KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The former secretary of Kalamazoo Public Schools’ superintendent and board of education filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the district Thursday.
Tabatha Coleman claims she was demoted and ostracized for speaking up about the board’s misuse of nearly $250,000.
Coleman has worked for the district for several years, and she served the district’s former superintendent, Rita Raichoudhuri, who left in December 2022.
“If people in Kalamazoo are wondering why the elaborate KPS explanations for all the people they’ve fired don’t really make any sense, it’s because they haven’t yet heard the story of the lady assigned to be executive secretary to the superintendent and the board of education,” Coleman’s attorney, Eric Delaporte, said.
Coleman claims the board quietly took more than $248,000 in questionable stipends since 2007 without public disclosure; therefore, violating the open meetings act.
She says the board abused public money to travel to school board meetings and feed themselves during closed sessions.
Coleman put her concerns in writing last December after the board fired Dr. Raichoudhuri, then gave her a six-figure payout and asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing her from talking about KPS.
The district reassigned and demoted Coleman right after she documented her concerns, she claims.
“This district has worked hard to cover its tracks, like pirates eliminating everyone who knows where treasure was buried,” Delaporte added. “From the abrupt termination of the previous superintendent, business manager, foundation manager and others, to the most recent abuse of secretarial staff, Kalamazoo Public Schools seems determined to bury what they’ve done. We intend to show Kalamazoo families what’s been happening for quite some time and why the school district is making abrupt staff changes and internal investigations. It’s hard to look at, but it’s easy to understand.”
Coleman issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit she filed Thursday:
“I was born and raised in Kalamazoo and attended Kalamazoo Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. I am a third-generation graduate. It was an honor, a privilege and a point of pride in my life to return to the school system as executive secretary to the superintendent and school board.
"In the nearly two years I have worked for KPS, I have seen and heard things that are shocking and offensive to people of good conscience. Not everyone in this community has the same resources or privileges. We have many families who work hard every day and have little to show for it. These families are counting on their kids getting a quality education to break a cycle and give them hope for a better future.
"When I saw the way school board members abuse the public money and resources they were supposed to be stewarding, paying themselves for a supposedly volunteer position with money meant to help our children secure better futures through a quality education experience, I was moved to formally bring the issue to the district’s leadership.
"Their response to me was the same as their response to so many others who recently have been fired, demoted and professionally ruined. I was removed from my position and have been ostracized by this administration. I was reassigned to a ‘make work’ role that can be easily eliminated at any time, and me along with it.
"The district leadership appears to be working to cover what they’ve done and weave together a narrative they hope the parents and leaders of this community will believe, in many cases, manipulating willing media partners who don’t appear to even be asking any questions.
"I’m filing this lawsuit on behalf of myself and so many people who have been abused by this board and administration. I’m a person of deep faith, which compels me to stand up when I see people doing wrong, and I am standing up for the thousands of students whose futures depend on KPS delivering its best and focusing on doing what’s best [for] children, not doing what’s best for the grownups running the district.”
Kalamazoo Public Schools released the following statement:
"The district hired legal counsel to investigate Tabatha Coleman's complaint. The investigation found no merit to her complaint. She is a current employee and received a pay increase."
Read the full summary of the investigation below:
Complainant Outcome Letter 3.6.23(270798256.1) by WXMI on Scribd
