The regular meeting was held starting at 6:00 p.m.
Superintendent Bergstrom presented “Superintendent Spotlight” certificates to staff and students throughout the district who have shown outstanding effort this school year.
The senior class advisor and class officers presented their plan for an overnight senior trip to Cedar Point on May 18-19. The board approved the trip.
Mrs. Tracy Stierle informed the board of the activities she is planning for March is Reading Month in the elementary. The theme for March will be “Dive Into Reading,” and starts out with each family receiving a book, A Boy Called Bat, for our One School, One Read program, with a goal of a shared read-aloud. On March 17th, specialists from the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena will give presentations on how the Great Lakes are connected to waterways and oceans. The award-winning author of The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasures, Barb Rosenstock, will visit the elementary on March 23rd to share how she gets ideas for her non-fiction picture books. The month will end with an in-school reading lock-in on March 26th.
The board approved an increase in pay for substitute teachers. The rate will be increased to $130 per day to better align with the rate other schools in Jackson County pay for subs. This will also increase the pay of any building substitutes on our payroll, according to language in the support staff contract.
As recommended by the Michigan Association of School Boards, the board approved a document that develops “board norms.” Board norms establish framework for effective school district leadership, focusing on accountability, student achievement, stewardship, and ethical conduct. This document will be reviewed annually.
The board accepted, with deep regret, a letter of retirement from Mr. Chris Baumgartner, which will be effective on June 30, 2026.
Superintendent Bergstrom reported to the board members on the following:
- President’s Day weekend is coming up and will be a nice break.
- A Strategic Plan meeting will be taking place next Thursday with Julie Kaminski of the MSBA and the steering committee.
- Wrestling districts are on Wednesday.
- Competitive cheer team won the conference championship last week.
- The binders on the tables are Mrs. Shelley Job’s Master Teacher project before retirement. They are a collection of the school newspaper, the Skywriter, and other published works by her former students.
The board members commented on the following:
- Congratulations to Mrs. Melissa Duffrin for being selected as one of Michigan’s 2026 National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators State Leadership Award winners.
- Mrs. Scott thanked the board for reelecting her as Secretary of the board last month. She also appreciates the opportunity to continue growing in her role by taking MASB classes.
- The March is Reading Month activities sound great! The board is looking forward to hearing how the month went.
- The Athletic Boosters did a nice job on the Cash Bash and there was a very good turnout.
- The board appreciates the binders left by Mrs. Job.
The regular meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
