As actively engaged public citizens with a vested interested in the outcomes of Jackson Public Schools, it has been brought to our attention that Superintendent Jeff Beal inadvertently sent a text message to JPS Board Trustee Kesha Hamilton meant for another person in a public district meeting, in which this text message read, “KH is barely competent at understanding the English language as it pertains to the Superintendent evaluation.” 

Whereas this behavior is not only inappropriate as the superintendent is speaking in reference to and about one of his direct supervisors, but exacerbates a long standing division among the Board and between Trustee Hamilton, Trustee Brown and the other Board members, that undermines a collaborative Board process and furthers board disruption, and

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal was hired in 2014, and;

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal said in his 2014 interview for the job as Superintendent that it “would be his priority as superintendent to remove the state’s “priority” ranking from the Middle School at Parkside and Bennett, Cascades, Frost and Northeast schools,” and;

Whereas currently three schools within JPS are on the state’s “priority” list as either “index below threshold” or as “both graduation rate and index below threshold, and;

Whereas these schools are John R. Lewis, Fourth Street Learning Center, and South Central Michigan Virtual, and;(https://www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/OEAA/Accountability/Index/202122_CSI_List.pdf

Whereas these three schools are essentially the same student demographic that made up much of the 2014 priority schools of Frost and Cascades and Parkside, and;

Whereas JPS district is currently ranked in the bottom 50% of performing schools in the State of Michigan, and; (https://www.publicschoolreview.com/michigan/jackson-public-schools-school-district/2619620-school-district

Whereas JPS currently has 9 out of 12 schools ranked below 50% and only ranking positively as a School District in “diversity” and “community size,” and;

Whereas JPS current student achievement measures indicate students overall are performing below proficiency in math and reading with students of color disproportionately represented with the lowest scores as compared to their white counterparts, and;(https://www.publicschoolreview.com/michigan/jackson-public-schools-school-district/2619620-school-district

Whereas  Superintendent Jeff Beal continues to receive a $60K salary addendum for a previous HR role he has since hired someone to fill, and;

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal has written this addendum in his contract and the Board approved, to be a continuous salary increase although he no longer directly assumes any responsibilities of the role as Director of Human Resources currently filled by Jessica Carter who is receiving a $92K salary for the same role, and; (https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2023/01/jackson-school-board-at-odds-over-superintendent-pay-evaluation-process.html#:~:text=After%20the%20board's%20approval%20of,it%20was%20approved%20in%202020

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal eliminated a previous HR role held by Nicole Johnson, who filed formal complaints with the JPS board at the time and who spoke before the JPS board in 2022 supporting other accusations by former staff of retaliation and bullying by Superintendent Jeff Beal, and;

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal’s wife currently works for and within the Jackson Public School District, with two of his children also currently or previously worked for JPS, exhibiting clearly a scenario of nepotism, and;

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal has been the subject of intense controversy during his time as Superintendent, and;(https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2022/02/jackson-school-board-votes-to-investigate-exchange-between-member-and-superintendent.html

Whereas Superintendent Jeff Beal has been accused on multiple occasions of harassment and retaliation by staff, contractors, and board trustees, and;

Whereas two publicly known lawsuits have been filed against Superintendent Jeff Beal by former JPS teachers, and;(https://www.wilx.com/content/news/2-Jackson-teachers-sue-claiming-district-allows-violent-students-to-run-wild-563402081.html

 

Whereas one lawsuit resulted in declarative and compensatory damages in judgment against Jackson Public Schools as a direct result of the actions of Superintendent Jeff Beal acting by and through another Administrative staff, namely Jeremy Patterson, and;(https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2018/03/teacher_awarded_more_than_3750.html

Whereas that judgment was for retaliation and violation of the Michigan Whistleblower Act, costing the district more than $700K in total after damages and legal fees, and;

Whereas, the jury in that whistleblower retaliation case awarded her over $388,000 in damages in 2018, and;

Whereas JPS appealed the case, but Michigan’s Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the jury’s decision, and;(https://www.thrunlaw.com/content/court-upholds-400000-jury-verdict-whistleblower%E2%80%99s-case

Whereas the appellate court ruled that the evidence presented by the plaintiff “supported an inference that (JPS’) employment actions were taken because it was upset about her decisions to report the assault to the police and to pursue the PPO within the court system.”

Whereas many former teachers who’ve left the district and only willing to speak off the record, have confirmed to many in private the accusations of intimidation, retaliation and harassment of JPS staff by Superintendent Jeff Beal, and;

Whereas over the last five years numerous former JPS teachers, current and former students, and community citizens have spoke publicly before the Board and have told riveting and painfully sad stories of aggression, retaliation, and bullying done to them by Superintendent Jeff Beal, and;

Whereas this type of behavior exhibited by Superintendent Jeff Beal is unbecoming of a School district’s chief executive leader, and; 

Whereas we the undersigned signatories resolutely confirm our commitment to the district and our students and families, and;

Whereas our commitment and responsibility to both the district and our students and their families, requires us to identify the above declarations as warranting a formal resolution calling forth for the following:

JPS Board of Trustees call for a formal public apology to Trustee Hamilton for the inappropriate text message;

That Superintendent Jeff Beal formally resign from his role as Jackson Public School Superintendent