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Washtenaw International Middle Academy sixth grader Jeremiah Wade addresses the Ypsilanti Community School board of education on Monday, May 8, 2017.

(Lauren Slagter | The Ann Arbor News)

Ben Edmondson, superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools.

YPSILANTI, MI - Recent weeks have brought an outpouring of support for Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Benjamin Edmondson as school staff and parents called on the board of education to give him incentive to stay at YCS.

Edmondson was one of three candidates called back for a second interview for the Okemos Schools superintendent position. He was supposed to interview Thursday, May 11, but on Wednesday night, Edmondson announced he is withdrawing from consideration for the Okemos job.

It was the words of sixth grader Jeremiah Wade that ultimately changed his mind, Edmondson said.

"He made a public statement at the Board of Education meeting that resonated deep in my spirit and emotionally impacted most of us in the room that evening," Edmondson wrote in an email to YCS families announcing his decision Wednesday night. "His words made me think of the countless other children with whom I have had contact and may be influencing. This was not a business decision but a decision based on my love, respect, and relationships."

Wade was the first of 19 people to speak during the public comment portion of Monday's school board meeting, as people voiced their support for Edmondson and asked him to stay at YCS. Approximately 70 people attended Monday's board meeting, and more than 50 people attended the previous meeting on April 25, where 15 people spoke in support of Edmondson.

"Dr. E has encouraged me to stay focused and improve my grades and to be a good student. Before Dr. E came along, I never knew of the superintendents," Wade said at the school board meeting. The Washtenaw International Middle Academy student said Edmondson came to his fifth grade graduation and invited Wade to join him in the Fourth of July parade.

"Not often do I see leaders in my school that look like me," Wade continued. "Having Dr. E as a superintendent made me realize that I have people that support me other than my parents. I have grown to love Dr. E and it would be sad to see him leave. Please do everything that you can to keep him in the district. Dr. E, I support you the same way you support me."

Others who spoke at the board meeting talked about the school district's need for stability. Edmondson was hired as superintendent in 2015, and he's the third superintendent YCS has seen in its four years of existence.

Ypsilanti Community High School interim Principal Cory Gildersleeve, Achieving College and Career Education Principal Jonathan Royce and Ypsilanti STEMM Middle College Director Scott Heister all stated their desire for Edmondson to stay at YCS, saying the high staff turnover is detrimental to building relationships with students.

"At this point, we are hemorrhaging kids because these kids can't make relationships with teachers. They can't make relationships with adults," said Heister, who has been teaching in Ypsilanti and Willow Run for 26 years. "If we can't as a group of adults figure out how to keep the people who are doing the work, we won't keep the kids."

Washtenaw County Commissioner Ricky Jefferson commended Edmondson on his collaboration with local businesses. Ypsilanti Township resident Roderick Casey said YCS has been moving in a positive direction since Edmondson was hired.

Edmondson thanked the community for its support in his email Wednesday.

"I need you, the YCS Family, to seriously internalize that it was the outpouring of appreciation, the recognition of my leadership, the expressions of love, and the conflicted emotions that made the decision to rescind my candidacy an easy one," he wrote. "I am indebted to those who fought for me to stay."

Edmondson's pursuit of the Okemos superintendent position came in the midst of unresolved issues with his contract. The school board decided to re-open negotiations on his contract in March, referencing a request Edmondson made earlier this school year for an increase in compensation. The negotiations stalled until March, when board president Sharon Lee appointed two new members to the sub-committee taking the lead on the superintendent contract.

Lee said the sub-committee - made up of herself, Ellen Champagne and Brenda Meadows - has had difficulty meeting recently due to trustees' health issues. But she said they are still negotiating. The full board would need to approve any changes to the superintendent's rolling three-year contract.

"He's a great person, and they don't want him to leave because they see the district is moving forward with him here," Lee said after hearing from the public Monday. "I guess they really see that the district has some stability now. They need that stability and our kids need that stability."

Some of the people who spoke up at Monday's meeting said YCS teachers need an increase in compensation too. Trustee Sharon Irvine previously said she would not support a new superintendent contract that granted a larger percentage raise than what teachers will receive.

Edmondson said the reason he dropped out of consideration for the Okemos Schools position was not related to his contract at YCS.