Farmington Board Affirms Eagle Sale Actions

The Farmington Public Schools Board of Education is unanimous in its response to criticism from the community and a lawsuit to halt the sale of Eagle Elementary:

Officials have passed a resolution affirming the board acted in accordance with its policies and procedures, and checked with Farmington Public Schools’ lawyer Amanda Van Dusen just to be sure.

Assistant Superintendent David Ruhland said at the board’s Sept. 13 meeting that the administration asked Van Dusen, of Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone PLC’s Detroit office, to review the board’s actions, to clear up confusion and “questions about process and procedure” over the sale of Eagle, which was closed last year.

At some late-night board meetings early in the summer, officials were accused by members of the community of not being forthcoming with information about selling the school, while they were also publicly approving bids for demolition of Eagle and four other vacant elementary schools.

After the board voted in February 2010 to close the schools, Van Dusen said, officials met more than once in closed session to discuss with counsel the district’s options and obligations.

On Jan. 11, 2011, the board authorized the administration to solicit bids for demolition of the buildings

Two days later, the district received an unsolicited written offer from the Islamic Cultural Association to purchase Eagle for a little more than $800,000

“This was not what the district had planned,” Van Dusen said. Soon after, the demolition bids came in and were presented to the board.

But the bids were presented including – and excluding – the demolition of Eagle. There was no explanation for the two options in the bids, or in a memo from district architect Ron Aten recommending the option to exclude Eagle.

“Eagle was expressly excluded,” Van Dusen said.

In May, the district received a signed purchase contract to buy the building at the appraised value,  $1.1 million. The board deferred action to June 14, after the contract was approved.

“None of that was inconsistent with your policies and bylaws,” she said.

On July 29, two community members sued the district seeking to prevent closing on the sale. The board voted Tuesday to extend the period of time to close on the sale if litigation impedes the process.

Board member Howard Wallach, who was board president when officials approved demolition and the sale to the Islamic Cultural Center, supported the resolution.

“We heard a great deal of discussion at the late May meeting that the board had voted to demolish Eagle,” he said. “The motion that was passed … made mention of bid package number two,” which excluded Eagle.

The criticism of the board over not following its own policies “was about some other agenda,” Wallach said. “I stand by my comments … I was not untruthful with this community then … I do not believe I was ever untruthful.”

The resolution to extend the closing date passed 6-0.