An Open Letter to Forest Hills Residents: The Future of Our Schools is Truly in Your Hands
Dear Forest Hills Community,
By now, we hope you’ve heard at least a small rumbling that something is happening here in Forest Hills. When we tell you we are on the highest alert as parents over the future of the schools we proudly chose for our students, it’s less alarmist and sadly 100% truth.
What you’re about to read is a genuine ask for you to join us in the fight of our time to protect all that we love about Forest Hills Public Schools and the integrity of our Board of Education. We chose this district for what it is and all that it offers, which is why we cannot sit idly by while a politically motivated group tries to change everything.
A little over a year ago, hyper-partisan politicians (who are now handcuffed and under investigation) pitched a national strategy to “rebuild America from the ground, up” by taking over school boards and moving on from there. Their suggested approach was to launch a steady stream of lies and disinformation that paint schools as failing indoctrination centers. (We debunk all of this in our guide to disinformation.)
Unfortunately, this tactic inspired attacks across the country and reached Forest Hills when a local attack group of mostly non-FHPS individuals attempted to overthrow our school board and Lowell’s board at the same time with a political recall stunt in December that they had the audacity to dub “the Christmas Miracle.” Thankfully it lacked any substance and failed to advance to a formal recall.
Our school board and educators have been more than accommodating to the various “concerns” of this group, yet they have taken extreme measures to protest and harass students outside of school buildings during Covid, scream over microphones at meetings, and threaten people. In fact, at a board meeting in February 2022, members of this group moved their chairs next to us to be able to whisper disgusting obscenities and awful names into our ears as a physical intimidation tactic. (We hear this traveling group did the same to attendees of neighboring district meetings.)
That group is now running a slate of people who are highly critical of FHPS under an “America First Candidates” headline. Not kids first. Not FHPS first. Their cute chalkboard sign is very misleading and doesn’t display all the baggage behind it. This campaign is purely an answer to that original call to take over and assert control over OUR children.
The lack of discretion to actually proceed with trying to take over the schools based on a prompt from conspiracy theorists is evidence enough that we cannot allow these radical tactics and beliefs on the school board.
Here’s What We Are Asking of You
We are asking for your trust and support. Our 100% volunteer group of current Forest Hills Public Schools parents has put in thousands of hours of work and research to immerse ourselves in this frightening landscape, learn everything we can, and try to protect the integrity of our schools.
We check facts and dispel disinformation. Most important, we have vetted candidates who DESERVE a seat around the table of a top 5% school district nationally (US News & World Report).
In effort to save the schools, too many great candidates stepped up. We respect, admire, and appreciate all of them. But mathematically, we need you to rally around us to elect FOUR pro-public education and pro-FHPS candidates to the Board of Education. This is the majority of our seven-seat Board and the fate of our operations, district and reputation as a destination school rests on this table.
There is a wide array of personal preferences on these great candidates. What we hope you will consider is joining us in backing the candidates we have vetted through surveys, background research, and our recent school board candidate forum.
We had to make some extremely hard decisions to arrive at these candidate recommendations, but it comes down to the math – and is nothing personal.
Endorsed Candidates
There are three open seats for six-year terms and one open seat for a special two-year term. Support FHPS endorses:
Six-Year Term
Dr. CJ Michaud – Appointed to the Forest Hills Public Schools Board of Education in spring 2022, CJ is a respected public servant and district alumni. He also plans to send all four of his children through the district.
Malorie Ninemeier, CPA – A finance expert, Malorie can fill the shoes of the outgoing board member who served as treasurer and a chair of the finance committee. She is a dedicated PTO parent.
Two-Year Term
Ed Aboufadel, PhD – Associate VP of Academic Affairs at GVSU and recipient of an “Outstanding Teacher” award at GVSU, Ed has deep experience in governance and student and educator engagement. He is a professor of mathematics and proud FHPS father.
We adore Mary Vonck, who had initially announced her retirement from the school board in January 2022, but who stepped up in summer 2022 to file in the 2-year section of the race to offer continuity of service during this stormy period.
The next part is a bit tricky. We took a risk in endorsing just three candidates up top. But, getting out the vote at all and encouraging votes specifically on this lesser-attended section of the ballot will help. A fourth pick in the six-year section could include:
Current school board president Suzanne Callahan is already leading strategic planning efforts for the district and offers the continuity Mary has been encouraging. We still have a very young school board.
Justin Sheldon is a GVSU educator and public education advocate. He offers new perspective as a LGBTQ candidate who hopes to provide representation.
Brian Spratke is an involved FHPS parent and scout troop leader who advocates for special needs services within the district.
PLEASE make a voting plan to secure and return an absentee ballot or cast your vote in person on November 8. Vote in the school board section and tell everyone you know to do the same.
Please also vote YES on the recreation millage that provides locally generated funding for low-cost Forest Hills Public Schools community services programming (in the Enjoy Learning catalog), for all ages.
Together, we can save Forest Hills Public Schools.
Contact us for a yard sign and reach out with any questions!
Thank you,
Support FHPS