a dash of ash

october 14 2022

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the fact that for as long as I can remember, I couldn’t wait to be a teacher. In my younger years, I would print off an absurd amount of worksheets found on homeschooling websites solely for my enjoyment. I have had some truly amazing teachers throughout my educational experience, but I find that the teachers whose classrooms I had the pleasure of sitting in as an elementary-middle schooler formed me a great deal. These teachers fueled a very early-occurring passion for education, which was only strengthened by the stellar teachers I learned from in my later years. However, it was a miracle that my early education had developed me as much as it had. Not at the fault of the teachers, but rather, Richmond Community Schools as a whole. Looking at the current state of the school district (shambles) I’m disappointed to admit that I am thankful I chose a different route than a K-12 teacher, as I am not sure what I would have done had I wound up in a district as toxic as this one. 

The slogan that the district plasters on all communications is Guaranteed Learning for All Students, but for as long as I can remember, the tiny school district with a disproportionate ego never really seemed to acknowledge any accomplishments unless they were sports-related. So, if you didn’t play a sport – you were deemed irrelevant, by the administration as well as by your peers. What a way to begin your education. If you beg to differ, I suggest logging onto the Macomb Daily website and enter ‘Richmond’ into the search bar. To save you the hassle: you would be greeted with precisely 1925 results 897 of which are tagged as ‘Sports’ and 572 as ‘High School Sports.’ The most recent headline that features Richmond is “Armada goes for BWAC football championship against rival Richmond.” That’s great, and for anyone who is familiar with the small town rivalry, it’s a big deal. If you’re in high school (or if you never left). The most recent headline prior to this one mentioning Richmond states “Richmond board member chastised by peers,” in which it is explained that one of the members of the School Board took it upon herself to call up the previous district of the newly hired Richmond High School Principal and inquire about her.* This article establishes a poor reputation for the school district on two separate grounds: One being that the individual who reached out to investigate demonstrates a general distrust in the newly-hired administrator (who I had the pleasure of having as a 9th grade economics teacher, and let me tell you, if she can run a school as well as she ran a classroom she will do just fine); the second being that advertising grumblings amongst administrators such as this creates a much more political atmosphere than an educational one – is that really what we want our students to learn in school? 

It seems as though the school district itself is still living in the past. If you visit their website, it’s only proof that the school is about 15 years behind. One is greeted with an automated photo slideshow that does not quite fit on the screen and warps the already low-quality photos ever-so-slightly, but they’re clear enough to see that they are at least four years old as they depict students I went to middle school with (and I just graduated college). There’s two buttons toward the left of the screen that have always stuck out like a sore thumb, one of which is the “MI School Data” link. I invite you all to click on this link, and determine whether the numbers portrayed seem satisfactory. For some context, by generating the report based on Richmond Community Schools, the statistics portray that only 66% of students are proficient in English Language Arts by the end of Third Grade. This isn’t a significantly startling statistic when compared to the dooming 22.8% of students that are proficient in Math and English 3-8, or the 20.9% of students that are proficient on M-STEP 11th grade in all subjects.*(2)

These aren’t the only numbers that are dooming to the school’s reputation, deeming it practically negligible. If you’re at all invested in education, you’re probably familiar with the annual U.S. News school ranking. This ranking does not portray the school gracefully, ranking them 8480th nationally, and 279th in the state of Michigan.**(3) However, the pride in the school’s sports and the administrative politics are unwavering. 

The school has been under the leadership of superintendent Brian Walmsley since I was a student there – roughly 7 or 8 years to my knowledge. During this time, he has made questionable decisions, those of which I had heard talk about but did not pay much mind to. It wasn’t until I returned home mid-way through my freshman year of college due to the emerging pandemic that I was personally frustrated with the policies this individual was implementing. Amidst COVID, Superintendent Walmsley chose to omit all sense of accountability from the virtual learning environment. Two years following this, shortly after earning my Bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies and beginning my studies toward a Master’s in Leadership, I was appalled to discover what has been happening more recently in the district. 

It all began when I saw a post created by a Facebook group entitled “Blue Devil Watchdogs” reposted by a former Richmond parent. The post begins with a hastily written “Those of us who have been around for years know the drill. In the coming days there “might” be something released in support of the leader of the district. This has been done repeatedly in the past 8 years, it will most likely say – the focus should be on the kids, the classes, the curriculum, the everyday. This negatively shown view is doing us no good.” Although I’m unaware of who the author of this post is, I have to say that I personally disagree with how this view was presented. Of course, everyone is entitled to question the decisions made by the school district that their students attend, but I’m baffled at the fact that encouraging the focus to be placed on students, classes and curriculum is portrayed as a “negative view” in this emotionally-fueled monologue. 

This post continues to drone on, sprinkling words written in all-caps every few sentences. It then arrives at a startling point: “128 ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT EMPLOYEES – READ THAT AGAIN. While some of the 128 were retirees (who retired early when they didn’t want to) most of the people on this list of 128 – it is a known fact that the leader’s behavior was the direct factor in their decision to leave/quit/retire.”*(4) Despite the grammatical errors, and the prominent fear-mongering present within this text, it definitely does its job by not just grabbing the reader’s attention, but seizes it entirely. Now, it’s important to note that there are no sources provided as to where the authors of this page receive their information, which would be helpful in rallying the troops to be more involved in this situation – for all we know, their source is small-town gossip. If there is some truth to this information, the fact that over 100 teachers left the district is dastardly to say the least, especially considering the fact that the collective student population is roughly 1,500.*(5) However, it’s vital to point out that this post also doesn’t give a time frame in which these 128 employees supposedly left the district. Though it doesn’t make much of a difference, it is still a considerable difference between this occurring in the span of one year or eight. 

After reading through this post, I found myself intrigued, despite not having been associated with the school district for several years. I fell down a rabbit hole of fear-mongering posts regarding the school administration and staff, plagued with grammatical errors, nonetheless. I visited the page for the Facebook group itself and scrolled all the way down to the beginning of the plethora of posts they have created over the past month. The first one begins with “Well well well, here we go again!” undoubtedly referring to the continuous dissatisfaction that students, parents and teachers have felt toward the school’s leadership and administration over the past years. Then, the previously mentioned news article regarding the board member that was reprimanded for her “behavior” was mentioned, though more sympathetically than the news article had portrayed her: “…the treasurer requested some information regarding a new hire in the district, in doing so she apparently stated she was a school board member, which apparently is a board violation. And, all hell breaks loose.”*(6) Based on the wording of this, it seems as though apparently someone is making a great deal of doubtful assumptions regarding the situation, rather than researching and referencing where exactly in the bylaws of the Board of Education it states that that is a violation. Then, it will be apparent. 

A post written roughly two weeks after this states that “We are disgusted and sickened by the news of the Richmond Middle School Principal’s treatment this morning and subsequent dismissal. Another display of unprofessionalism by a leader who thinks he is above all. Our thoughts are for the staff and students tomorrow – all wearing black in honor of an amazing employee who gave 25 years to the district. When will this end?”*(7) Now, I was confused about this post, as no context was given as to what treatment was demonstrated toward the former Middle School Principal (who served as Principal when I attended Richmond Schools). Despite my lack of knowledge regarding the situation, I still remain confused as to how exactly the students and staff wearing black would be proactive in solving any type of issue. Sure, it makes a statement, but based on previous behavior from the superintendent, I’m not sure what the motive behind this action was. I continue scrolling up to find the context I needed to better understand this post. 

And, then, I find the horrible Gothic-font letterhead and faint Blue Devil mascot watermark taking up the entirety of the page staring me down. This was the letterhead that notes to parents from school administration would be typed on, so this had to be good. There were several displays of disregard shown in this travesty of an administrative mass communications letter. 

The letter goes on to contradict the rumors flooding the small-town community. This is something that was most-likely deemed necessary because, if you’re unfamiliar, everyone talks in a small town. The letter begins by stating that the principal had accepted a job elsewhere and continues to include supposed direct quotes from his resignation letter. Then, I finally receive clarity as to what was claimed to have happened: 

“Mr. Bartels continued to say in his resignation letter, “I will make every effort to leave on the best of terms by completing my assignment and making smooth transitions for those who will be taking my responsibilities.” Last Thursday, in a meeting with Mr. Bartels, the district determined that he completed his assignment, thus allowing him to focus on his new position. Contrary to what has been printed on social media and false statements circulating the community, the district did not call the police to escort Mr. Bartels off campus, nor was he taken out in handcuffs. Those statements are simply not true. Standard protocol when dealing with any employee severance, whether voluntary or involuntary, is to consider the emotions that may be displayed and how they might play out. Emotions were high and for the safety of all, including the students and staff currently in the building, it was determined to have the Director of Human Resources and the police liaison officer, who was requested to be on site for another reason, to escort Mr. Bartels. At no time were any students or staff in immediate danger.”*(8)

I understand if you had to read that a few times over, because I did the same. Most prominently in my opinion, it seems odd that the school district would decide that the principal’s assignment was complete on a random Thursday. I would assume that in order to make the smoothest transition, it would have been at the end of a school week, and especially not in the middle of the day, as is implied by the rumors, as students most likely witnessed this happening and told their parents, originating the rumors. Overall, I believe this letter is an irreparable demonstration of oversharing. If this communication was intended for parents and guardians, there was no reason to give a detailed description of what happened, and it almost fuels the suspicion, making it known that they feel they need to provide a far too drawn-out depiction of what happened. Moreover, the reasoning that this was “standard protocol when dealing with any employee severance, whether voluntary or involuntary” seems to be some type of façade, as I find it difficult to believe an employee that was voluntarily resigning would demonstrate emotions so high they needed to be escorted out of the building. More so, if his emotions were high, as is depicted by this letter, I would think that an escort out of a building he has worked at for years in front of students and staff would only heighten the emotions of the situation.

As someone who has studied education and is currently studying leadership at the postgraduate level, everything about this school district is wrong. At the administrative level, the superintendent is so far disconnected from the staff, the parents, and the students, I can’t imagine he even enjoys going to work anymore because of the hole he has dug himself into. From the community’s perspective, and maybe even from their own, the only reason for the School Board’s existence is for the creation of drama and excitement in a small town, prioritizing the politics over the students’ and staff members’ well being. Any individual who has ever bragged about how many wins or championships a sports team has needs to reevaluate their priorities (especially those who are parents) – sure, you got 4 state championships in a row, but only 22.8% of students are proficient in Math and English 3-8. That doesn’t disturb you in the slightest?

Essentially, all sides of this situation are wrong. The community prioritizes the sports and administrative politics of the school far more than they focus on the learning that actually takes place in the schools. Might I remind you that education is indeed the purpose for having schools, they should not be a source for your small town gossip. In turn, the administration has done the same. During my time in this district there were repeated talks of the arts programs getting cut but ample talk about the additional funding and effort being put into the sports team. The School Board is composed of people who are either far too removed from the district, or are too personally invested in the district. 

To those parents who do give a damn about the educational atmosphere they are sending their children to every day – sending your student to school in black isn’t going to accomplish anything but poking the bear. If you truly want to do something, ensure that the members of the School Board are truly in it for the purpose of improving the educational atmosphere. Forget the sports. Forget politics. And most importantly, do your research on the candidates for the School Board. What this district needs is a truly experienced professional with a seasoned background in education to repair the irreparable. To end with a suggestion: instead of just resorting to voting for whoever is on the ballot, or voting for someone because they’re a “friend” or you “know them,” do your research on the town and solicit someone who knows how to properly navigate decisions regarding education to put their name on the ballot, rather than someone who has too much time on their hands and wants to fuel the small town gossip.

*Tuttle, N. (2022, September 25). Richmond board member chastised by peers. Macomb Daily. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from Macomb Daily.

*(2) State of Michigan. (2022). Macomb ISD (50) Richmond Community Schools (50180) All Schools in District. MI School Data. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from MI School Data.

*(3) U.S. News & World Report L.P.  (2022). Richmond Community High School. U.S. News: Education. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from USNews.

*(4) Blue Devil Watchdogs. (2022, October 13). Those of us who have been around for years know the drill. In the coming days there “might” be something…  [Status update]. Facebook.

*(5) U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Direct Directory Information: Richmond Community Schools. National Center For Education Statistics . Retrieved October 14, 2022, from NCES.

*(6) Blue Devil Watchdogs. (2022, September 16). Well well well, here we go again! Please pass this on to anyone you know who has children, lives, works…[Status update]. Facebook.

*(7) Blue Devil Watchdogs. (2022, September 29). We are disgusted and sickened by the news of the Richmond Middle School Principal’s treatment this morning and subsequent dismissal …[Status update]. Facebook.

*(8) Walmsley, B. (2022, October 3). RE: Principal & Secretaries, Student Demonstrations, and Transgender Students. Richmond, MI; Richmond Community Schools.