Editorial: Weak school board holds can of worms

The Van Buren School Board met for more than three hours Monday night with a crowd packed tightly into the high school’s mini auditorium.
The board, absent vice president Martha Toth, listened to representatives from four firms and then chose the Michigan Association of School Boards to conduct the search for a superintendent at a cost of $7,200. The board wants a new superintendent by July 1.
Trustee Sherry Frazier tried to get fellow board members to immediately put back to work the five teachers the former superintendent had removed in December, but board members didn’t budge. In fact, Trustee Kelly Owen refused to say even one word in a brief, but loud, board discussion on the issue. Trustee Allison Bennett said it would be “kind of sticking our neck out” to put the teachers back to work without the OK of the attorney.
President Brent Mikulski said the board’s attorney couldn’t be present that night but will be here for next Monday’s work/study session. President Mikulski turned it into a special meeting so action can be taken if the board likes, but he’s not promising anything.
Sounds like they’ll start out with another closed-door session on the long-festering Savage situation and then come back for discussion by the board and public. Everyone agrees the Savage fiasco has to be settled before the superintendent search begins. What candidate would want to work for this weak board that’s holding a can of worms?