Board Meeting in Review – September 9, 2024

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The regular meeting was held starting at 6:00 p.m.

The meeting minutes and treasurer’s reports were approved for the regular and special meetings held in August.

The board recognized the efforts of three staff members, Madeleine Berry, Heather McKinney, and Alexis Gilbert, for the volunteer work they did this past summer with the food service program and youth sports.

Miss Sophie Schuette, Student Council President, informed the board of the Student Council activities involving Homecoming on September 27th. Court voting has been completed and float building has begun; this year’s theme is animated movies. The pep assembly will be 25 mins. longer this year, and the Homecoming dance will be on Saturday, September 28th.

During public comment, a PTA officer informed the board that the first PTA’s budget has been set and events planned for this school year. The first event, Pastries with Parents, is next week. The PTA hopes to have another successful year.
An elementary teacher thanked the board and community for the air conditioning we now have installed in the buildings and said it is very much appreciated. She also asked about the construction work being done behind the high school.

The board approved the purchase of two new pass-through cabinets for the elementary and high school kitchens for the Food Service Department.

The board approved the revised L-4029 Tax Rate Requests. These forms are sent to the townships in the school district and are used to levy summer and winter taxes for the district. The revised forms are due to the passing of the operating millage in the August 6th election. Another budget hearing will have to be held before December, due to the changes in the budget that the millage will generate.

Superintendent Bergstrom informed the board of the progress made with the Strategic Plan:
Focus Area 1, Academics & Programs: Pacing guides/curriculum maps completed; district MICIP meeting held; K-12 alignment meeting held; intervention plans rolled out to all three buildings.
Focus Area 2, Learning Environment & Culture: Tasks identified for this quarter; fob system operational; Go Buckets placed in all rooms; PA upgrades in MS/HS.
Focus Area 3, Communication & Community Engagement: Instagram page established; updates to website; School Messenger training and implementation; Newsletters – elementary and MS and AD weekly updates; Focus Area 4, Personnel & Leadership: Identified mentors for new teacher; updates mentor/mentee list; shared mentor/new teacher checklist; worksheet for mentor hours; new teacher orientation; Spanish teacher search; SAU Education class – college student observations expanded to MS/HS; PowerPoint presentation shared with new teachers; 5D+ Evaluation Tool Training/Rater Reliability Training for all administrators; School Advance Training for all administrators/Rater Reliability for superintendent; MASB training for school board and superintendent; mentor assignments for new administrators.
Focus Area 5, Operations: Teacher computers installed; new student lab computers installed; some ancillary tickets still in the works; maintenance ticket system enhanced; maintenance inventory reviewed; school board committee assignments.

An agreement was approved by the board as to the timeline for the superintendent evaluation, which was discussed at the special superintendent evaluation training meeting, since Mrs. Bergstrom just took over the superintendent position. A mid-year progress report will be done in November 2024, and a final evaluation will be done in March 2025. Moving forward, a mid-year progress report will be done in the spring and a final evaluation will be done in December.

Superintendent Bergstrom reported to the board members on the following:
• The contract for Elevate K-12, the new Spanish curriculum, has been signed and Supt. Bergstrom has met with their coordinators. The technology department is working to make sure that the equipment is ready, and the program should be up and running by September 23rd at the latest.
• Supt. Bergstrom will be attending a conference next week.
• Homecoming is coming up soon on September 27th.
• Athletics are off to a good start. Our JV volleyball coach will not be able to finish the season, but a replacement, Amber Cole, has been hired to fill in for the rest of the season.
• The maintenance department has been working on the road behind the school; it had significant wash-outs due to the rain. Thank you to Gary Kittle for providing his equipment to fix the road. Solar lighting is also being installed along the road. Maintenance is continuing working on the fence by the road at the football field.
• Thank you to administrators, teachers, and staff for such a smooth start to the school year.

The board members commented on the following:
• Have we looked at data that may be available to see if learning gaps created during Covid have closed?
• It was very nice to see the acknowledgement of our staff members’ volunteer work, and they are appreciated for going above and beyond. Support from the community makes a big difference.
• The board appreciates the weekly newsletters being sent from the principals to parents.
• It is nice to see administration overlooking the parking lots during morning drop-off times.
• It is good to have the key fob system finally in place.
• The Habitat for Humanity home being built on Hanover Road is nearing completion.
• Superintendent Bergstrom has been very informative and is doing a great job.

The regular meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

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