HPS legal woes take away money for educating

What can one say about a school district that attracts so many lawsuits?
There are a lot of things that baffle us about the Hamtramck Public School District, but the most mysterious one is that the district is facing about a dozen lawsuits.
And most of them are from former and current employees.
Perhaps the strangest lawsuit is one that has been filed by Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed. What kind of a superintendent takes its own district to court while still on the job? And by “on the job,” we mean when she’s not on paid leave again — and again.
And what kind of board of education not only keeps her on the job while being sued, but also gives her a salary increase and contract extension?
Bizarre doesn’t even begin to explain it.
But one thing is for sure.
As we pointed out last week, these lawsuits – including Ahmed’s – are costing the district a fortune in legal fees; about $1 million over the last three-and-a-half years.
That’s $1 million less that went to educating our youth – which is the main mission of any school district.
The board of education needs to think long and hard about this situation, and the future of employing a superintendent who is actually hostile to the district.
Posted March 22, 2024