Flint, MI—The Flint Community Schools Board of Education selected Pastor Allen Gilbert and Chris Del Morone to fill two board vacancies during a special meeting on Sept. 29, 2021.
Gilbert and Del Morone were two of 12 people to apply for the vacancies after former longtime board members Diana Wright and Vera Perry resigned in early September.
Gilbert preaches at Bethel Apostolic Church and has lived in Flint for 47 years. He is a retired General Motors skilled trade worker and a 1975 Northwestern High School graduate. Gilbert also serves on the Ethics and Accountability Board for the City of Flint.
“I’m very thankful and yet I’m humbled to the fact that number one,” said Gilbert. “I’m 65 years old, I know that I’m not a young man, but I’m willing to serve and do it with all the strength and the love of God in my heart.”
Del Morone is also a General Motors retiree. He received his BBA from the University of Michigan-Flint and has spent time volunteering with the Special Olympics, Easterseals, and Back to the Bricks.
“I look at it as an opportunity to help the students in the district. So, there are many challenges, but I like to look at challenges as opportunities where we can improve upon things, change things, make things better,” said Del Morone. “And in this case, make things better for the students. We only exist here because of the students.”
The board interviewed 11 of the 12 applicants. Each applicant was asked six questions and board members scored their responses on a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest. The four candidates with the highest scores moved forward to a second round of interviews.
Del Morone, Gilbert, and candidates Ezekiel Harris and Arthur Woodson moved forward. After adding the scores from the first and second rounds Gilbert and Del Morone were elected.
Board of Education Vice President Danielle Green abstained from rating Woodson in both rounds due to their relationship.
Gilbert will serve the remainder of Perry’s term and Del Morone the remainder of Wright’s. The board is still determining when the terms will end.
Is the Flint School Board really needed anymore with so few schools left open?? What do they do all day besides talk and complain? They should just close all the rest of the schools for good and let students do online learning only like so many others. That is the future of education as we know it. Even some colleges have online classes only. The School Board is useless and they need to disband. Why couldn’t they keep all the schools opened?? Lack of enrollment?? Who really wants to work for them anyways? Not me!