attorney face off
By Tom Travis Meeting in committee sessions Wednesday night, the Flint City Council’s attempt to get answers from City Hall about the handling of bids and rebids for restoration work following water pipeline replacement in the city ended in a shouting match between First Ward Councilman Eric Mays and the attorney for Mayor Karen Weaver’s chief advisor Aonie Gilcreast. The council also heard from the Hurley Medical Center board of...
Education Beat: Flint Schools launch balanced calendar as donated AC units help mitigate heat
By Harold C. Ford “We always talk about our kids being our most valuable resource, so let’s act like it.” — Flint Mayor Karen Weaver at Brownell STEM Academy assembly upon delivery of donated air conditioners Aug. 20 Flint Community Schools (FCS) launched its newly adopted balanced calendar for the 2019-20 school year on Aug. 7, the first day of school for its students. “We had a tremendous first day of school,” according to...
99 years of women’s right to vote celebrated at Crossroads Village
By Paul Rozycki It’s been almost a century since women won the right to vote in the United States. The 99th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women that long fought-for right, was commemorated Aug. 31, at Crossroads Village by nearly 100 women (and some men) dressed as they might have been in the early 20th century. The women all wore white dresses and hats with purple sashes, which in the history of...
Commentary: Are Flint foundations replacing city government? Does it matter?
By Paul Rozycki Editor’s Note: This story was updated Sept. 3 to clarify that the C.S. Mott Foundation, in the fourth year of its five-year $100 million water crisis commitment, has awarded $93.5 million. East Village Magazine’s Mott Foundation grant is separate from that commitment. Also, we have clarified that over the last decades the Ruth Mott Foundation has paid out between $4 million and $7 million annually in...
Flint City Council OKs Chevy Commons sale to Genesee County, rescinds ZMW lease, supports bid protest
By Luther Houle The Flint City Council voted Aug. 26 to sell Flint’s Chevy Commons to Genesee County for $6.2 million in a plan to restore and improve Flint’s riverside parks. The council also passed a resolution to rescind a lease with water bottling company Zero Mass Water, and supported Austin Morgan Contracting in a bid protest against the City. The panel conducted committee meetings for two hours, followed by close to four...
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