18 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2024
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or most Ann Arbor voters,
students and families, the
$20.4 million budget cut
is their foremost concern when
considering whom to vote for in the
upcoming Nov. 5 election for the
Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of
Education.
Many Jewish families face an
additional layer of issues that
influence their voting decisions:
mainly, concern about antisemitism
in the school system and distrust
of board members after a divisive
ceasefire resolution passed in
January.
One family disclosed that their
child in elementary school was
repeatedly subject to antisemitism
from classmates, which fell on deaf
ears when reported to the principal.
The parent says that she pulled her
children from the school district

after her son “was harassed at that
school on a daily basis,” including
explicit references to Jew-hatred.
“The principal was awful,” the
parent added.

ANN ARBOR SCHOOL
BOARD ELECTION
Three seats on the Ann Arbor
Public Schools Board are up
for grabs in November, and an
additional partial-term seat is on
the ballot. Current Board President
Torchio Feaster is running for
the partial-term seat unopposed.
The remaining three term seats
are being sought by the following
candidates: Megan Kanous, Ernesto
Querijero (incumbent), Don
Wilkerson, Leslie Wilkins, Glynda
Wilks and Eric Sturgis.
The election arrives just months
after it was revealed that the district

would need to slash $20.4 million
from its 2024-2025 budget to
maintain fiscal responsibility due
to failure to adequately account
for revenue drop due to the loss of
over 1,000 students in the past four
years, along with a $14 million line-
item error.
As the school year begins,
families are grappling with the
stark reality of these cuts, which
have affected a range of programs,
including language classes slashed
or moved to virtual instruction, the
elimination of swimming programs,
and significant reductions to the
International Baccalaureate (IB)
programs.
Superintendent of AAPS Jazz
Parks reported that a total of 94
positions have been eliminated
as the result of retirements and
resignations and a handful of pink

slips. Many teachers
report that they have
been involuntarily
transferred to other
schools or positions to
make up for the shift
in school functions.
Class sizes have risen
significantly at many schools.

FALLOUT FROM
A DIVISIVE RESOLUTION
Some Jewish families in the
district are particularly focused
on addressing the fallout from a
series of events that have left them
feeling marginalized and unheard.
Chief among these concerns is
the divisive “ceasefire resolution”
passed by the board in January 2024
after weeks of contentious public
debate. The resolution, introduced
by Trustee Ernesto Querijero and

continued on page 20

Jazz Parks

For Jewish families, the Ann Arbor Public School Board
election extends beyond budget cuts.
Concerned Ann Arbor Families

LAURA PASEK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

OUR COMMUNITY

Members of the Ann
Arbor Public Schools
board wordsmithed
a resolution calling
for a ceasefire in the
Israel-Hamas war,
Jan. 18, 2023.

ANDREW LAPIN