Dearest Reader,
A breadcrumb from Coleman Community Schools has led this author down a most diverting little rabbit hole. Not a tale of rules broken, but of a rule she cannot seem to find.
The family tree, verified: Superintendent Jennifer McCormack's husband, Aaron McCormack, teaches science in the district. Elementary Principal Cindy Araway's daughters, Jessica, the Spanish/ELL instructor, and Sara, a paraprofessional, both draw a Coleman paycheck. Board President Lorie Fox's husband, Steve, and nephew, Alex, are both district teachers. The staff directory confirms all.
A search of Coleman's public Board policies turned up nothing addressing nepotism, the employment of relatives, or relatives sharing a chain of supervision. NOT A SINGLE THING
A second breadcrumb: Coleman announced Miss Araway's Spanish instruction beginning in 2021, yet the MDE credential search shows her Interim Teaching Certificate wasn't issued until October 30, 2023. No earlier permit in evidence. State-aid reports from those years show no Section 163 deduction for an uncertified teacher.
This author alleges nothing. She only asks:
What authorization covered that instruction before October 2023? And with so many family ties woven through the district's leadership, why does Coleman have no policy on the matter at all?
Sometimes the most telling page in a policy manual is the one left blank.
With receipts, and with respect,
Lady Budgetdown
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