The silence from the HPS District is deafening

Is there anyone home over at the Hamtramck Public Schools?
Last week, it was announced by the Michigan Department of Education that $7.2 million in promised federal funding was being clawed back from the district.
Despite requests for comment, the district remained silent for three days.
In that time, guess who became the unofficial spokesperson for the district?
It was Toni Coral, the president of the HPS teachers’ union, who was interviewed by a local TV news crew.
Did we hear from the interim superintendent? The board of education president?
It wasn’t until Wednesday evening that Board of Education President Abdulmalik Algahaim posted a response on his Facebook page, claiming that the dollar amount in question is actually half the $7.2 million figure.
How comforting.
That was hardly a response — to just say the Feds have it wrong.
There was no comment on the potential impact on the district’s finances, nor even how unfair and irrational it is for the Feds to renege on a financial promise.
That’s not leadership, folks. That’s an example of school officials avoiding being open to the public or addressing their concerns.
This is indicative of the secretive, non-transparent attitude of the district.
It makes you wonder what else is going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about.
Hamtramck parents and taxpayers deserve so much better.
Posed April 11, 2025