001I'd like to call to order the board of education meeting for Monday, August 25th at 7 p.m. Please rise for the pledge of >> allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. We um roll call please. >> Heather Roberts >> here. >> Jennifer Baker here. >> Andy Gle >> here. Emry here. >> Amber Bracket >> here. John High Street >> here. >> William, Mr. President, we have a we don't have any recommendations or presentations. >> Welcome tonight. >> Um somebody make a motion for the consent agenda items. Make a motion that the board approves all consent agenda items including all items A through C. >> Supported. Any discussion. >> All right.
002All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. All right. Information items. Wow. Moving right along. All right. >> All right. Well, they said we uh today we had our first uh first day of orientations. Uh it was for grades 10 to 12. Um you know, getting their schedules, turning emergency cards, getting their pictures taken, all that good stuff. So, we had a really good percentage of the kids show up, which was good. Uh tomorrow's a bigger one. Generally, we get more for the the kids for grade seven through nine. So, we got to make sure to have that locker key ready. So, getting them into the getting them useful lockers in here, but it's good to see the faces. A lot of good turnout. Big thank you to
003uh secretarial staff and custodians. They did a good job of getting the building ready and prepared and they always do a great job of uh helping out the parents. So, kudos to them. Um, we are also doing a uh on Wednesday the 10th at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall, we're doing a a parent informational meeting uh that we're going to do and it's just going to cover a bunch of things. It's more geared to grades 7 through nine, but all parents are welcome because we know we get a lot of or kids that might come from another district or people just want a refresher. So, we'll go over Skyward, we'll go over the attendance policy, we'll go over, you know, um uh clubs, we'll go over the like kind of the the different pathways
004we have at the high school. So, just a bunch of stuff that we're going to cover on those things. So, just opening the parents. >> What mean what night is that? >> That's going to be Wednesday uh the 10th. >> This is something that came out of some of your parent discussions or something. >> Yeah. One of the thing that we had talked about before and I brought to Brian last year was just something and a lot of it like he said I I think it's the younger grades but the seven you know it it seems when we went to the 712 building we some of those natural transition meetings we we still do transition six to 7 but we lost some of that probably the one that maybe even more important and I'm glad
005that you know we're kind of open up to everyone is that 8th grade to 9th grade because that's where things start to pound credits start to count and that's where kids kind of maybe are starting to make that decision of am I going in a tech path? Am I going in a middle college path? Am I going in an IV path? So, uh yeah, I I think um hopefully we get some decent attendance at it. >> Yeah, like you said, we're I think our goal is to to try to do another one like even at like like the beginning of second semester as well. So, try to catch parents as much as possible that information. >> That's a great idea. >> Uh all the fall sports are up and running. Some of them already had
006a few of the games already and we had our football team, varsity football team as it begins way against Carbon Mooney at the Marine City uh stadium. Uh the handbook committee a couple weeks ago for the high school met and there's really just two big changes that we made in the handbook. First of all, the cell phone policy, we felt that was that what we did second semester was effective. So, we're going to continue with that policy uh that it's just kind of throughout the school day. It's not allowed. It'll be allowed in the cafeterias during lunches uh during that time. the only time you would be allowed to be on and out. However, we are uh going to have all earbuds and headphones from home banned for the entire day. Now, we will have
007some schoolwide ones that will we have the school own ones for people who might have dual enrollment working on it in the library or if classes need them for if they're connected to Chromebooks that we'll have some sets that that that teachers can use. But we felt with the staff those were almost a bigger distraction even than the cell phones themselves. Um, so that those are going to be banned throughout the school day, even during lunch, during those times. Um, there'll always be exceptions as well because we know there are some students that are an IEP survival force that might need that and we even like for cell phones last year, there's some people with medical conditions that needed them on there and we'll run a spreadsheet that all the teachers would be aware of
008who who was allowed to have those and, you know, sort of had that in place. Another thing we put in place is again we we have the attendance policy in place where uh once they're on contract there's a certain amount of days there'll be a great there were grade reductions. We also felt there was a couple times that students once they got to their they felt their their graduate what they needed to graduate to stop coming alto together. So, we wanted to kind of put a kibash on that. And so, we're putting a cap at 20 uh 20 days per semester, which is a lot for a semester to begin with, but once they get to 20, they'll no longer be able to participate in extracurricular activities such as dances, walking at graduation. But of
009course all that can always be appealed just like that being on contract can be appealed because we know there's always extending the circumstances but they just you know we just have to appeal that to to administration and review those and go through that for two big changes that happen. And then lastly just uh we have really again we only we had very few uh turnover on the staff. Uh we just had Rosski came in she'll be taking over from Miss Dera for Spanish. So we're excited to have her on board. And then um also was nice to see that the college advisor got >> that was great news >> reinstated. So Jane Blair who we picked prior to before it got shut down. She's going to be our candidate and she's going to be in
010place and so we're happy to have somebody in place and always staff ready to go. >> When does she start? >> Uh they were talking October 1st. >> Yeah. She's going to try to get in her we already got her FOB and stuff like that. So I think she's going to try to get in even earlier to kind of get meet with the kids and get them started. >> Great. Great. The stage. >> All right. Well, our custodians have been working super hard at Alangquin this year. We've had a lot of teacher classroom movements and they've knocked it out and we're trying to get some improvements going in the art room. So, they've had to move the art room twice and it's a lot. So, they've been working really hard and um the building looks
011great though, the inside and out. And we're just doing a few last things before open house. So, we very much appreciate them. Um, we did have to fill one special education teacher position and we were able to hire Corine Halum and she comes to us with um several years of special ed experience already. So, I'm excited for that. And that's somebody we have to put through, you know, that still needs to go to school and get trained. So, she's been in a bunch. And we also have a new parah, Julie Pie, um, joining us. We actually hired her last year, but she wasn't able to come until this school year. So, um, working on a few more special ed positions. Hopefully, we'll get those in place before school starts. Um, Tiffany Dawson ran summer school
012for us, uh, K through five at Algang Quinn. It was very well attended. Again, so many of our own teachers were teaching it and our own parents were there. So, it just kind of meets the kids where they are and and keeps them keeps them busy and reading and doing some schedule things over the summer. Also, um I know Melissa will probably hit on a lot of this. So, I I'll just say my appreciation to the staff because they have worked the teachers have come in a lot over the summer. Some have pursued their own PD even outside of what we've offered here. and um on rainy days they've been in every day in August get their classrooms ready and a lot of them look like they're ready for open house. >> I hope everybody
013had a nice summer. Um we were fortunate to have a lot of staff participate in the summer school over at Algangquin. So that's always nice to have those familiar faces working with our students. Um also participating which I'm sure you'll touch on in the report cards and restructuring that. Our custodians have worked diligently throughout the summer, so making sure our building is ready for our upcoming school year. Um, meanwhile, these last couple weeks, teachers been coming in, organizing, decorating, making sure that we have a nice, warm, welcome environment for our new families and returning families. As far as staff goes, we did get to welcome two new staff members so far. Elena Carol is joining us for first grade. We also have Shannon Vanel as one of our, excuse me, Shannon Vanel is one of
014our special ed pairs joining us. Um, and we're still looking at a couple other pair pair professional positions at this time. Um, and then mostly we're just looking forward to kicking off the new year and we'll do that at our open house this Wednesday. >> Thank you, Miss Bazelle. >> So, our summer program is coming to an end since the new school year is right around the corner. We had a funfilled summer but ready to get back into the school routine. Um, our teachers are using this coming Friday to get their classrooms ready for the new year. And we also have a CPR and first aid renewal training. Um, our classrooms are filling up super quick. We only have a few spots left in our preschool classrooms. All other rooms are full, including Latchki. And
015preschool open house is Wednesday, September 3rd for students to come in to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. >> Thank you all. >> Sanders, you got a lot of stuff to talk to us about. Um, so this summer we've had lots of teachers coming in and it's been a great to see them not only give up their time but like be excited to do it. So um, August 7th we had Eric Franken to do some chemistry and physics training um, with experienced chemistry and experienced physics. It was a great training. I sat in on it. Niche sat in on it as his mentor as well and and Ryan was in on it too. So, uh, a good team of us to be able to support him, see the program, and follow through to see
016what we need to do. So, the trainer, um, was an experienced teacher, you could tell as she was training. So, the training went very well. Um, our just recently on August 20th, our sixth through 8th grade ELA teachers came in for a full day for a training with Think Circa. So, it was um a very in-depth training where we did a lot of work. They're very excited to hit the ground running. Um, the high school English teachers have also talked to us, so they're signing on to kind of get a look at what this is all about and what they're doing and and how they might be able to take pieces of it, especially some of that SAT prep um to implement within their classes as well. So, those teachers are looking at doing that
017pilot, hitting the ground running. um they were very excited, were very thoughtful throughout throughout the day, asking great questions that way. Throughout the summer, all instructional materials have arrived with the exception of K5 Amplify and I'll touch on that in just a minute. Um but everything else is ready to roll out. Teachers have been in getting things together, so that's good. Uh so the Amplify thing is is really great. And then it's like, oh, so we got notified that we were receiving a grant here about was the third week of August and it's a substantial grant um 35 through for about $140,000. to update our to the third edition, the new incoming, you know. So, I sent out I talked to Brooke and Amber and we weren't sure because it's so new if we were
018going to roll it out this year or just wait till next year because they just did all that training and implementation last year. So, we surveyed our elementary staff and they got back to us every grade level within 24 hours and they said, "Nope, let's do it. Let's we the third edition is better." when we looked it all over, we were going and I said, "Okay, but here, oh, they were right on it." And when Brooke says that, you know, she's really proud of them. The response time has been amazing. Um, so we're really looking forward to that. They are ready to start the school year. Um, we just might have to do a little bit more printing the first three weeks until we get those print materials, but they are ready to rock and
019roll. Um, so huge shout out to the staff there for everything that they've done to get ready that way. On the first day of school on both campuses, we'll have on-site training for Wayfinder. Uh, the administrators have set out a year-long schedule of how that's going to be um established and and taught throughout the year to develop to develop those uh common language and just support a profile of a graduate. So, I'm looking forward to that roll out, how that goes for our families and students. And tomorrow we have teacher mentor training. So on schedule we have about 30 veteran teachers coming in to do some teacher mentoring tomorrow. So I'm looking I'm really excited about that conversation that we're going to have um tomorrow afternoon with those veteran teachers coming in willing to support
020the younger staff that are coming up. So this year today they started with new teacher um induction training. So, I know the new teachers, we only had four this year and they were meeting with um a whole bunch of people today. So, their their grades are probably a little overloaded. So, hopefully our mentors can help take a little bit off of them for that. So, lots of great things going on and looking forward to the start this week. So, board reports. Um so we have to designate our MASB delegates. Um they will have to attend um in Grand Traverse uh resort on Thursday, October 23rd. Um I um I'm going so I can be one delegate, but >> I can go. >> You can go. >> I got a place right down the street when
021I get done. So it works out perfect right there. And then we need an alternate. >> I can I have to go anyway for the >> Okay, sorry. That was easy. Um, and as a reminder that if you plan on going to the annual leadership conference at MASP, I would say, you know, it's a great experience. Everybody should go. Um, they're filling up fast, very fast. So, make sure you talk to Jana as soon as possible if you want to go to that. So, >> and if you've never been to one, it's a really good thing to go. It's not only just for the stuff you hear, but even the networking and stuff. It's it's it's a really great opportunity. I know I'm going, so um if anybody else wants to know, any other board
022reports? >> Okay. Uh a few things uh from when I uh corresponded last time with you. Um in the last correspondence I talked a little bit about the health clinic and what's taking place at the county level. Um bad news in terms of um the doctor Dr. uh Nevin that is now the head of the health department did not see um the clinics as being adequately oversight overseen and so um we had a mandate as of September one the clinics closed and we've kind of there's if you've been watching the paper and all that it's been pretty highly contested at the county level um in terms of the need for the health clinics and it's not just the algenac one it's the Yale one and the kids um you know the ones that they had
023just recently opened. Um then the idea was that we would still be able to maintain the counseling services which was all in place until Friday when we got correspondence that that too would be um fall victim to the shutdown. Now, with that said, uh I was in contact and had about a half hour conversation this morning with Liz Keane, who is the head of the health department, and um just start talking about some potential different ways we could look at this, um if oversight's an issue. I know she had reached out to Mike Bernowski and talked a little with him about would there be an interest with Dr. River coming in and maybe helping out a little bit um or if there was something we could work out. I don't even know that that's a
024possibility, but we're looking at different avenues because we do see it as a benefit for the kids. The counseling piece is a little bit different because I think it's more of a time issue. What happened was when we went from, if you remember a couple years back, we started with the counseling person as it was halftime and it was through the health department grant. When that grant expanded, that was when we opened the clinic and we were able to do that and they kind of went hand in hand. The problem was when we did that, we changed the grant to a health clinic. >> So that was part of the rub on why we ended up probably losing the counseling services. However, Liz has been in touch with the state and said that there is
025that can be amended. It can go back, but it's a process and it'll take some time. So, I do believe at very least we will at some point get back that counseling piece which has been, you know, you could ask Ryan and it happens that we just have a really good one in the building too. Uh Carrie's been done a wonderful job for us, but I saw her today and she was pretty heartbroken about missing the kids here in Alganac and it was uh but again um I don't think we're done with that. I think it's just going to be a process to get it back in place and see what happens with the health clinic, too, because I I it might not look like it did, but I think it may still be um
026still be a possibility. More good news coming for you. As I'm sure you're all aware, it is now the end of August and we still don't have a budget. So, um, it's got the it this this has become, um, I mean, it's ridiculous obviously that we're not there, but it's started to become pretty heated at the state level and certainly with um, super K12 alliance has been a little bit of war with the groups and just in terms of doing your job and getting, you know, this is a July 1 deadline and here we sit. and schools open this week and we're going to open next week and we still don't know exactly what the, you know, budget looks like. They they've both sides have assured us that the pot of money will be bigger
027than last year, but they're like everything the devil's in the details, right? At what do where is this money coming from? You know, we talk about like the importance of free deals for our kids. I I can't say that that's going to be a place. I I hope it is. everyone's open. I mean, as of right now, we're covered through the end of September and then beyond that, um, you know, we don't have a budget by then. We don't know what that looks like. It It's scary. And I I was on uh I was in contact pretty much three four times this weekend with uh Jay Deoer and just kind of talking through some of it and explaining the position that puts the school districts and not it's not all I haven't you know but
028it but it just puts us in uh just a real uneasy spot and um you know but but I I feel like again we've been pretty uh I think pretty fiscally responsible over the years. We're we're in a spot where if we miss the October state payment, we'll probably stick keep the lights on, right? >> But, uh, you know, it's at at some point it's like you, you know, if you get into October and the new fiscal year starts and we don't have a budget, it does. I mean, the scary piece of it is if there's government shutdown and they're not going back to look at this stuff. I mean, how long do we >> right >> keep the doors open without an effect in the school year? So, it it's unsettling, but um they're
029at least back in. They're talking. So, we'll see where that takes us, but it's uh not the way I'd love to start the year anyway. Um, with that said, uh, letter went out from the district asking for advocacy from, uh, parents and I mean, just reaching out and letting people know the, you know, there's levels and layers to this that, you know, potential of what could happen if this thing doesn't get taken care of. And I think it's never happened like not since I it's been a long time since we've even been in this position. I can't remember >> and and um so you know you really start to look I mean >> realistically I'm rolling the dice that our budget looks like I think it's going to look when we get it. There's no
030guarantee on that. Um you know we're opening school fully staffed like we did last year all this kind of stuff. But, you know, if all of a sudden the funding isn't there or we all of a sudden have a $400 per kid cut for some reason, um things might look real different second semester. So, just uh again, it it's I think the more importance that we put on that and legislators know that this is crucial and that people care about what's going on in the public schools, I think it will get done. Aren't we going to be pushing the free reduced lunch application then? >> Yeah, >> we need to make sure everybody fills that up. >> Yeah. And we and we'll do that anyway, Jen, because even when it was, you know, for Yeah.
031But yes, that'll become even more important. >> Um, want to just update you. Uh, Brooke and I met with uh Steve from Chartwells uh earlier this week. Nope, couldn't earlier this week. Must have been last week. It was last week. Um, and just kind of uh, you know, obviously when we were going through the summer and we had some concerns and some idea, you know, how we wanted things to look on a day-to-day basis. I think it was a good meeting. Um, we are, it was basically kind of going back over a meeting that we had and just highlighting the points of what the expectation is going forward. um what the expectation is in terms of quality of food, all the types of everything that we basically discussed back in the uh back in the
032spring and uh we will have Brooke and I I keep say I bring Brooke in on this but hey I I do that only because we had some bumps in the road at Alangquin but um we will have a standing monthly meeting so we'll meet every two last Tuesday of every month um but talk to the administrative team today about if there are things that start happening. Don't wait till the end of the month. We want to address immediately, let me know so I can, you know, do a little bit of investigation to find out why things are not going the way that we had discussed them. So, it'll be just something where it's going to be, you know, we want to keep an eye on it and want to make sure they're providing what
033they had promised. So that um good news uh our our appe uh platform is up and running and it's you know it's like anything you roll it out it's going to take some time and the bugs will be there but um ultimately this will be this will change how we communicate with parents. It really will. There will be, you know, when when we get good at it, we'll be able to fine-tune it to where we have it down to individual, not only classes, but groups if it's, you know, one of the examples that was given. >> Can I ask you a question? Do you know how to use it? >> Do I know how to use it? Yeah. >> Okay. So, I log into it, but what is this rooms thing? And then it wants
034me to sign in. Is that not for me? >> Well, well, it it can. Yes, it's So, Rooms is going to take over as our teacher parent communication. So how like seesaws or Okay. So So my kid was asking too because like So are the kids supposed to download this app also or is this more for parent? >> No, this would be more of a parent. >> Okay. Cuz they're all thinking they all have it and they're trying to log in and set up stuff and I'm like hang on I'll find out like you guys are supposed to sign into >> it. I I mean I don't think that it I I I think that they can but I just don't I I mean it's kind of meant for the communications way here. >> Okay.
035I just curious because I didn't configure with that. >> Yeah. Sports as well. Yeah. >> Kids for sports. >> Sports they would sign in then set up their own that's how coaches >> Okay. >> Yeah. All Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. >> Okay. So that'll be something later that we'll >> Yeah. do and and it'll be in fact the coaches probably are already starting to talk about it for fall sports. I'm sure that's probably why she has it downloaded. I just didn't know. I'm like, they won't probably sign into that room section. I don't. >> Yeah. >> So, I didn't know if there's something you guys send us later >> that hooks into it. >> Well, probably right now there's no there my guess and I don't know this for sure, but my guess is they're waiting
036a roster before you could sign into it. So, um but yeah, I I'll have to find out about that. >> Okay. Um, but that will be, like I said, I I'm hoping that this is going to be um something that gets information out fast and we're trying to do it where it's segregated enough where it's not going to be a constant where my phone's got a million alerts cuz then I know that people will just put it away and stop looking at it. Uh, but at the same time, I do think that we'll be able to get information to the parents that are it where the message pertains to their kid. So, and then of course things like snow days and stuff like that will be instant that'll blast out too. >> Is it more
037of a blast out or is it more of a >> Well, what it does like so with one message with couple clicks it can go to email, text the app, >> but can it be like interactive? Like >> I mean it it's interactive when you're dealing with like rooms for example, you know, that's back and forth. But like there is a message just a blast out message where we're saying >> but it would be a way for a parent to contact like they're going to a band festival or something have question what time like >> what time's a bus? >> Yes. >> Well that's the thing. Yeah they should have they like I said they will have that information like there so yeah it'll be it'll be a group that goes gets that message only.
038So um >> it seems like it'll be once it's >> got to get it up and running. But it's I I think it's really going to be I just think it's a faster way of doing things, more efficient for our administrators, too, and just going to be something that um we can get things out quickly and if it you know cancel I think the cancellations of games or events and you know that information will get hit quick and it'll blast out to everybody. So um and then that's it. Lastly, I have uh and I'd be remiss if I didn't announce this. So, Eugene Oshanets had retired from Alganac probably 15 years ago, but was contracted for us for several years and worked and everybody Eugene in total has worked over 50 years at the district.
039Um he is officially officially uh as of earlier this month retired. kind of had some had some changes in his life and decided it was finally time for him to be done and start enjoying himself. And so, uh, even though he's probably not, I'd love to have him back for breakfast tomorrow or for the opening breakfast. I don't think we're going to quite get that done. But, um, you know, everyone's got a Eugene story, but most of it's all about all the things he's done for everybody in this district. So, I just wanted to publicly make sure I acknowledge um the knowledge that we're going to lose with that one is going to be. Although, you know, in typical Eugene fashion said, "Call me if you need something cuz I because he knows he is
040the um before there was such thing as a database. He is our database for the >> guy knows where every button, switch, cleanout, >> every pipe, box, replacement, part everything. So that's it. >> That's it. All right. Uh any >> No. >> All right. We move on to our action items. Um first we have is the throne board policy updates. Anybody want to make a motion for that? >> All right. I move that the board of education approves the three policy July 2025 policy updates as presented. support or move it supported. Any discussion? >> Just just so you know on that um the first 14221 the only difference was there was a sentence added to it that basically gives an opt out in policy 5407 which is also there and that opt out is just
041in terms of teaching curriculum and material covered in a classroom. Um it is a matter of fact >> a parent opt. >> It's a parent opt right and it is item seven under uh part A item 7. Parent objects to their students instructional materials. Employees will refer to the parent policy on 5407 which has also been updated for opt out with a reason or review. So um and that was it. That was our that was both policies. That's all that there was this time through. So, they took it easy on us on this one. >> Yep. That was an easy one. >> Any other questions, comments? >> All right. Movement supported. Um, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? All right. Motion passes. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Support. All in
042favor? I. >> All right. Any opposed? All right. She passes. How to get rid of that stupid