Hi Michele-
Thank you for your comment and for reading Patch. To address the first part of your comment, we just try and give background information on subjects to help keep the readers informed. Thank you again for reading.

"In July, Sahouri and her husband were ticketed and accused of knowingly hosting a party where minors were drinking."

It's not illegal to host a party where minors are drinking. The law requires the host to take action if it's discovered. That's it.

If past articles in the Patch are reviewed you will note that Ms. Sifferman consistently defended Ms. Sahouri regarding the underage drinking incident. Ms. Sifferman, even did her own investigation into the drinking incident and decided to keep Ms. Sahouri as the principal at Creekside.
It was only UNTIL the incident with the cheating on the MEAP that Ms. Sahouri was initially placed on leave, then moved over to the high school as an assistant principal (per Patch).
The school district showed good faith in Ms. Sahouri until the incident with the MEAP occured. Ms. Sahouri has now cost the school district a ton of money, regarding the MEAP. The school district is taking the appropriate action regarding Ms. Sahouri.
Ms.Sahouri claims that her current dilemma is caused by the prior legal case against her (and which was dropped) are ridiculous. It's her actions regarding the MEAP that has caused her demise.
What I suspect will happen is Ms. Sahouri will sue the school district. I suspect the school district will settle as it's cheaper to settle a case then litigate it. And what a shame as more money will be indirectly taken away from the children. The first batch of money the district had to needlessly spend was re-doing the MEAP's.
I think what the school district should do is subpoena all of the teachers, current and former, and take their deposition regarding the administrative style of Ms. Sahouri; this would be an eye-opener to the public and resolve the issue.

Ms Sahouri didn't cost the district any money. At all. The disgruntled staff member / teacher / parent that made a cowardly anonymous "tip" to the State is the one that cost the district money. A tip, by the way, that could have been made in regard to any school in the district, as they all were handling test "security" in the same way.

I also suspect Sahouri will sue the district. She ought to.

A teacher did step forward at the board meeting and speak as to Sahouri's administrative style. A 34 year veteran teacher. He called her the best administrator he'd worked with in his career and a personal role model.

What the Patch didn't report is that Sahouri's administrative style happens to produce the best MEAP results in the district. Even with the stress on the kids of state overlords in the class while they were taking the test. We need more Sahouri's. Not fewer.

And by the way, Sassy, there was no cheating on the MEAP. And no accusation of cheating. The issue was test security. This is how the witch hunt started, with misinformation like this being spread around.

Fact is, she produced the best results. One of the other elementary schools in the district has almost 50% more 4th graders that aren't proficient or better in math, 10% more that aren't proficient or better in reading, and 58% more in writing. And the board wants to throw HER out!?!

$10 her next party is going to be to TRY and make amends with the professional people she most likely has treated poorly.
Spring isn't just in the air, depositions are :)

Go to the below site and it's clearly laid out.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120219/NEWS01/202190318/Climate-Hartland-s-Creekside-school-troubling-downloads-?odyssey=mod|mostview
Here is a snippet of what was said:
"A Creekside Elementary School teacher said she saw the former principal, Tracey Sahouri, share a writing prompt from the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test before testing — a violation of state rules — according to a report conducted by the state.
The fact-finding report by the Michigan Department of Education is based on a state investigation Oct. 4-5 into MEAP test irregularities at the Hartland Township school, and investigators found "extensive circumstantial and behavioral observations indicate a climate of: politics, bullying, manipulation, tension and duplicity."
The report's summary states that test information was "all over the building," according to teacher testimony, and that investigators were "delayed and hampered in their investigation" by Sahouri.
The report also highlights a "troubling school climate" and "politically charged environment, with insiders whom Sahouri favored," as well as several pieces of "egregious evidence" — including test booklets "spread out and arrayed on two tables" in Sahouri's office — and also outlines numerous "unusual behaviors" that concerned state investigators".
Hartland Eagle your blind allegiance is making you look rather silly. Perhaps you need to "Let sleeping dogs lye."

Hartland Eagle, go to: http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120219/NEWS01/202190318/Climate-Hartland-s-Creekside-school-troubling-downloads-?odyssey=mod|mostview
Once there, on the left hand side click on the teacher interview notes which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. In these notes it's stated the teachers believe it was the districts former superintendent that contacted the State regarding the irregularities in the administration of the MEAP at Creekside.

No, Sassy. Your vendetta is what looks a little silly.

I could care less what the State thinks the climate in the school is. Creekside produces the best students in the district. By a longshot. The climate works. Parents, teachers and kids love her. Twenty five up them stood up at a board meeting and spoke on her behalf. Who spoke against her? No one. Not a single person. Not Sifferman, not a single board member. No one.

As it should be. She works for us. Who would you propose she try to please?

Hartland Eagle I would think an administrator would get along with everyone. Especially a principal where they are a visible role model to children.

It's not the role of a boss to get along with everyone. That's how it works in the real world. She produced the best results in the district. Period. Look at the numbers.

So, Sifferman and Van Epps missed this supposedly caustic environment in their glowing reviews of Sahouri each year? Perhaps they should be thrown out as well, since they paid Sahouri upwards of $1 million during her 15 year career. Amazing how things got so "off balance" in just the span of a couple of months.

These comments you quote, by the way, were made by a person that was involved in a shakeup of 3rd and 4th grade teaching assignments. You neglected to mention that part. These are the kinds of decisions that a leader has to make to that are unpopular with teachers, but ultimately for the benefit of our children.

You neglect to mention also that the notes are full of teachers asking Sahouri about the test. Perhaps why 4 of them are on disciplinary action now, a fact Patch hasn't reported on.

And I'm not talking about previous years MEAP. I'm talking about this year. Right now. With an all new test and writing prompt, with state stormtroopers in the classrooms. Creekside results are best in district. One of the other elementary schools in the district has almost 50% more 4th graders that aren't proficient or better in math, 10% more that aren't proficient or better in reading, and 58% more in writing. And the board wants to throw HER out. It's obviously personal when results like that are ignored.

Mediocrity is not only tolerated in Hartland - exceptionalism is rooted out and destroyed. Good luck with that.

Your post is bordering on a stream of consciousness rant. Perhaps you're one of the displaced teachers from Creekside, and now at Round, where 68% of the 4th graders aren't proficient in writing. I suspect you are a teacher in the district, since you claim to know information about the disciplined teachers that hasn't been reported in the press. Or, you're just spreading misinformation, which would be par for the course. The "plenty of good teachers" that left Creekside have resulted in increased test scores. Apparently you're not as good a judge of what a "good teacher" is as Sahouri was.

Sahouri selected and kept staff at Creekside that excel. Creekside has the same curriculum as the other schools, so that has zero impact on the difference in the test scores. She made moves that were unpopular with staff, in the best interest of students. Great. News flash - that's what an effective leader does. It's ridiculous to lose such an obviously effective administrator over an issue so trivial as this.

4 teachers were implicated in this. Why aren't their names being released? Patch should file a FOIA request and find out. Parents have a right to know if their kids teacher has been implicated in some wrongdoing.

Again, if this caustic climate existed at Creekside, where Sifferman all this time? She wrote glowing reviews of Sahouri. What are we paying her $125k plus a year for? How could this being going on and she be so in the dark?

You forgot about the 34 year veteran teacher - you know, the one that wasn't disgruntled - that had the guts to stand up at the board meeting and directly challenge the superintendent's assessment of Sahouri. He called her a role model.

It's just amazing to me that this vision and culture wasn't a problem at all for the administration until this year. If you believe such a culture was allowed to exist for over 10 years, the oversight provided by Sifferman and staff is apparently totally inadequate. I expect you'll be up at the next board meeting to call for their removal. Of course, you won't be there, preferring instead to post anonymously on the internet.

I'll take whatever Sahouri was doing with the staff over what the other elementaries are doing - in a heartbeat, every time. They may like their boss, but they produce 50% more 4th graders that aren't proficient or better in math, 10% more that aren't proficient or better in reading, and 58% more that aren't proficient or better in writing.

Hopefully your child isn't one of that's a product of one of the ineffective leaders, and can't read or write.

In the fall Ms. Sifferman stated that Mrs. Sahouri was an excellent administrator with a fantastic record.....a few months after that Ms. Sifferman states that Mrs. Sahouri is a "bully" and needs to be removed. I am not debating for or against Mrs. Sahouri but am left with the simple question - What has been Jan Sifferman's roll in all this? Jan is Mrs. Sahouri's direct supervisor and it is her responsibility to evaluate Mrs. Sahouri.....an atmosphere that is now being describe does not just happen over night...if in fact this was the case at Creekside, than how come Ms. Sifferman was not aware - it is her job and it is what I as a tax payer expect her to do well. She is a superintendent of a very small district and compensated very nicely for the job she does. If she has mis-evaluated Mrs. Sahouri for the past 10 years.......I am now left questioning Mrs. Sifferman's ability to evaluate anything. Jan Sifferman needs to be held responsible for this too....
Bottom line, when this does go to court, and I believe Mrs. Sahouri will sue the district, she will win because ALL of her evaluations, even one as most recent as July 2011 were written by Mrs. Sifferman and in these evaluations, she grave nothing but positive feedback..... Mrs. Sifferman should be held accountable too. The Hartland School Board evaluates Mrs. Sifferman and it now their job to address this issue. It is our jobs as citizens of this district to talk to the school board about this matter - I know I will....