The most highly paid employee in the Hamtramck Public Schools district has been collecting a paycheck for about four months while staying home and claiming a COVID-19 leave of absence.

Hamtramck Public Schools posted a letter from Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed, in which she explained that the leave is for her own personal well-being during the pandemic. Ahmed’s gross pay was $176,750 in 2020-21; she was appointed superintendent in July 2019.

“It is my hope that I will return and come back revitalized, with a refreshed perspective to continue to lead our efforts,” Ahmed wrote in the letter.

According to district records, Ahmed has been collecting regular paychecks the entire time she has been off the job. She remains on the district’s payroll as of Feb. 18, more than a month after a Jan. 10, 2022, self-declared back-to-work deadline.

Hamtramck’s acting superintendent Nabil Nagi did not respond to an email seeking comment on Ahmed’s status. As of Feb. 28, the school district’s website did not recognize Ahmed in any role.

Ahmed notified district officials on Oct. 11, 2021, that she would stop performing her duties as superintendent until Jan. 10, 2022. The district responded by stripping her of school building and communications access codes, keys and pass cards. According to a letter the district sent to Ahmed on Oct. 14, 2021, she was also barred from taking any actions as a school official.

According to district payroll records, Ahmed was still collecting paychecks as of Feb. 18, 2022.

The information was contained in the district’s response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

John Humphrey is the mayor of New Buffalo, a southwest Michigan lakefront community 35 miles from Chicago. He is outspokenly opposed to local homeowners using Airbnb-type services to rent out their homes to vacationers, many of whom visit from Illinois.

Humphrey may have used a common slur to describe people from Illinois, including those who own second homes in New Buffalo, which some also rent out on a short-term basis.

Humphrey’s objectionable remarks appeared in text messages exchanged with a local real estate broker, and were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. They show the mayor being told that his decisions on this issue were based on hate and not the health and safety of local residents.

Humphrey wants his city to restrict homeowners’ right to rent out their property to vacationers. He also supports a proposal requiring that they turn over to the city records containing the names, date of birth, and license plate numbers of their renters. Officials there say renters’ personal information would be protected, but they have not said how.

Humphrey has also taken to social media to report that city attorneys are keeping track of everyone who uses the state Freedom Of Information Act to obtain records from the city. As previously reported, the mayor has warned property owners who contemplate challenging his favored policies not to press too hard.

In a string of text messages between Humphrey and Dan Coffey, a local real estate broker, Coffey is seen advising Humphrey, “In the meantime, please refrain from the FIPs talk at your public meetings. Some friends of mine from Indiana could not believe the talk about Chicago folk. They felt like it could be used against whatever you do in court. Clear indication that your decisions are based on hatred and not safety, health, and welfare.”

FIP is an acronym for “F-----g Illinois People.” The term has been used for more than 30 years, according to a 1998 story in the Chicago Reader. The Urban Dictionary, an online dictionary of slang, defines it this way:

“Usually upper-middle-class/rich folks from Chicago who infest every bit of nice land throughout the Midwest with their big egos, personalized license plates, and undisciplined snotty children. Often confused and believe the local laws don’t apply to them. Usually they drive like they’re still in the 'city' and with total disregard of others on the road.”

Humphrey did not respond when asked if he has ever called Illinois residents FIP.