FLINT, MI -- Anita Steward is resigning from her position as Flint Community Schools superintendent, making her the sixth leader of the district that has either quit or been fired in the last decade.
Flint Community Schools confirmed the resignation with a statement Friday evening. Interim Superintendent Kevelin Jones will take Steward’s place.
“The Flint Community Schools Board of Education has appointed Kevelin Jones interim superintendent to replace Anita Steward, who resigned as the district’s superintendent earlier today. The team at Flint Community Schools is dedicated to providing our community’s children with a safe place to learn, grow and play.”
Steward is currently suing the school board for violating district bylaws and procedures and interfering with her day-to-day operations. Steward’s been on leave since Sept. 2, just days before the lawsuit was filed. She briefly returned from Nov. 5 to today.
Board President Carol McIntosh and board members Joyce Ellis-McNeal, Danielle Green and Laura MacIntyre are each named as defendants in the lawsuit. Adrian Walker is the only then-active board member not named in the lawsuit.
There will be a hearing on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Dec. 6 at the Genesee County Circuit Court. It was originally scheduled for Nov. 15, but was adjourned to a later date.
Requests for comment from Flint Community Schools Attorney Charis Lee and Steward’s Attorney Tom Pabst went unanswered Friday.
Steward proceeded former superintendent Derrick Lopez, whose contract was terminated without cause by the board in a 4-1 vote in June of 2020.
Prior to his termination, Lopez had been suspended with pay pending board investigation after a mid-April board meeting. In the same meeting, the board added the memorandum to Lopez’s personnel file, in which the board said it expects “significantly better performance” from the district’s superintendent. The Flint Journal-MLive obtained the memo via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Pursuant to Lopez’s employment agreement, Lopez received a year’s salary and fringe benefits totaling around $207,000. His salary was $165,000 with the rest accounting for benefits.
The agreement also voided a disciplinary memorandum that had been added to his record.
Since 2005, the district has now had eight different superintendents: Walter Milton (2005-2007), Linda Thompson (2008-2012), Lawrence Watkins (2013-2015), Bilal Tawwab (2015-2018), Gregory Weatherspoon (2018), Derrick Lopez (2018-2020), Anita Steward (2020-2021) and now Kevelin Jones.
MLive-The Flint Journal Reporter Winter Keefer contributed to this report.
Read more on MLive:
Flint schools files motion to dismiss lawsuit from superintendent
Flint superintendent Anita Steward files lawsuit against board of education
Flint school board issues warning to superintendent for not keeping members informed
Flint schools superintendent on personal leave after performance review
Two Flint school board members resign
Anita Steward takes over as Flint Community Schools superintendent
Flint schools will pay $207,000 to ousted superintendent, void disciplinary record
Steward resigns as Flint schools superintendent amid pending lawsuit - MLive.com
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