The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
School board members resign
By Kathleen R. Conat, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: April 12, 2007
Ypsilanti Board of Education Vice President Amy Doyle and Trustee Cameron Getto tendered their resignations Friday. Both resignations were effective immediately.
Advertisement
In her resignation letter, Doyle said the circumstances of her personal life had changed and she was no longer able to dedicate the time she felt was necessary to the task in order to meet her own expectations.
"I've been trying to balance my school board work with my home life and the home life is suffering," Doyle said in an interview. "My family was losing out."
Doyle has two sons, ages 12 and 14, with her husband, Robert. She estimated she had been spending more than 40 hours per week on board-related study and activities. "I don't want to walk into a meeting unprepared," she said. "I feel it's important to know the issues on which I'll be voting."
Doyle said she would miss her fellow trustees and working with Superintendent James Hawkins.
"Jim Hawkins is an excellent human being and leader. I got on this board because I wanted to work with and learn from him. We didn't always agree, but he truly cares about making this district better. He comes up with innovative ideas and collaborative efforts."
Doyle, a former teacher, also said she has wanted to renew her certification. "But, the board was consuming all my time and thoughts to the detriment of my family and career goals."
Getto, in his resignation letter, reminded his fellow board members that since his election in 2004 he has become a fulltime single parent to his two young daughters and "it has become clear that the demands of my career and my obligation to my family will require more of my time and effort than Board service permits."
Getto was elected at a time when district voters were disillusioned with the administration of then-superintendent Dr. David Zuhlke. He made district improvements a major part of his platform and noted successes in that area in his letter.
"Our schools have gone from struggling to meet AYP (adequate yearly progress) to meeting AYP consistently," the letter said. "We now have a Blue Ribbon School in our district. We have sent children to some of the top colleges and universities in the nation, including Yale, Oberlin (my alma mater), University of Virginia, University of Michigan and the U. S. Naval Academy, a number of them on full scholarships.
"Our sports teams have excelled and we have brought the names of our teams in line with the guidelines of the State Board of Education and the clear consensus in the educational community."
He added, "We have successfully balanced our budget under extremely difficulty circumstances, bringing our community into the fold and truly collaborating. We have hired key educational leaders that [sic] have begun the journey down the long road of redefining our approach to educating our children, and the early results have been outstanding."
Getto, who had spoken to friends and acquaintances in recent months about his growing need to resign, ended by expressing his continued belief in the Ypsilanti public schools.
"I am very saddened by the resignation of Amy and Cameron," said Superintendent James Hawkins contacted while on vacation.
"They are both very fine people and board members. We have worked well together. I have appreciated their dedication and commitment to our district. I regret they have chosen this course of action, although I do appreciate the amount of work involved and that their families must come first. I will miss their input and support."
Kathleen Conat is a longtime Ypsilanti resident and freelance writer for The Courier. She can be reached through editor@ypsilanticourier.com.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
