Ann Arbor Learning Community dean leaves position as head of charter school

A dean who has been well-respected for her initiatives to help Ann Arbor Learning Community further its major themes of environmental education, gardening and the performing arts is stepping down.

Ann Arbor Learning Community students and visitors check out the school's library space under a new bottle cap mosaic during Mosaic Night. Dean Ticheal Jones was key in starting up Mosaic Nights.

File photo

Ticheal Jones’ last day at AALC was Wednesday.

Bill Morgan has been hired as the interim dean until a new dean can be found.

Morgan began transitioning into his new role on Tuesday, said Valerie Mates, vice president of the school’s Board of Directors.

Ticheal Jones

Ann Arbor Learning Community is a public charter school authorized by Eastern Michigan University. It is self-managed, has a $2 million operating budget for this school year and is and located on Research Park Drive near South State in Ann Arbor.

Mates said Jones was an excellent leader and did a superb job at balancing the needs of a very diverse community. The K-8 school had 270 students in 2010, up from about 220 a year earlier.

Jones was key in hiring a teacher who is a master gardener. She also founded Mosaic Nights at Ann Arbor Learning, Mates said.

Mosaic Nights are for people to come together to showcase their unique interests and to learn about the causes that others support, Mates said. She said there have been presentations from food allergy organizations, teenagers discussing what they wished adults understood about adolescents and a group of people with mental disorders attempting to raise awareness.

“They have been very successful and had extremely diverse topics,” Mates said of the Mosaic Nights.

Ann Arbor Learning Community also became certified as a Michigan Green School under Jones’ assistance.

Jones has been with AALC for three years, Mates said. A nationwide search for a new dean will take place. Simon Whitelocke, president of the Board of Directors, said AACL’s parents and the community will play an important role in selecting a new dean.

Jones did not return calls seeking comment on her departure.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.