Amanda Cormier Resigns From EL School Board
ELi has learned East Lansing Public Schools Board Trustee Amanda Cormier has tendered her resignation from the board. A special school board meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. today (Aug. 4) to develop a process for her replacement.
Cormier won her seat in November 2022, along with Trustees Terah Chambers, Kath Edsall and Tali Faris-Hylen, and beat out a candidate who had been endorsed by the teachers’ union, the East Lansing Educational Association (ELEA).
Cormier responded to ELi’s phone call Thursday (Aug. 3) afternoon, explaining the sudden resignation.
“It was just starting to take a toll on my health,” she said. “It’s not anything major, but anytime I was going to the doctor for something, they were saying, ‘you need less stress, you need less stress.’
“I had been considering [resigning] for about two months, but was trying to find ways to set better boundaries between professional, personal and board life,” she said. “But it wasn’t [getting better]. I made the final decision this weekend and combined calls and emails to board members and Dori [Leyko] to let them know.”
Cormier confirmed the last seven months have not been easy.
“School board was honestly a stretch for me in the first place,” she said. “I have no interest in being a politician of any kind.”
Board Trustee Chris Martin reacted to the news in a text exchange with ELi.
“I have really enjoyed serving with Amanda,” Martin said. “We both have young children and share many of the same interests and goals for our district. I’ll miss her strong voice and thoughtful approach to complicated problems. I suspect Amanda will continue to find new ways to serve our community.”
Cormier’s brief tenure was punctuated by district-wide concern for student safety and board disagreements. When a school teacher broke up a fight between students in January and observed a gun on a student, tensions escalated as parents, students and community members openly challenged discipline at the high school.
Cormier also served as a second to a motion by Trustee Monica Fink seeking to remove then-President Kath Edsall from her position.
When asked if she would remain close to her colleagues, Cormier said she had likely been closest with Trustee Fink. But she didn’t believe there were any hard feelings between her and the other board members.
She also took a moment to reflect on what qualities she feels those hoping to fill her seat should possess.
“They should be ready to ask tough questions,” Cormier said. “Open minded and ready to work with any member of the board. And they should be ready to expend more time and emotional energy than predicted.”
The East Lansing School Board will meet today in the boardroom in the lower level of East Lansing High School.