DFT president defends surveys as community demands transparency over principal’s treatment

The Dearborn Federation of Teachers (DFT) president, Kathy Martin, told the school board on May 11 that two anonymous surveys of union members aimed to give educators a voice during the district’s superintendent search and that the responses merited consideration by board members.

"The purpose of the survey was simple, to give educators a voice," Martin said, describing a first survey that asked members to rank candidate qualities and a later survey that asked for opinions on finalists. She said the finalist survey drew roughly 406 responses in under 24 hours on one administration of the questionnaire and that a second, follow-up survey ultimately logged about 498 responses — a response rate she described as substantial for a voluntary poll.

Martin said that, after adding a "neither" option near the close of the second survey, 75 additional replies arrived: 44 selected one candidate, 16 selected neither and 15 selected the other finalist. She urged the board not to dismiss the results, saying the spread between candidates was clear and that voluntary surveys can produce meaningful insight even when participants engage in different ways.

The DFT remarks came during a meeting that also featured sustained public comment about the district’s handling of personnel matters. Dr. Adnan Mugni, identified in the meeting as principal of McDonald Elementary, asked the board for "an independent investigation of the way I've been treated the last six years," and said in part, "what is built on falsehood is false."

Several other speakers reinforced calls for clearer public explanations. Sara Mugni, a community member who addressed the board, said in a lengthy statement that families and staff had followed the matter closely and that the district needed consistent standards and clearer reasoning when employment roles change. "Laws were broken. Personnel was breached," she said, urging an independent review and broader clarity for the McDonald community.

Trustees responded by saying some correspondence with staff and community members had been answered and by reiterating legal limits on what they can disclose about personnel files. One trustee said board members make efforts to respond to emails but that personnel inquiries frequently must be handled privately for legal reasons.

No formal board action or vote on any investigation was recorded at the meeting. The board previously recommended Micah Saley as the next superintendent pending negotiations; Martin and several public speakers said they wanted staff voices to be taken into account as that process proceeds.

The board did not reach a final decision on the personnel or investigation requests during the May 11 meeting. The superintendent selection and contract negotiations remain pending; the board indicated further procedural steps will follow in coming meetings.