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Wayne-Westland Community Schools name interim superintendent

Board voted 7-0 to place Sue Carnell
Posted at 6:34 AM, Jul 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-12 10:50:34-04

WESTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — Parents and teachers are getting heated over a fight about the District's superintendent.

The Wayne-Westland School Board has put an interim superintendent in place after their normal superintendent was suspended for an investigation over abuse of power.

Concerned teachers told 7 Action News reporter Matthew Smith it's about the performance and whether the allegations of abuse of power are true – no one seems to be siding together on how things are going.

“I know a lot of people because I am a parent and an employee — issues are not getting addressed… complaints are not being heard and I really, really hope whatever comes of this investigation — I don’t know who’s responsibility it is… but to really get this school district back in shape,” one teacher said.

This fallout comes after Superintendent Dr. Shelley Holt was put on leave. She's being investigated right now to determine whether she abused her power and created a culture of fear within the district.

But there is also a lot of concern about how to bridge the gap. Thursday night, the board voted 7-0 to move interim superintendent Sue Carnell in place. Carnell comes with a sterling reputation and is actually coming out of retirement to take the job on an interim basis.

While Thursday's meeting itself was about finding an interim superintendent, teachers and parents both for and against Dr. Shelley Holt got up to speak. Some urged the district to realize there were problems before Holt arrived and others argued she created a poor working environment that’s leading to a loss of teachers and students.