On September 25, 2008 the Cadillac Evening News reported the area's Fall enrollment numbers. MarionPublic Schools had the biggest drop, losing 62 kids.At $7,000 in state aid per student, this equates to an annual loss of $434,000 from Marion’s budget.Meanwhile, next door neighbor McBain gained 72 students.
Superintendent Charles Chase was gone 3 days from school recently and has been interviewing in other districts.Did he use vacation days for this or do we pay him well over $100,000 in benefits and salary to look for work elsewhere and stay home in Traverse City?
No teachers have yet been hired to fill the business or ½ time social studies positions. Currently two non-qualified teachers have been made full-time substitutes. One is reported as getting full day sub pay ($100 a day & some benefits) - for completing a half day schedule. Despite federal and state laws requiring highly qualified teachers, high school principal Larry Johnson and superintendent Charles Chase continue to use Marion’s funds for a connected few.Both substitutes have either an administrator or board member relative.It is known that highly qualified teachers did apply for these positions.
The discipline room led by teacher Vicki Schuette is ready to go, but it is not running as the high school principal has refused to implement this community backed project. Classes began 4 weeks ago.
Concerned citizens and S.O.S. members met again, this time at the MarionHigh School, to finalize which questions to present to the Marion School Board.
Marion board members Alicia Michell and Monica Cox sat in on the discussion.
This was the third public meeting by parents and concerned citizens to address the rapidly declining student population of Marion Public Schools.
Discipline was again a hot topic, with many attendees continuing to express dissatisfaction with the administration of the school district.
Over 50 concerned citizens met at the Marion Township Hall on July 10, 2008.
Board members Al Fox, George Johnson, and Alicia Michell attended, but did not participate.
The gathering was sponsored by the SOS (Save Our School) Marion Committee. The committee presented surveys from teachers and parents, and included exit surveys from families who left the District.
"Our main goal is to identify why students are leaving our District at an alarming rate,” stated SOS member Renee Tolgo. "We want a fix to the problem before it is too late.”
SOS member Jim Borders addressed the public and read from several of the surveys. A large number of which indicated that parents were upset with the high school principal. The lack of discipline in his building was a major concern.
This old fashion town meeting became heated on a few occasions, as everyone was afforded the opportunity to speak, and many did.
Several in the group expressed their concerns about the diminishing curriculum, and felt that programs needed to be put back into the high school. Another SOS member stated that the district needed to open communication with the school board.
The group then decided to formulate a list of questions to bring before the school board.
Poised to lose their jobs after a recall election removed 3 of 5 targeted school board members, oft-absent Marion, Michigan superintendent Charles Chase of Traverse City and administrator-related clerk Diana Salisbury admitted on November 30, 2005 (see above 11/30/05 video) that they researched, knew of, and chose to hide the subsequent special election information from the citizens and school board members of Marion Public Schools.
This action denied nearly all registered voters in the district the deadline information necessary to be placed on a special election ballot to replace recalled school board members. No where in American law are public school employees given the power to hide election information from the public.
This unethical behavior occurred after claimed consultations with Osceola County clerk Karen Bluhm.
(Video from NBC 7&4 News Traverse City. National Anthem is sung by Lashell Griffen, winner of Oprah's Pop Star Challenge.)
In April of 2006, a Marion Public Schools board member, Scott Downing, began a six-week hike from Marion through Lansing, Michigan and on to Washington D.C., in an effort to raise awareness of the improprieties of Marion Public Schools. The trip culminated in a meeting with U.S. congressman Dave Camp to discuss the district's failure to disclose financial information; the abuse of police power; and the multiple threats made towards families in Osceola county.
This 700 mile journey began west of Marion, Michigan and continued on through Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
The trip began with Marion high school principal Larry Johnson, not at the high school a mile away, but lying in wait outside the office of Charles Chase. As the news crew and the hiker drew near, Larry Johnson sped off in his truck through the Marion Elementary School crosswalk. As he did so, his hands were clearly visible clapping over his head; his eyes fixed in the rearview mirror.
Miraculously, no Marion Elementary students were injured in this or a remarkably similar incident in which Larry Johnson nearly ran down the crossing guard and multiple school children.
A group of concerned Marion citizens, ranging in age from a current high school student, to a gentleman who graduated from Marion High School seventy (70) years ago, gathered at the Middle Branch Town Hall to discuss the rapidly declining enrollment in the Marion School District. It was pointed out by several people that the educational standards and test scores have dropped dramatically during the seven (7) years since the high school principal was hired. During that time period, Marion has lost 30% of its students, as well as numerous curricular choices. The downward spiral shows no signs of slowing as more parents seek alternative educational programming for their children. However, people were very specific in explaining that their concerns and frustrations are not with the Marion Elementary School.
6/9/08 Marion, Michigan high school principal Larry Johnson strikes again.
In yet another new low for American public education, Marion Public Schools’ high school principal Larry Johnson actually struck former Marion teacher Linda Schrock Taylor with a piece of note paper during the June 9, 2008 Marion Public Schools board meeting.
After speaking during public comment, Linda was informed that principal Johnson had been making derogatory comments behind her back.
Not intimidated by this now common tactic, Linda approached Larry Johnson with a note. In her own words, this is what happened:
No school in northern michigan, or the upper penninsula, could be found to have lower numbers of students meeting minimum standards than Marion Public Schools under principal Larry Johnson and superintendent Charles Chase.
Michigan Merit Exam Spring 07: % of students meeting minimal state standards.
Superintendent Charles Chase has spent $21,800 in 2007 on a marketing firm from his home town of Traverse City, Michigan. A statistically invalid survey and three pages of negative comments are the underwhelming results.
sample comments:
1) "I want to get rid of the high school principal..."
2) "...administration is the problem, mainly the principal and superintendent"
3) "...very unhappy with the high school principal and superintendent, but the teachers are great"
Bollman asked about Marion finances Labor Day 2007.
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After a series of superintendent Charles Chase's small-group, secret meetings featuring deliberating Marion school board members (long ago deemed not legal by Michigan's Supreme Court), Marion's board, under the direction of Ken Bollman voted to enact a series of staffing cuts without any public input; an open violation of Marion school policy.
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The vote included the blatant adding of an assistant principal/athletic director position for board member Christie Prielipp’s relative: Danyel Prielipp.
In February of 2005, Marion resident Scott Downing was forced to call 911 from the Marion Public Schools superintendent's office to get requested school board application forms from Charles Chase and Diana Salisbury. The information requested under the Freedom of Information act in 2005 that he went to pick up on February 3, is still being withheld.
In the Fall of 2007, after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with Marion Public Schools, Scott Downing was forced to serve Marion high school principal Larry Johnson with a summons by county deputies to answer for his multiple, documented false statements.
