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...
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