Endorsements piling up for Midland Public Schools Board of Education candidates
MIDLAND, Mich. — The teachers’ union, the Midland City Education Association, has endorsed Jennifer Ringgold, Jon Lauderbach, and Phil Rausch for Midland Public Schools Board of Education. Nine candidates are running for three open seats on the board this November.
“The MCEA feels that incumbents Jon Lauderbach and Phil Rausch have demonstrated their tremendous leadership in guiding MPS through a very challenging time period while looking out for the best interests of MPS students and staff. In addition, the MCEA feels that Jennifer Ringgold would add a diverse element to the Board that is needed to help move the district forward in the future,” the association said in a news release.
Three other candidates are endorsed by the conservative group Moms For Liberty: Mindy Cox, Sara Ladwein and Jimmy Sheets.
Originally prompted by masking and vaccine policies due to COVID-19, the three candidates have coordinated their campaigns and are part of a larger, nationwide trend of fighting conservative bogeyman in public schools such as critical race theory, sex education, and restroom access.
Midland Public Schools Board of Education President Scott McFarland is publicly supporting Messrs. Lauderbach and Rausch, along with Matthew Samocki.
“This is an incredibly pivotal election as some of the candidates would bring absolute chaos to MPS and the board,” Mr. McFarland said on social media. “They have no idea how a school board operates. I hope our PTOs and teachers realize the destructive potential here. [They] may be nice people, I don’t know. However, I think they are terrible candidates and are absolutely the opposite of what MPS needs.”
Mr. McFarland did not specify the candidates to which he was referring, however he heavily implied that he was opposed to the candidates endorsed by Moms For Liberty.
Michael Westendorf is the chairman and executive editor of Chemical City Paper. As Executive Editor, he leads the City Paper’s news coverage and editorial team.