Macomb Today

The Richmond Community School District addressed a number of teacher issues at its March 27 board meeting.

The district acknowledged that Mark Ladd had resigned from his position as assistant varsity football coach, along with David Trombley, a fourth-grade teacher. The district then revealed several new hires, including a new high school science teacher who will start May 1, and a paraprofessional and former teacher to be the spelling bee advisor at the elementary school since no internal candidates had applied for the position.

Board Member Margaret Teltow recognized two district staff members she felt had done an outstanding job in recent weeks.

She thanked Stephanie Cabral, the secretary at Richmond Middle School, for her help in quickly ushering and directing her when she arrived late to the school to read at a "March is Reading Month" event. Teltow felt very welcomed and reassured by her calm demeanor.

Also recognized was Kaylynne Brown, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at the middle school where Teltow also read to students. Teltow said that she enjoyed the positive interaction of her classroom.  

“I read in her classroom, and the vibe in her classroom was very cool. I came prepared to read books, and she had two books that she offered for me to read,” Teltow said. “And they were 'Imperfect Poems About Mistakes' and 'Imperfect Poems about Perspective.' And they are anthologies for middle school students. Just amazing. So amazing that when I went home that night, I ordered them and got them over the weekend. But just some really, really good words for the kids. And you can tell she lives by those with the students in just the little bit that I was in the room. So a shout-out to her.”

The board also acknowledged Kathy Campau, a teacher at the middle school, who was named the Macomb County Outstanding Teacher of the Year. She will be recognized at a dinner on Thursday, April 20, with the other award winners and is happy to represent the district.

The board also received a public comment from Cheryl Jahr, a district teacher and member of the education association. She talked about preventing dissatisfaction in teachers that causes them to resign and leave the district.

She also discussed recent efforts to bargain between administration and teachers, including changes in salaries and benefits. Jahr wanted equitable rates across the board for all teachers, especially those who have worked in the district for decades. She asked the board and administration to rethink their new salary matrix, which she sees as benefiting new hires to the district more than veteran teachers.