Flint school district requires masks for fall classes, then changes course

Masks are now merely recommended, not required, in the district that gave every employee a $22K COVID bonus

By Jamie A. Hope | July 26, 2022

A new reporting tool created by the state of Michigan showed that fewer than five children in the Genesee Intermediate School District tested positive for COVID-19 during the week ending July 13. Even so, Kevelin Jones, superintendent of Flint Community Schools, announced that students in his district would be required to wear face masks, before immediately reversing the decision. The district, one of 21 in the Genesee ISD, currently recommends mask-wearing instead.

Jones wrote a letter to district parents on July 21. As reported by WXYZ-TV, it said: “Schools across the country have experienced spikes in COVID-19 cases after extended breaks, and Flint Community Schools is no different. Based on our experiences last school year, we are taking this extra measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and help protect our school community.” The letter can no longer be found on the district’s website.

The Michigan Intermediate School District COVID-19 Case Reporting database shows the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state’s ISDs. For the Genesee ISD, the seven-day average was less than five per week, as of July 13. It is unclear why Flint Community Schools briefly announced the mask requirement before rescinding it. Superintendent Jones did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Flint Community Schools is no stranger to controversy when it comes to COVID-19 policies. It received $50,000 per student in COVID relief funds, by far the most money any Michigan school district received, on a per-pupil basis. Yet the district was inconsistent in offering in-person instruction after closing its doors for the pandemic in March 2020.

The Flint superintendent sent a letter to families in February 2021 to tell them that sneeze guards had not yet been installed, which was one factor deterring in-class instruction.

School officials had said they would install air conditioning before the 2021-22 school year. The installation did not happen in time, resulting in additional school cancellations. District leaders also chose to close schools due to COVID-19 case rates and after the Oxford High School shooting, out of an “abundance of caution.” These are all days children spent out of the classroom.

The Flint school district has shed more than 20,000 students this century, going from 23,962 enrolled students in August 2000 to 3,623 in August 2021.

Even though the district continues to lose students, it gave each employee a $22,000 bonus, using federal COVID-19 funds.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.

Why did a Republican candidate for governor take $250K in matching funds?

Small-government conservative Garrett Soldano made an odd choice in taking public funds for his campaign

By James David Dickson | July 25, 2022

Garrett Soldano, a Republican candidate for governor last seen trying to "Unlock Michigan," will take nearly $250,000 of matching funds, courtesy of taxpayer donations, Gongwer reports. Soldano is the only Republican who has applied for the matching funds. He received $246,529.82.

The irony of a self-described small-government conservative taking public funds was not lost on Soldano, who told Gongwer he was "just utilizing every opportunity that we can to win" the Aug. 2 primary.

Soldano faces Tudor Dixon, Ryan Kelley, Kevin Rinke and Rev. Ralph Rebrandt for the right to face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. Gongwer reports that because Rinke and Rebandt had donated more than $50,000 of their own money to their campaigns, they're ineligible for the matching funds.

Matching funds come from an opt-in form on state income taxes. Candidates for governor can receive up to $990,000 in the primary cycle.

"People say it's taxpayer dollars but it's a donation," Soldano told Gongwer. "And so we're just utilizing every opportunity that we can to win this thing. And hopefully we qualify for as much as that as possible. If you look at the last race, three candidates, Governor Whitmer, Schuette – and I'm still wondering how – and then the other guy who was on the Democratic ticket, I forgot what his name was, that was running against Governor Whitmer. Those three qualified for it and they got a lot of money."

But the matching funds also come with a $2 million spending limit for the campaign cycle. It gives the candidate more money today, but puts a limit on upside, with only a few exceptions. Up to $1,125,000 is available for candidates who make it to the general election.

As an outsider candidate running against an overly large government, Soldano should be wary of a tactic employed by longtime politicians like Whitmer and Schuette. That seasoned politicians used matching funds is all the more reason not to.

Michigan Capitol Confidential has reached out to the Soldano campaign for an interview ahead of the primary.