Flint Board of Ed pledges to continue negotiations with Flint teachers after sickout, strike vote
By Harold Ford A whirlwind day of intense labor relations in Flint Community Schools (FCS) on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 began with an early-morning “sick-out” by teachers that closed all 11 of the district’s in-use school buildings. (Holmes students are currently housed in a wing of the Southwestern building as renovations are underway at the Holmes campus.) Later in the day, during an afternoon meeting at the Michigan Education...
Global Flint Initiative: ‘making Flint a welcoming and engaging community’
By Harold C. Ford “Immigrants are a breath of fresh air.” – Jennifer Alvey, University of Michigan-Flint, March 5, 2024 On Tuesday, March 5 a diverse group of more than 40 people from the Flint area gathered at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library to launch the Global Flint Initiative (GFI), a cross-organizational effort to make the city “a welcoming community” to immigrants. “It’s really important work that we are all embarking on …...
Final phase of Flint’s Saginaw Street restoration project to begin March 11
Saginaw Street will be closed between First Street and Kearsley Street beginning Monday, March 11, 2024, as the final phase of the city’s downtown brick restoration and infrastructure project gets underway. The project will see the restoration of Flint’s main thoroughfare “brick-by-brick” as well as upgrades to all underground utilities from Court Street to the Flint River, including water main replacement,...
City of Flint to hold vigil for late Councilman Eric Mays, Clerk’s Office shares interim appointment information
By EVM Staff The City of Flint will host a candlelight vigil in memory of Flint City Councilman Eric Mays, who passed away on Feb. 24, 2024. The vigil will take place in front of Flint City Hall at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, according to a city press release on March 1. “A voice like Councilman Mays’ can never be replaced,” said Mayor Sheldon Neeley, whom Mays had often disagreed with publicly and sued multiple times in the last...
Flint City Councilman Eric Mays dies at 65
By Kate Stockrahm Flint City Councilman Eric Mays has passed away at age 65. The City of Flint confirmed the 1st Ward councilman’s death late on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 in a press statement, which also noted that the Flint City Hall flag would be lowered to half-mast beginning Feb. 26 in Mays’ honor. “I am so going to miss My Colleague, My Friend,” Councilwoman Tonya Burns posted to Facebook after news of...
Education Beat: Teachers continue protests; no settlement yet with Flint school district
By Harold C. Ford “We’ve got a heck of a job ahead of us.” – Joyce Ellis-McNeal, president, Flint Board of Education, Sept. 21, 2024 Following a five-hour meeting of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) on Wednesday, Feb. 21, no settlement was reached on a new agreement with the United Teachers of Flint (UTF). About half of the meeting was spent in closed session with Timothy Gardner, an attorney with the East Lansing-based Thrun Law...
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