TO: Saline Area School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Graden

Date: May 20, 2014

Subject: Resignation
3 years ago I was asked to run for Saline School Board. I was asked to run because of my decade long
commitment to the children of our community. Working with others in the community, this commitment
resulted in the creation of a sinking fund to help address the cost of ongoing maintenance. We developed
the use of pay to participate fees to help keep our foundation dollars in the classroom. I supported the idea
of advertisement at our athletic venues to help defray the cost of these facilities.
I was also active in the adoption of weighted grades for AP classes at our high school. This last effort
took over 10 years to get adopted and only happened when parents and students forced the administration
and school board to address this issue. It was not easy.
Since joining the board we have achieved financial solvency, put a cap on the size of our classrooms, and
reshaped our School of Choice Policy. I am very proud of being part of these efforts to strengthen the
fiscal and academic success of our school district.
During my decade plus of involvement in our district, we have made many improvements, but this
progress came at a cost. The cost came from a huge personal cost to me, my family and those individuals
in our community that supported me.
To advance these matters, I faced huge personal attacks, vicious and personal, attacks intended to
intimidate me. My family endured slander and intimidation by members of the educational community.
Businesses that supported me were threatened by employees of the district. These responses had nothing
to do with the merit of the matter under consideration, but were intended to silence me, to maintain the
status quo.
Well, it has taken over a decade, but the status quo has won. It has exhausted me.
Saline as a school district and as a community has much to be proud of. We have excellent academics, a
good performing arts program, a successful sports program, engaged parents, talented and committed
staff. We are among the best in the State and in the Nation. We expect to excel at everything we do. Our
expectations can also our problem.
Recent events have shown that we have problems, problems with our social and emotional health.
As a district, we must build the systems, install the programs, provide the tools and staff the organization
with professionals that will support our young people to become strong, emotionally secure and
compassionate adults.
Operationally, we have gaps in our mental health educational programs. We need classes that provide for
education about how to handle disappointment, how to work through adversity and how to overcome the
emotional impact of these challenges on the mental health of our young people.
We lack appropriate staffing throughout the school district to provide the services we need to address
mental health.
I thought that with the progress we have made things would be different. But they arent.
When I have asked about addressing some of our problems, I have been told, folks just want to leave
things the way they are.
I am exhausted trying to get our leadership to address some of our challenges. It is time for someone else
to pick up the mantle.
While I have not spoken to anyone about this decision, so I do not know if she would be interested, but I
believe Smita Nagpal would be a wonderful replacement for me. From my perspective, she brings a skill
set and a passion to the number 1 problem in our school district.
Our mental health education, programs and staffing levels need immediate attention, To get agreement
with the other members of the board and then the administration, will take hard work and a willingness to
confront the unspeakable, I am too exhausted to pick up this mantle. I hope Dr. Nagpal will reach out to
the Board and put her name into consideration. She is the right person for this board at this time for the
best interests of our community.
It is my sincere hope that engaged members of our community will be successful in getting our leadership
to address this number one problem in our educational community. The next steps will be up to all of you.
Finally and with complete sincerity, I would like to thank the people of our community for allowing me to
serve you. My resignation is effective immediately.
Yours Truly,

David Zimmer