School boardmember was fierce in her loyalty of Hamtramck

It is a sad note to hear that longtime Hamtramck School Boardmember Joan Borushko has been forced to step down due to ill health.

Ms. Borushko is Hamtramck through and through, and has served this community for over 25 years with honor and dignity.

But make no mistake, she was no easy pushover and definitely stood her ground. Ms. Borushko wouldn’t hesitate to throw herself into battle and defend her positions and beliefs.

We should all be so bold to hold firm to what we believe.

Many folks know of Joan through her public works, but few knew just how much she contributed outside the light of public office. She would often help those in need on her own time without fanfare or demand attention.

If you were down on your heels and needed help, Joan was there for you. We know, we have seen this private side of her.

Joan was fierce in her loyalty of Hamtramck and the people who lived here. She fought hard to keep this city and school district solvent and independent.

She has also gone out of her way to make sure our students got every nickel and dime due to them from our state and federal governments. That often took a lot of time and energy to cut through government red tape and its inherent double-talk.

We wish Joan could have finished her term. But, true to her spirit, she left on her own terms, and made her decision based on what’s best for the community.

She left because she knew she couldn’t give 100 percent of her energy to the district, and knew it was time to let someone else step in.

Those are going to be very big shoes to fill.

We wish her replacement, Eric Burkman, the best of luck in carrying on Joan’s legacy.

Joan, on behalf of all the kids you have helped and supported, we thank you dearly.