3 23 26 CAS Board of Education Meeting

001Good evening. meeting of the Troy School Board of Education, March 23rd, 2026. We appreciate everyone who's taken the time to be here tonight to to participate in the work of our district. Your presence reflects the community's commitment to our schools, our students, and the decisions that guide our future. We ask that all of you who are joining us maintain a respectful and orderly environment so that we can conduct the people's business effectively and in accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act. Meeting called to order at 6:30. Present. Gina here. Tim Abarta. Here. David Buno. Here. Liza Constine. Catherine Gabbana. Richard Heland. Here. Matt Mular. Here. Sandra Williamson. I pledge 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

002justice for all. So, next thing on our agenda is the student recognition. We are approached to recognize students whose work our work, character, and commitment to excellence reflect the very best of our area schools. Each of these students have demonstrated not only strong academic effort, but also resilience, curiosity, and leadership and strength in our community. Their achievement reminds us why we do this work. Whether they are excelling in the classroom, contributing to art, leading in athletics, or serving others through acts of kindness, these students show what it means to rise to the challenges and support one another and uh That is what she is. Perfect. Hi, good evening. I have the pleasure to introduce our February students of the month. So, if they're present, please feel free to come on up to the podium. So,

003our first one is seventh grader Emmy N Okay, uh Ms. Emmy was nominated by social studies teacher Zach Wright. He said, "Emmy Newton is a friendly, positive, happy, hardworking young lady with big goals for the future. Emmy makes straight A's, completes excellent work, participates in class, and is a contributing member of the class. She's an excellent student and is highly deserving of student of the month." Emmy participates in cheerleading and runs cross country. Emmy rides horses and competes in horse shows and will compete in the future rodeos. Her goals for the future are to attend the Texas A&M A&M University to study education and become a teacher. Emmy has a very bright future and I look forward to hearing about all about her accomplishments in the future. Our eighth grade student of the month will

004be presented by I have the privilege of teaching Lily T. Rowe. the privilege of teaching Lily both sixth and eighth grade science. When I think of the qualities of a successful student, Lily exemplifies them all. Lily brings a wonderful energy to our classroom. She is an active participant who is always willing to share her thoughts. Whether working in groups or tackling a solo task, she collaborates successfully with everyone around her. I'm also impressed by her resilience. She meets every challenge with persistence and isn't afraid to ask for help to ensure she performs her best. Congratulations, Lily, on being our eighth grade student of the month. I look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish IN HIGH SCHOOL. OUR NINTH GRADE STUDENT OF THE MONTH IS Adele Schultz. And I don't believe Adele is here

005with us. We have our girls basketball banquet tonight, and she is a member of our girls basketball team. But I will read um Mr. Wright's nomination for Adele Schultz. He said, "Adele Schultz is an outstanding student athlete at Cheboygan High School. Her work ethic, attention to detail, and excellence in academics make her very deserving of the February student of the month. She is a well-rounded, honorable student who participates in athletics, school spirit, and also earns money through babysitting. Miss Schultz is a straight-A student and can always be seen with a positive attitude in class, answering questions, and working her hardest. She also plays volleyball, basketball, and track for the Chiefs, and competes in travel sports. Adele enjoys skiing and attends church, as well. Her goal for after she graduates is to attend the University of

006Michigan to study nursing. I am confident that Adele has a very bright future ahead of her. Congratulations on EARNING THE NINTH OUR TENTH GRADE STUDENT OF THE MONTH, NOMINATED also by Mr. Wright, is Nicholas Tranfilla. Okay, so Nick Tranfilla is an outstanding student in the sophomore class. Nick is a dedicated athlete on both the football field and the wrestling mat. Nick enjoyed a starting spot on the wrestling team at 265 lbs and received the Chiefs at tournaments and jewels all over and sorry, represented the Chiefs at tournaments and jewels all over northern Michigan. Nick never missed a practice over the course of the season and showed tremendous toughness, strength and improvement this year. He is a top competitor. I enjoyed having Nick in class as an eighth grader and a ninth grader. He is a

007good student and has demonstrated a high level of character as well. During the summer months, Nick works construction. Nick has a very bright future and I'm very proud to nominate him for the February student of the month. Our junior student of the month was nominated by Mr. Zimmerlee and is Ashton Wilson. Thank you. Okay, so I will read uh the piece about Ashton here from Mr. Zimmerlee. It says, "I would like to recognize Ashton Wilson for being an outstanding student in my classroom. As a new to this school teacher working to learn my way around, she has been helpful and I cannot I can count on her to tell me how things work at school. She approaches every job with a cheerful attitude, strong work ethic. She is very creative and a good worker in

008my classroom. I'm very grateful for her help and appreciate the kind of student she is. I hope she continues hard again." Mr. >> Okay, and our senior student of the month for our tournament over for Inverness Academy is Alexis Baker. Come on up, Alexis. So, I was the one that nominated Alexis for student of the month. Um it is my absolute pleasure to introduce her to you today as our February senior. I've had the privilege of teaching Lexi for 2 years now, and she is the definition of a conscientious student. I first noticed her spark in my English 11 plus class, where she immediately stood out not just for at her academic ability, but her incredible work ethic and her constant willingness to volunteer. Whether it was leading the discussion or helping a peer, Lexi

009was always the first to step up. This year, Lexi continues to excel in my college English course, but she has truly found her center stage in my intro to teaching class. For her teaching practicum, Lexi has been working in Garrett Romero's band room with our sixth grade band students. She isn't just assisting, she is leading these students in small groups and as a class. When Mr. Romero is gone, she often directs his fifth and sixth hour bands, so they do not miss a beat. In fact, those of you who were lucky enough to attend our Christmas concert, you saw first hand exactly what she's capable of. Lexi actually conducted two songs in front of our community for the sixth grade band at the Christmas concert. To add to her music resume, she is the 2025-2026

010drum major, and Lexi this last weekend received She had received already a one at districts, but she received a one at state solo ensemble this past weekend as well, which is a significant award. Watching a senior command the podium with such confidence and is a testament to her growth and her passion for education. It is no surprise that she wants to study music at Northern Michigan University and has already been accepted to the music program. Lexi, your dedication to your studies and your heart for teaching make you incredibly deserving of this honor. Congratulations. Okay, and I'm going to turn it over to our Inverness Academy for our art student of the All right, hello. My name is Mr. King, yes, I am the social studies teacher at Inverness Academy. And here at Inverness Academy, we

011like to do student spotlight uh because we like to highlight our students who are not only doing well in their academics, but also doing well in succeeding and overcoming life's challenges. So, we have two, one for our in-person students and one for our virtual students. We'll start with our in-person student spotlight for March, which is Payton Cotton. COME ON DOWN. WOOHOO! PAYTON CAME TO US UH LAST year and has been one of the uh since and is uh very close to finishing up her uh studies and graduating with us, after which she'll be on uh to uh go on to do uh at Excuse me, uh to attend uh Les Cheneaux School, which is a culinary school in Hessel, Michigan, where she hopes to become a uh a professional chef. Yay! Uh so, that's what

012she hopes to Uh, Payton is one of our hardest working students and also every time that she comes into the classroom, she's a positive force in that classroom. Mr. Eboy talked about told me a story about how he used to do a popcorn reading and after hearing how great Payton is at reading out loud to her class, turned it into a reading with Payton. Uh, so we're super proud of you of everything that you're doing and thank you so much for everything that you've done. All right, next up is our virtual students. Elena Flowers, come on up. So Elena has been with us here at Amber Terrace for three years, correct? Oh wow, okay. So many years with us here at Amber Terrace and over that time we have all had the pleasure of watching

013Elena grow and mature into the person that we know her to be today. She like Payton is a very very hard worker in school and out of school. Elena hopes to become a teacher one day and is planning on going to NCMC in order to pursue that. She also goes into Miss Diamond's classroom and works with her there and she Miss Diamond said that she said that she is a very passionate and energetic in the kindergarten classroom and the kids faces light up when she comes in every morning. She cares about the kids deeply and will do anything to help them to be successful. I value her so very much and are so proud of his accomplishment. So, Elena, congratulations and we're out of here. Okay, if you are here supporting one of these students,

014our sincere congratulations and gratitude go to you. Please celebrate their their accomplishments. Your encouragement, guidance, and presence and presence and presence make a tremendous difference in their journey. If you could stand and we could give you an applause, On behalf of the board, um thank you for bringing your students to here today and if at this time you're welcome to stay and enjoy the rest of the meeting or if you choose to use this time to exit, that's also fine. Okay. The next thing on our agenda is the approval of minutes. Um I need a motion to approve the minutes of the February 23rd, February 23rd, 2026 regular and full session meeting minutes and the March 2nd, 2026 special board meeting and full session meeting Motion made by Mr. Finch. Support. And supported by Mr.

015Finch. Any discussion? Mr. Finch, may we have your vote? Yes. Mr. Hackett? Yes. Mr. Bruner? Yes. Mr. Marchant? Yes. Mr. Miller? Yes. The next thing on the agenda is the board president's report. Um I do have something I would like to uh say at this time in my board president's report. I'll give that a pass, but um I want to begin by apologizing to our staff and our community for the chaos the board has experienced over the past few weeks. Our role as a board is to provide the best opportunities for our students, and they should always remain our number one priority. Unfortunately, the great work happening across this district has been overshadowed by recent events. I want to assure our staff, our families, and our community that our commitment as a board remains firmly

016centered on our students. That has not changed. Over the past 3 years, our district has undergone a major shift. We have exceptional staff who put students first, and together we have worked to improve the climate in each of our schools. Our administration continues to continues to work tirelessly to ensure that every student receives what they need to succeed. We have implemented a strategic plan that guides our work and is continually reviewed and revised as the goals and needs evolve. We are in the process of implementing a guaranteed and viable curriculum with input from all stakeholders. Our math curriculum is complete, and this year's scores reflect the power of consistent, high-quality curriculum. We are a small district, and our enrollment limits the numbers of career pathways we can have in house. But we did not let

017those We did not accept those limitations. And And to ensure every student has access to opportunities they deserve, we expanded early middle college and maximized dual enrollment options to the fullest extent allowed by law. We are proud of the changes, the commitment, and the hard work of our staff. Through the leadership of Spencer Bird, they have remained focused on students through every challenge, and they deserve recognition for the progress we have made together. And as we look at the incredible accomplishments of our seniors, students earning academic and athletic scholarships, students pursuing skilled trades, students stepping confidently into their next chapter, we should be highlighting these successes. These are the stories that reflect who we are as a district and what our students are capable of of when we stay focused on them. As we move

018forward, I want to work to refocus on what truly matters, our students, our staff, and the future of this district. The past few weeks have been difficult, but they do not define who we are. What defines us is the dedication of our educators, the resilience of our students, and the commitment of this community to provide to providing every child with the opportunities they deserve. My hope is that we can put this recent turmoil behind us and return to the steady student-centered work that has moved this district forward. We have important goals ahead of us, and we can only achieve them by working together, respecting our processes, and keeping our focus where it belongs, on the success and well-being of our students. Thank you to our staff, our families, and our community for your patience, your

019trust, and your continued belief in the work we are doing. We remain committed to serving you with integrity, transparency, and shared purpose. Thank you. >> THANK YOU, JULIE. WE DO HAVE SOME UH MORE BUSINESS that we have to take care of. So, I'm going to try to do an abbreviated uh monthly superintendent report. We do have some motions that we need to consider and hopefully get approved tonight so that we can keep business going uh forward as usual. Um and I hope you guys can see this. Um good news is we have 4 days until uh spring break, so that's something to look forward to. I've heard a lot of uh great opportunities are coming some of your way, going down south to enjoy the sunshine, and all of that stuff. So, that's something to

020look forward to. I know everybody's excited about getting away from this winter that just doesn't seem to end. So, looking forward to that. But, also with the good comes the bad. Uh I think you guys know last week, unfortunately, we had to cancel school all week long, um which took us over our uh maximum number of days that we can have as a school district. We typically uh the Michigan Department of Education allows nine emergency uh school days. And we've blown by those a little bit this last week in particular. We're now at 14, so that's five over the waiver amount. So, right now uh our previous end of the school date was June 5th. It is now going to move to the to the next Friday, which is June 12th. We had a cabinet

021meeting today, and we're making sure to get that information. I know it's been posted on the website, but I also want to share it with you here today uh school board members. And hopefully, um we don't have any more because it doesn't look like Mother Nature's quite done with us yet, but I hope that's it and June 12th will be our end of the school year. Now, I haven't had an opportunity to talk with our our high school principal. I know some of you that have seniors are wondering, will this affect any of the senior dates? We haven't had a chance to talk about it yet, but if it does, we will definitely get that information out as well. What I know right now is that the senior end of the year dates remain the

022same. If they should change, that change will come from our department. Also, I would like to thank We have a new road commissioner, Matt Drake. And Steve, I know you're here. Why don't you step up here with you because I tell you, Steve and Matt, we got to know each other really well this past week on the phone quite a bit. It was a very frustrating week because we put a lot of time and energy in cleaning up roads, shoveling out entryways, only for Mother Nature to put a dump on us in the middle of the night, and we go right back to square one. But I know you want to say some words about the new commissioner working with him. Yeah, I'd like to say something too about my crew, the resilience and toughness

023they showed, showing up You know, some of us showed up Monday and not even clearing our own places, the selflessness and then it's working sunrise to sundown. Um but the number one goal was clearing the school out. I don't know if some of you saw pictures, the school was buried. We have You know, some of us were using equipment that's 40 46 years old. They're almost as old as I am. It's pretty old, right? But using old equipment like that and uh you know, just going through it is is the toughness and resilience. So, I'm very proud of my crew for what they showed. And also the road commissioner, Matt Drake, I I talked to him probably three or four times a day since Monday. Uh it making sure that our turnarounds are clear. Our

024bus buses go down some very rural roads, making sure they're clear. And even Sunday yesterday, he called me. He goes, "Hey, you, you know, I went to double-check your turn around, double check your routes. And you know, I never I never experienced that before the road commission foreman. And uh so he's, you know, that's he's doing a hell of a job. So I'm very proud of him. And the and the support he's showing the school and uh you know, taking pride in it. So he's a It's really good to work with him and the partnership that we have together is really great. So, give the road commission around of applause and my crew. Couple of updates. I know we've been talking about some of these things for a couple of months now. 27L money will

025be released this pay period, which I know is going to be quite helpful to some of those folks since we did miss so many days last week. Um that extra money will be coming in handy this Friday uh for payday. But as uh all of you hopefully know, we approved the 27L money, which was money that was given us given to us by the state, and then we were told to equally distribute it amongst our employees, which we worked with our union. Thank you very much Heather Lake and all the uh union representatives here that are here this evening. And uh all of our uh district employees will receive an extra $800 in their check uh from the the Michigan State uh Department of Education. So, I know that will come in handy, especially with

026the days that we missed last week. Some folks uh needed a needed a little bit extra help because of that. So, that's done. Also, I want to uh thank Marlene Alexander. I don't think she's here this evening, but we did have we've transitioned to a new financial software package this year. I know Laura and Marlene have been training on this financial program, but we found a little glitch this year for the first time when we had to uh produce our W-2 forms, the the originals, the first W-2 forms that went out, there was an error. There There boxes that omitted information. I believe it was boxes 12 and 14. I think it was. Is that correct? So, Marlene had to go back, find what was the problem, work with COPS PSD, and get some support

027from our new financial software company, but she was able to get that fixed. She sent out all new W-2 forms with the missing information for boxes 12 and 14. That was a couple weeks ago. So, hopefully by now everybody has all the information that they need. And I want to thank again the teachers and the staff for being patient with us because I know some people want to get their taxes done right away, and this kind of put a glitch in their their process, making it as timely as possible, but we got it fixed, and hopefully it will never occur again. But, I want to thank Marlene, and I did want to thank the teachers and the staff for their patience. But, that should be fixed. Also, we started teacher negotiations today. If you don't

028know, we put together a district negotiation team. The teachers have their union representative team. This is coming to the end of a 3-year teacher contract. When I started 3 years ago, we inked the first contract for the teachers that that when I was starting, and now that's coming to expiration on July 1st. So, we had a very I thought a very productive meeting with the teachers union today after school at 3:30. I want to thank the board members and the other folks that are part of my team. I know they're giving up some some time to volunteer to help out. Sometimes can be challenging, but I thought we had a good first meeting today. We set some dates for after spring break. We're going to continue those conversations, and hopefully the goal is to have

029a new contract to consider before the end of the school year. So, hopefully we can get this done, come to an agreement, and have a new deal moving forward July 1st, 2026. Also, just want to We talked about this um last month and Steve, I don't know if you have any updates for us, but we have a laundry list of things that we're working on through our director of facilities. There's a lot of projects that we're working on this spring and this summer. These are some of them, not all of them, but a couple of updates I would like to give you is we have a groundbreaking ceremony for East Elementary. If you want to come out and join us on April 14th, we're going to officially start doing some reconstruction and demolition to some

030of the classrooms at East Elementary over spring break next week, but at once we get back from spring break, we'd like to do an official uh groundbreaking ceremony and again, that will be on April 14th at 3:45. So, mark your calendars. Should be a good time. Um also, um we just got a bid today, I believe, Steve, right? We got approval for completion of the tennis courts and the uh track, right? You want to talk a little bit about that real quick? So, we received three bids. Um one just for the tennis courts and the company that I recommended for the tennis courts is all they do is tennis tennis courts and pickleball courts, so it makes sense to pick that company. Uh the the the other two, um you know, they said they they

031could do tennis courts, but they really don't do tennis courts, so I didn't you know, so I don't really you know, it's kind of going to have to buy triple bypass surgery and having a uh you know, I don't want to put a guy just doing you know, it's probably not going to go over very well. So, I recommended the company for the tennis courts and then also, I changed things up a little bit. I know we wanted polyurethane for the track, but after doing the research and talking to other facilities directors in schools, I I went with the latex, which saves the district about $115,000. Um the the current surface is latex and that lasted 26 years. Polyurethane is only used for tracks when the college is and when they use it all year

032around heavy traffic. We don't have heavy traffic on our on our tracks. There's no reason to go with polyurethane. You know, psychological recommend polyurethane. It doesn't make sense to go with that because of our track is not used enough for that. So, like I said, the track now was put in in 1998 and it's 2026. It lasted that long. And even if you go polyurethane, you know, when it gets that old you have to you know, every 20 something years you have to go and redo the asphalt on it. So, I'll go with the latex saves money. I like saving money. Um so, that's why that's why I recommend the latex. Yep. And we're making a that's up for motion tonight. So, you guys have in front of you that bid information. Uh hopefully uh

033this evening we'll get an opportunity to make a motion to approve that bid so that we can finish the track and tennis courts this summer. Uh the first layer of asphalt's already been laid as you know, but we do have to add those final touches and the final surface. And so, the uh by the beginning of next school year we should be ready to go. It is going to impact this track season and the track coaches and the track um um runners understand that they'll be able to practice on it, but this spring we won't be able to host a track meet this this spring. So, that's the unfortunate part of it, but uh by this end of this summer we'll have a brand new track, brand new tennis courts, and like Steve said, it

034should last for 25 years at least. So, that's good. That's good stuff. Um the other stuff you guys know about, I don't need to reiterate those. I We do also have another motion tonight to accept another uh retirement. We have one last retiree, Adam Bury. Is Adam here tonight? No. No? That's right. All right. Um Adam Bury is going to He just submitted his uh retirement paperwork. We're going to have a motion to accept his retirement. Um he is now the ninth uh um teacher to take advantage of the early retirement incentive. We still may have more people retire that weren't eligible for that, but these nine people took advantage of that incentive and gave us their information prior to March 15th, which allows allows us a little bit of a head start getting those

035jobs posted and trying to be a little bit more proactive in filling those positions. So, thank you to Adam Berry for getting that information and we wish him the best of luck. We also have a big We have two more half day PD days coming up. The next one is going to be our safety afternoon. That will be on April 8th. Then we have one more on May 6th. That's going to be curriculum based, but we will be wrapping up our half day PDs with one in April and one in May. Um Jeremy Runstrom, the emergency director, and I are going to meet soon to finalize that plan. We have a couple of good ideas of how we want to continue what we started last year. If you remember last year, Jeremy and the county

036and Rod Fenlon, they really did a nice job of doing an active shooter presentation in our high school and I know some board members attended that. That was great. What we're talking about doing on April 8th is more of a round table setting in our auditorium and talking about a reunification plan. So, that's kind of the idea that we have for April 8th. Also tonight, Laura is going to have She'll be coming up here shortly, I believe, talking about our amended budget. I would like to say on Laura's behalf, thank you because you guys know and you've heard the trials and tribulations that the state has gone through in regards to giving us budget information. We didn't know what our FTEs were going to be until almost the end of the first semester. So, to

037try to create a budget without the information is difficult, if not impossible. But, I know Laura and her auditors did the best job that they could do in in predicting a budget this year. And you have it in front of you today. And Laura's going to talk about it in a minute. But, I would like to highlight a couple of things, if I could kind of lift a couple of things up that you'll probably notice on your own. One is we're deficit spending again this year. But, two, the deficit spending isn't as as as much as it appears to be because we have to move some money around due to the lateness of the receiving our FTE information from the state. So, that 1.8 million, you can subtract approximately 600,000 from that, and that would

038be our deficit spending as of today. Now, that still could change. There are some revenues, some state, federal grant money that are being moved around. But, if today was our best guess, it would be 1.2. Last year was under a million, a little over 900,000. So, that's in alignment. The bad thing is we've been deficit spending for 2 years in a row, and we got to kind of figure out as a board, strategic plan, and start devising a way of trying to avoid this becoming a trend. Yes, we have a surplus. Our surplus was 35%, which is excessively large in the eyes of the Michigan Department of Education, but we don't want to continue to deficit spend. We need to turn that ship around. And we do have some ideas that we've been talking about

039in the cabinet, in the administrative meetings, with board meetings, in the finance committee meeting. But, a couple of things that we need to do and recognize is one, enrollment has steadily went down for 20 years straight. And our revenue is almost solely based on enrollment. So, that needs to be pushed up and pushed forward. We need to keep a a close track on enrollment. We have done some things to increase enrollment such as online. We're trying to build our online footprint. I think that could be really where we can expand our enrollment rather easily at little cost. But also CTE is down. We need to continue to try to get schools within our region to send more kids our way. Uh 5 years ago we had over 600 kids taking CTE courses. Today it's just

040a little over 400. So we need to get those kids back enrolled and start marketing our CTE programs a little bit better. Also EMC is going to help. Next year will be our first group of fifth year seniors that we will get an extra FTE for that because they are part of the EMC program. So that's going to increase our revenue stream. And then lastly pre-K. This year we have 32 students in pre-K. Within 2 years we hope to have 64. 64 * 10,000 is $640,000. So these are ways that we can increase our revenue and also just marketing our school district in general. I know Julie was very instrumental in getting the billboard put up out on 75. Thank you very much. I don't know how many people we got enrolled because of it

041but I think we need to do things like that. We get radio broadcast at the beginning of the year and we need to continue to encourage students to enroll in Springfield area schools and lift up all the great teaching and learning that's going on. The other thing that we can do as I just showed you guys is we have nine teachers retiring. All of you know we have a very veteran staff. We have about these after you take away the nine teachers that are retiring we still have about 10 to 15 that are close to retirement. So we're going to continue to see eight 10 people retire in the next two to three years. That's going to be a consistent year after year. The thing that we need to do is make sure that when

042we hire, we're really doing a really good job of assessing. Do we need to hire one for one or is this something we could consolidate with another position? That's up to the building principals, but we need to be very cognizant of being efficient and effective in staffing moving forward as as we continue to have these large group of retirements, that when we hire people back, we're doing it efficiently. That's another thing that we need to do. And I think all of you know, we have a $24 million budget. 80 to 85% of that is staffing, teachers, staffing benefits. 85% of the $24 million. So, that's always in every school district's budget, that's always the biggest the biggest thing that we need to make sure that we're keeping a close eye on. So, there are some

043ideas. We'll continue to talk about ideas to make sure that we can stop this trend of deficit spending. Lastly, I'd just like to make a statement. Nobody's given me much opportunity to speak about this, so I'm going to take advantage of having the floor right now, but I want to show my support for Julie O'Neal. Julie was one of two people that was here when I was hired three years ago. Julie and I have created a strong relationship. She's a retired teacher, as you guys know. She's a a strong community member, respected in the community, and has done amazing things. Last year, 2025, I encouraged Julie to take the presidency because when Amber left, we knew it was going to be open. And reluctantly, Julie took the presidency. And that's I think that's because of

044She's a very humble person, didn't necessarily want to jump out there in the front. But I will tell you in 2025, we got more done in that year with your leadership than any other year prior to that. So, I thank you for everything that you've done. And I know 2026 has been started off a little rocky here, but I know with your leadership you're going to you're going to find a way out for us. And I appreciate everything that you do for us. Your professionalism and your commitment to the schools and the community is obviously known by the folks that are here tonight supporting you, which I appreciate everybody coming out. And I know this is a difficult time for you right now, Julie, but I did want to um say thank you for everything

045you do. And what the most important thing that you do, I think, is you keep the focus on the kids. And like you said in your statement, what is best for kids? And I don't want to get into the weeds here about any of the semantics of what's going on. That's for the board to to talk about and to find a way out together as a seven-person board. But, I just wanted to say thank you, Julie, for everything that you've done. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS? WE GOT SOME MOTIONS to make. I hope this gave you enough information to uh feel confident about supporting them or not. So, thank you. The next thing on our agenda is the acceptance of the retirement. Um I need a motion to accept with regret the

046notice of retirement of Adam Worley, an intermediate school teacher at the end of 2025 for the 2026 school year. I'll make that motion. It was made by Deb. Support. Supported by Tim. Is there any discussion? Yes. Richard Kielar? Yes. Tim Carshat? Yes. Deborah Weiner? Yes. Matt Malarchuk? Yes. Julie Bogie? Yes. Okay, we'll move on to the state of finances and we have the finance and building and grounds committee update by Kim. Yep. Uh first item is construction and bond update update. We are on track with our board with our bond timeline. The bid opening for the high school and intermediate improvements is scheduled for April 28th. Major construction begins this summer with work continuing in phases through August of 2027. We're also looking forward to breaking ground at East Elementary in April with a backup

047date scheduled if needed. Second item, project phasing. The project is organized into phases to maximize efficiency and minimize disruption. Initial work focuses on East Elementary and infrastructure followed by high school improvements, transportation upgrades, and then middle school and additional projects. Contractors are planning to move efficiently and complete as much work as possible on the on an accelerated timeline. Third item, operations during construction. Our priority is maintaining stable learning environments. Building will re- will buildings will remain operational, though there will be adjusted access points and limited access during the summer. Construction schedules will be coordinated around the school calendar to reduce disruption. Item four, financial overview. The district's fund balance is expected to decrease as we make planned investments. These include curriculum, technology, and facility improvements. We are continuing to pursue grants and supplemental funding to

048help offset costs and maximize resources. Item five, staffing and enrollment. We continue to see a gradual decline in enrollment, which reflects a broader statewide trend. We're monitoring this closely and plan on aligning staffing levels as well as continuing to hire in key instructional areas to best support student needs and to ensure we continue providing strong educational opportunities. Item six, facilities and safety. In addition to bond work, we are continuing with ongoing facility maintenance and upgrades. Safety remains a priority with continued improvements and planning to ensure secure learning environments. Item seven, looking ahead. Next steps include finalizing bids, beginning summer construction, and maintaining clear communication with staff, families, and the community throughout the process. That's it. Any questions for Tim? Questions? Okay, so the next thing on our agenda is the school department budget, and Laura

049is going to speak on that. Sure. You all should have received a copy of the amended budget emailed to you last week. If you look at page three and the fourth column over, you'll see as Spencer said, we are deficit spending by $1.8 million now, which results in a fund balance of 25.92%. However, with the adjusting the funds and moving stuff to grants, which is yet to happen, I'm confident, as he is, that this will go down, I would say at a minimum of $600,000. And with this budget, with the variance, you have to match the revenues to the expenditures. So, where this is focusing on expending all of the grant money. We may not expend all of the grant money. We may have carryover. So, this the budget this mid-year budget is hard to

050determine. Um but I I'm confident, Spencer's confident, we talked to Jessica who does the grants, that this 1.8 million will draw. I mean, we're still going to be around the ballpark as we were in the final budget last year, close to a million dollars. So, I agree with everything he said, that we still have to watch ourselves, cuz it's not no more Christmas money left. So, I don't know. If you folks have any questions, I mean, the following pages after three is more of a breakdown. I've had a couple of board members approach me and asked some some good questions. Um if you review it and have any other questions, please feel free to call or email me, and I'll be happy to get you an answer. So. Can you explain what the Christmas money

051is? I think everybody's aware of that. The ESSER grants, ESSERs 1, 2, 3 were the COVID money essentially brought over $5.3 million additional revenue to the school district over the course of what, 4 or 5 years maybe? And that those monies are gone. We find ourselves spending money we could have used ESSER money for, but now we have to take it out of the general fund. Correct. Like the Chromebooks need to be replaced. Our textbooks need to be replaced, so. But we all saw that coming, so. Any questions for Laura? Thank you, Laura. Thank you. Okay, so I need a motion to approve the amended budget as presented. I'll make that motion to approve the amended budget. Motion made by Ken. I'll second. Supported by Rich. Further discussion? Yes. Rich Deelan? Yes. Ken Haggard? Yes.

052Deborah Wiener? Yes. Matt McCarthy? Yes. Julie Boglio? Yes. The next thing on our agenda is the payment of the bills. So, um I need a motion to acknowledge the payment of the regular and large invoices in the amount of $313,640.94. I'll make that motion. I'll second. Motion made by Ken, supported by Rich. Discussion? Questions? Rich Deelan? Yes. Ken Haggard? Yes. Deborah Wiener? Yes. Matt McCarthy? Yes. Julie Boglio? Yes. Okay, the next thing on our agenda is the um approval of intermediate school bleacher building. Um we have a uh bid to approve to approve the bid for the intermediate school bleacher replacement submitted by Interkal LLC in the amount of $91,858,883. It is from the sinking fund. This is where the money is coming from. And it came in under budget by about What would you

053say, like $30,000? >> $40,000. $40,000. So, I need a motion. I'll make a motion to approve approve the bid for the intermediate school bleacher replacement. Support. Motion made by Tim, support by Deb. Discussion? This is the same that the high school did? They were out there at the high school bleachers 2 years ago. So, it's the same company. Yep. Same company. And also, I would like to say that I know we've been talking about the intermediate bleachers since I got here about some of the safety concerns that we have with the bid. So, I think it's a very fortunate that we're able to get it under bid and we'll be able to get it done in the summer and have it ready to go next school year. Do you have any questions? No questions. Yes.

054Patrick Feeney? Yes. Tim Carjack? Yes. Deb Feeney? Yes. Pam Carjack? Yes. Julie Lowery? Yes. Okay, the next thing on the agenda is approval of the track and court resurfacing bid. We need a motion to approve the bid for the resurfacing of the tennis courts submitted by Cole Surfaces LLC in the amount of $39,000. And and a bid for the resurfacing of the track by Court Surfaces Incorporated in the amount of $128,000. Um, all voluntary alternate latex tracks. Um, that site budget had it for $250,000 or something? And this is also Site budget actually had it budgeted for $250,000 because we're going to use bond money for it. And by using sinking fund money, we don't have to use we can use we don't have to go through the labor charges that we would What's the

055term I'm looking for? Uh Prevailing Prevailing wage, I'm sorry. So, if I use the sinking funds, but if you use bond money, it uses prevailing wage. So, that that jacks up the price of the bidding. So, if I use the sinking funds, we don't have to use prevailing wage. So, that that's why we were able to save money. And they recommended we did that just to save money. And by going with Laykold courts, too, we're saving we're saving money. Uh so, I need that motion. I'll make a motion to approve the bid for resurfacing the tennis courts. Motion made by Tim. Support. Supported by Jen. Any further discussion? I'll pass you. Yes. Here. We I'm going to restate the motion. Okay. Okay. We need a motion to approve the bid for resurfacing of the tennis

056courts submitted by Coastal Surfaces LLC in the amount of $39,000 and the bid for the resurfacing of the track by Coastal Surfaces Incorporated in the amount of $128,000. I'll revise my I'll revise my motion to approve the bid for for the resurfacing of the tennis courts submitted submitted by Coastal Surfaces LLC in the amount of $39,000 and the bid for the resurfacing of the track by Current Surfaces Incorporated in the amount of $128,000. Motion made by Tim. Supported by Rich. Any discussion? Yes. Rich Phelan? Yes. Ken Target? Yes. Deborah Buener? Yes. Matt Marchak? Yes. Julie Wozniak? Yes. Okay. The next thing on the agenda is the approval of a board member conference. I need a motion to approve the board member Ken Target to attend the MASA 2026 School Safety Summit on May 8th, 2026

057in Lansing with a cost of $250. Motion made by Rich. Support. Supported by Matt. Discussion? And we should have a vote for travel and meals. And the motion travel and meals Should that be in the motion or that after or should should should say travel and meals or should it be in the motion or should that come after? You can just add it after as I think you said that it's after the approval. Yeah, okay. Cuz we don't have any amount for that yet. Okay. Okay, so the motion on the floor is to approve board member Ken Target to attend the MASA 2026 School Safety Summit on May 8th, 2026 in Lansing with a cost of $250. Um made by um Rich and supported by Matt. Richard Kielan? Yes. Uh signal of same. Deborah Buener?

058Yes. Matt Marchak? Yes. Julie Wozniak? Yes. Okay. So, now we're to the point in our agenda of public comment. Um as we move into public comment, each speaker will have 5 minutes. This time ensures that fairness allows everyone that wishes to speak an opportunity the meeting We ask that the comments be directed to the board and remain and focus on matters within the board's responsibilities. Under the Michigan Open Meetings Act, the public has the right to attend and observe our meetings. The act also requires that the board maintain order so the meeting can proceed. Disorderly conduct, such as shouting, interrupting speakers, refusing to yield the floor, or otherwise preventing the board from conducting its business may result in a call to order, a warning, or removal from the meeting. These steps are taken solely to

059preserve the public's ability to follow the meeting and are never based on the viewpoint being expressed. The board will not respond to comments at this time, but please know that we take your input seriously and your concerns will be reviewed. Someone will follow up with you if a response or additional information is needed. Our meeting minutes and video of the meeting will be our follow-up on public comment if if action is taken during the meeting. I also want to emphasize that community input is valued. Public comment is a vital part of democratic governance. While the board does not respond during the portion of the meeting, we listen carefully and your perspectives help inform our work and strengthen our partnership between the district and the community. Thank you for your engagement and your commitment to our

060schools. With those guidelines in mind, may you come forward one at a time. You will be limited to 5 minutes per speaker unless extended by the board. Um if you could state your name and address and also if there are um if there are times when you feel that your statement has already been made by someone else, and you choose you choose to forego coming up, that's perfectly fine if you feel like you've already been heard by somebody else speaking. I just want to thank all these employees and teachers for being here for us all. I haven't seen this many teachers in one spot since Peter brought me gave us asbestos. Um There's a couple of things I've been asked to talk about. My name is Roger Pratt, by the way. Um I live in

061Sheboygan and I don't need to be contacted. So, I'm not going to put my address on here right now. If you need to know me, you can go through me and comment or something. Um I was on the school board for a long time and I love this school. I love the district and I'm having a hard time understanding what's going on there. There's just integrity. We need to have a board with integrity. If you remember Dr. Baltzer and Dr. Duncan, Dr. Merritt, George Pike, these people had integrity. They loved our schools and they they did right. They're not putting weird crap on the internet. They're not missing meetings. I've been here two meetings in a row and the guy that's causing all the excitement is not here two two months in a row. You

062know, what does that tell you? The three meetings I've been to in the past year, I've seen this board make uh I don't know if I'll call them errors because they don't know or um using their cell phones to text each other for one thing. Uh Not the whole board. The people that are doing it know who they are. You guys know who they are. Okay? If you want to record a school board meeting, you have the right to record a school board meeting. If someone stops you from recording a school board meeting, they can be prosecuted. Okay? If you come up here and you want to call out a school board member by name, you can call a school board member out by name. I wouldn't myself because it would just cause It causes

063weird stuff going on. Okay? If you're going to talk about what you're talking about, everybody's going to know who that person is anyway. Why are you pointing at We know. It's been going on for a few months. It's been going on for a long time, actually. So, you don't have to say name unless you don't want to. You see the secretary down here calling these names all the time during the meetings. So, what's saying that we can't call somebody's name? Okay? But, think about that. We have to have We don't want to act like the person we want gone. Okay? We got to have integrity ourselves. If we want integrity in the board, we have to have integrity. Okay? Um I think that's it besides saying I support Julie Olivo. OKAY? WE LOVE JULIE. JULIE'S

064BEEN AROUND FOR 30 YEARS. She has made That's 30 years. She has made a difference in thousands of kids' lives. No one on this board can say they've matched anything like that, okay? And not very many teachers can. There's a few. It's kind of scary to see so many veterans leaving, not only retired, but just leaving our school to go to another school after they've been here for 20 or 30 years. Something's wrong, people. And you can't not come, or you can come to every board meeting, but you need to come to every board meeting. Not 300 people, not 200 people, but you don't have You've got to come keep these people under control, okay? They work for you. You vote them in, and you can vote them out. Okay? Superintendent works for this board.

065We don't have much to say about that, okay? Everybody else works for the superintendent. These people work for us. If we don't want them around, vote them out. Okay? November's going to come faster than any of them know. And there's going to be a big change on this school board. I'm telling you right now. MAYBE. GOOD EVENING. HOPEFULLY MOST OF YOU CAN HEAR ME. My name is Heather Lake. I am a seventh grade English teacher I teach High School, and president of the Sheboygan Area Education Association, your Sheboygan teachers union. My address is 981 West Knapp. I stand before you tonight to make you, the board, aware that we, the SAEA, firmly support board president Joey Loggian in her call for accountability of a certain board member. As a matter of fact, over half of

066the membership we met and voted unanimously on three clear positions in support of President Loggian and her actions. The first was just a few months ago when this very board voted unanimously to appoint Joey to this leadership role and the association affirms its support for her remaining in the role of president of the Sheboygan Area School Board of Education. The association believes that stable, consistent, and responsible governance is critical to creating conditions our students need to succeed and to move the district forward. Second, we call on Trustee Nevel to resign from the Board of Education. The effects of this damage caused by this controversy are being seen in our classrooms and among our students, which is a great source of concern among our teaching staff, men and women. It saddens us to see the erosion

067of trust within the community. Third, the association calls on the Board of Education to uphold and stand by its disclaimer resolution issued earlier this year. The board unanimously approved this disclaimer resolution, clarifying that Mr. Nevel's statements and behaviors do not represent the collective voice of the board and certainly do not represent the district. The Methacton Area Education Association believes our schools function best when board leadership reflects professionalism, sound judgment, and respect for all students, staff, and families. At a time when the district needs effective leadership, internal conflict and efforts to overturn stable governance only creates further disruption, which ultimately only harms our students. Your job, like ours, is to create stability for the students and community of Methacton. That is not what is currently happening with our board. I ask that you listen to your

068community tonight and do what is best to reestablish that stability for Methacton area students. We support Julie Neubauer. My name is Stephen Neubauer. My address is 11480 Davis Street Drive, Eagleville. I teach English at Methacton Academy. Mr. Neubauer recently published a blog post that may violate the CAS Code of Ethics for board members. The post is called School is Failing Boys, dated February 16th, 2026, and it begins, "The modern education system is a soft, bureaucratic assembly line that treats boyhood like a behavioral disorder." Mr. Neubauer continues, "How can this be? It's because teachers, administrators, and support staff have spent their entire lives in a utopian academia. K-12, undergrad, grad degrees and beyond, and their only real word real world, sorry, he uses scare quotes there. Experience is, you guessed it, inside of school. I began

069full-time teaching at age 50. I made it on the outside. And then I chose to work in school. Continuing from the article, the adulthood these folks prepare students for is a soft, cushion, union-protected bubble that in no way represents a normal adult life of any consequence. The term union-protected bubble targets teachers who, quote, in no way represent a normal adult life of any consequence. Teachers, the lives we live, the work we do, none of it matters to one of our board members. He mocks administrators. The arrogance is the worst part. Those are his words about administrators who, quote, hold conferences, publish reports, form committees, redesign grading scales, invent terminology to avoid admitting they are wrong. Wrong about what? What should they do differently? According to Mr. Neville, boys respond to risk taking and schools give

070them safe places. What kind of risk taking does he advocate? And what kind of safety is he against? Mr. Neville says school is failing boys. I'd say Mr. Neville has failed our school. His article about school leaves readers, myself, my co-workers, our students, our community to assume he's talking about our school. His public statements may violate the board code of ethics published in the CAS Board of Education Policy Handbook as follows. The The member's primary concern must be the educational welfare of students attending the district schools. That means all students. Not just boys. Board members must focus on the district's mission, values, vision, and strategic plan. Mr. Neville has a mission. According to his article, it's fix the system. This represents a personal agenda that is dangerously out of line with the CAS mission, values,

071vision, and strategic plan. Also, the code of ethics work constructively and collaboratively and collaboratively with the superintendent, staff members, students, parents, and community stakeholders. Mr. Neville disrespects administrators, teachers, and support staff. He shows no concern for half our student population. His published opinions are clearly a barrier to partnering effectively with parents and community stakeholders. Mr. Neville's recently published statements may violate the code of ethics and CAS policy handbook for board members. Federal and state laws direct the board to investigate these matters and grant authority to choose an appropriate response. So, I ask the board to consider this matter before accepting any complaints from Mr. Neville. I also ask that the complaint against our current school board president be withdrawn. And I ask Mr. Neville to resign from the CAS Board of Education. Mr. Neville can

072pursue his masculine mission with fury and grit. He has the right to do that. But, he does not have the right to do it as a board member in our school district. My name is Lily Schulz and I'm a senior at Sheboygan High I'm here tonight because I and many other students are deeply disgusted and horrified at the statements and actions of Travis Neville. While he does have the right to free speech, he does not have the right to weaponize his power for his own misguided convictions. The students of Sheboygan deserve better than this, which is why many of us advocate for his resignation. I myself participate in numerous sports and school organizations along with some of the most powerful and incredible women I know. To have somebody who's in such an influential over my

073education while making absolutely vile and dehumanizing claims about my worth and duty as a woman is sickening. I'm also deeply disturbed that this behavior is tolerated, even supported by members of the board. To you, I ask if this is the kind of masculinity you would want your daughters to be exposed to. Masculinity that devalues them and breaks their spirit into servants. I myself am grateful to have a father that lifts me up and reaffirms my value as a woman. It's saddening that your daughters may not be able to say the same. Once again, students of Sheboygan deserve better leadership and representation than this disgusting display of misogyny and hate. Mr. Neville disgraces our community with his actions and dismisses our values at Sheboygan schools of respect, responsibility, and safety. Your students are who benefit or

074suffer as the result of your actions, so please do your job and WORK FOR US. HI, MY NAME IS MADELINE SCHWALBACH. I'm currently a senior at Sheboygan Area High School. I stand before you today to voice my concerns about the board members who does not represent equality, leadership, and respect for the students of the Troy area schools. Although he is entitled to his opinion, his views are not appropriate for someone who holds a position on a school board. To quote Travis Nembhard, "When a household includes young children, a woman's career is guaranteed to take time away from family. Career, husband, children. She can only choose two." Although I am not a mother, I juggle responsibilities of being on student council, chief ambassadors, and interest being a part of the soccer team, and being the president

075of Key Club, while also holding responsibilities of the household. With all these accomplishments accomplishments, I still hold third rank in my class with a GPA of 4.076. According to Travis Nembhard, these achievements are undermined. Sadly, it has come to the point where I can't stand before you today or walk through the halls without feeling sexualized and degraded because of my gender responsibilities due to his misogynistic comments and views Travis Nembhard tries to push onto his peers, but also my fellow classmates, by handing out his book, Reclaiming Masculinity. I feel scared about whether my characteristics fit into his marriageable woman category. For your information, I don't. The last time I checked, according to his past, he doesn't fit into HIS MARRIAGEABLE CATEGORY. I ADVISE ALL OF YOU TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY and do the responsible thing to

076protect the students of the Troy area schools. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CARRIE LAHEY. I reside at 6500 Cherry Road. I stand before you tonight as a mother, a wife, a teacher, and a coach. Someone who was born and raised here in Troy. This community is not just where I live. It's who I am. It's where I'm choosing to raise my children, where I teach other people's children, these people's children. Where I work every day to help shape the generation that's in front of us. Because of that, I feel a responsibility to speak. Not just for myself, but for the values we claim to stand for in this district. I support the decision to remove Travis from the school board. I hope you do, too. Not because of politics, not because of opinions,

077but because of what's right for our children. As a teacher, a coach, I know what a role model looks like. I also know what a poor role model looks like. There's a difference between having personal opinions and behaving in ways that are not appropriate for someone in leadership over our schools. I also want to speak as a mother. I have two young daughters, and truthfully, that shouldn't matter. Their gender should not make their safety or their value any more or less important. But unfortunately, in this situation, I feel that it does. And that is deeply, deeply concerning from a place that I call home. What should matter? What must matter is that they are children. Just like every student I teach and every athlete I coach, and some are here. My girls, I coach a

078girls sport. In this community, I've had the privilege of positively influencing many young athletes. But that shouldn't carry more weight either. A student is a student, a child is a child, an athlete is an athlete, no matter their gender, they deserve to feel safe, respected, and protected. They deserve leaders who see them away equally, fully, and without exception. I was raised in a home where people had different beliefs and still respected one another. My parents voted differently, chose not to divide our home over it. And I was raised to love people no matter their background, their beliefs, or who they are. That is what I teach my students every single day. Respect, inclusion, kindness, and accountability. And those are not optional values for the people leading our schools. They are essential. We cannot ask our

079students to be respectful, inclusive, and responsible citizens if adults in leadership positions are not modeling those same expectations. There was a reason Travis had restrictions restrictions placed on his involvement with children. That decision did not happen without cause. We cannot ignore that simply because it's uncomfortable. This is uncomfortable. Your role as board members is not to defend individuals. It is to protect us and the students. I also want to take a moment to say that I support Julie in her role as board president. Leadership is not easy, especially in moments like this. It takes courage to stand firm in difficult decisions, to put students first, and to uphold the values of this district even when there's pressure to do otherwise. Thank you, Julie. And I will say this respectfully, but honestly, it's a shame to

080see a strong woman in a position of leadership being questioned, targeted in ways Did feel very familiar. When women step into positions of authority and make hard decisions, they're often scrutinized differently. And we have to ask ourselves, is that what this is about? Because leadership should be judged on integrity, on decision-making, and on what is best for the students, not on who is strong enough to stand up and make the hard call. That kind of leadership matters, and it deserves to be recognized and supported. And when you look at the various um strategic plan this board approved, the direction is clear. You all committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and collaborative environment. Providing a welcoming and safe environment for all. Promoting character development as a foundation for lifelong success. Supporting a community of diverse learners.

081Those are not just words on a paper that you all chose to put there. That is your promise to this community. It's on the website. So, I ask you, does this reinstating someone whose actions have raised serious concerns align with those goals? Does it support a safe environment? Does it reflect strong character? Does it build trust with your families? As someone in the classroom every day, I can tell you this. Trust matters. Safety matters. Role models matter. Our students are always watching. They learn more from what we do than what we say. And right now, they're watching you. The decision is not about politics, it's about responsibility. My name is Becky Patrick, 8685 West Black Lane, Bloomington. I'm not supposed to be here tonight. I'm supposed to be back at the high school attending my

082senior daughter's last basketball banquet. But when my daughter and I were discussing the latest issues with the school board, she felt strongly enough that she would rather I miss her banquet in order to speak to you tonight. So I have some comments of my own, but first my daughter asked me to read something she wrote. This is my daughter. First I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself before I express my concerns. I am a senior who is a four-year three-sport athlete, a team captain on two varsity sports, second in my graduating class, student council, National Honor Society, class president. I'm attending college next year to study environmental engineering. A man like Mr. Noble probably sees my accomplishments as surprising given the fact that he's made clear on his different social media platforms

083that he believes women are weak and not good leadership material. But here is one point I want to make sure the board understands related to Mr. Noble's desire to be involved in our school athletics. Coaches and teachers have incredible influence on a student's life. As a student athlete, I have experienced firsthand how important a good coach can be. Thankfully, I have had the opportunity to be coached by wonderful coaches, especially Walter Hansen who teaches at the high school. On his podcast, Mr. Noble stated, "I quote I coached girls for a season and it was a disaster." You can't root or motivate someone like that. This could not be further from the truth. Hansen always sees us as the powerful and smart individuals we are and in return we play our heart out for him. Given

084the influence our coaches have on us, it's disgusting for me to hear now that the board members are considering giving Mr. Noble back his power. How could you allow a person in a position of influence who believes that women are only useful for their bodies, chores, and reproduction. Well, as a young woman, I can tell you that I am so much more than that. I am the kindness I put into the world. I have a capable brain that has led me to my many accomplishments. And I am strong enough to stand up to men like this who think I am less than them. And I'm really sad that our entire board is All right. So, now a few of my thoughts. I'm sure Mr. Noble is going to try to make an complaint that's something

085dry and procedural, acting as if he's been wronged by some missteps by President Botello. But, let's not pretend we don't know what this is really about. It's very simple. Mr. Noble is upset that his power has been checked, and now he has lost access to the impressionable young men who he was hoping to mold into his twisted vision of the ideal man. When I was at the last Sorry. When I was at the last meeting, a few of you pointed out that Mr. Noble has worked to improve our athletic programs. And here is my response to that. And as you just heard, we're a big sports family. My response is, so what? Let's get our priorities straight here, people. No amount of good works provides an excuse for his behavior. Do you really think the

086fact that he helped bring back cheerleading or painted the football goalposts excuses the fact that on social media he liked to post saying, "Stop trying to find love and start using women for their bodies." Or that he agreed with an online post that claimed some women have rape fantasies. His response being, "Quote, dude, they totally do. Every career woman wants handcuffs and hair pulling." Stop ignoring and rationalizing his bad behavior for the sake of athletics. It is insulting to our lady Chiefs. Now, in one of his podcasts, Mr. Noble uses an example of a campfire. He describes women and children residing inside that protective circle of light that men have created with predators and bad actors lurking just outside. And maybe for the men on the board, this description resonates with you. I mean, hopefully

087not the part where Mr. Noble calls all the women weak, but maybe just the part where you feel a duty to protect. But here's where I'm afraid you may have misunderstood your assignment. If I came to you and said, "Can you help me? There's an adult man hanging around the school who has online discussions about whether or not women want to be raped, who thinks the idea of teachers sexually assaulting their students is a joke, and who considers our 15-year-old girls to be marriageable age?" I think every alarm bell in your body would be going off, and you would tell me, "Of course, I'll help." Well, I have news for you. The danger is not lurking right outside the firelight. It is sitting right here on our board. So, that's what I'm doing tonight. I

088am asking for your help. Do the right thing. Vote no to any sort of complaint against President Wohlers, and support Julie and the actions she has taken to protect our kids. My name is Taylor Reeger, 11571 Macarthur Street Drive. Um some of the things that I intended to say were already being said really well, but I'll So, I'll just add a few things. When I first looked at uh you know, Noble's podcast as the husband of the bride mother professional woman and as the father of bright professional daughters who are mothers as well, I was appalled when I thought about that man having the incredible power that a coach has. The incredible power that a man has with young boys, I was further appalled. I used to be a football coach. I was a track

089coach. I was a basketball coach. So, I know something about this. I know about a coach that I had who for better turned me into the man that I am because he cared not just about me because I was going to state in track meet, but because there was a kid who had lost every track event he'd ever participated in, and at the end of his junior year, while running the track, this guy had a stopwatch on him. He knew that he'd better his best time. And he made a bigger celebration about that than he did when we won the conference championship. That's the kind of man we want in in our football coaching, in all our coaching. So, I suggest that you think about these things. uh staff members are married women. The decisions

090you make will speak to them. The effect on current staff should be a concern to you because teachers have more mobility now than they have in many years because of the decline in teachers willing to go in and take on this difficult job. A local school district did a number of things it shouldn't have done, and we benefited because a couple of some really good teachers came to our school. Some of our good teachers could go elsewhere depending on what happens here tonight. So, finally, I'll mention something pragmatic. I'm also, in addition to having been a teacher here and a junior high principal, I was also a superintendent in Indian Indian River. When people decide where they want to send their children, when people with young families try to decide where they should move, they

091Google. What message will they take about Sheboygan Area School from tonight's meeting? I can tell you it would have a huge impact for the negative if a person who represent this school district the way Mr. Novel will uh will be confirmed in the law of the state of Wisconsin. Thank you for what you do. It's a difficult job. I'm sure many of you would rather be at the State Fair tonight. So, thank you for YOUR COURAGE. OKAY, UM BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO make a statement. Uh a couple people did not give me this form when they came up and spoke, and they got by me. Mr. Rivera and also the first amazing student Mr. Hernandez Yes. Mr. Hernandez Lilly Yeah. And if there's anybody who has filled out a

092form out and bring it to me, I will We just wanted to clarify the public record. Good evening. My name is Amanda Tanner. I'm a retired Sheboygan High School teacher, I'm a university professor, a member of this community, and a proud Nana of three. One of whom attends our intermediate school. I'm here tonight because what is being proposed is not a personnel matter or a procedural disagreement. It is an attempt to punish a board member for doing her job. On March 2nd, the board held that special meeting we've heard about where hundreds of community members attended and the board voted 6 to 0 to approve the disclaimer resolution. The board was unanimous. Board President Lohila led that process in accordance with board policy and in direct response to community concern. She did exactly what a

093board president is supposed to do. Tonight, there's a motion in front of you to censure President Lohila, strip her of her community assignments, remove her from office. I want to be direct. This is retaliation. It targets the person who led the accountability process. It uses the same tools that the board used to address misconduct and it turns them towards the person who called that misconduct out. If this board votes yes on that motion, you're not disciplining a board president. No, no, no. You are sending a message to this community that accountability has consequences and that standing up for students is not safe. Your own disclaimer resolution states that this board is committed to professionalism, ethical conduct, transparency, and a safe and respectful educational environment for students, staff, and the community. I ask you to look

094to those words tonight before you vote. Approving this motion does not reflect those values. It contradicts them. To the members of this board, you have an opportunity tonight to protect the integrity of the institution. And I understand that some of you care about Trustee Neville. But consider this. In football, there's a penalty called unsportsmanlike conduct. It does not matter how talented the player is or how much his teammates love him. The penalty stands. You don't punish the referee for throwing the flag. Tonight, that's exactly what's being asked of you. A no vote is not a vote against Travis. It's a vote for the kind of board this community deserves. I urge this board to vote no. I urge you to protect the process that this community demanded and that this board agreed to uphold on

095March 2nd. The people in this room are watching. Your voters are watching. The students in this district are watching. Do not let tonight be the night this board chooses retaliation over responsibility. Thank you. Good evening. Um as most of you know, I'm Nancy Sprague, 500 Grove, Cheboygan, Michigan. And I was an employee of Cheboygan Area Schools from 1994 to 2024. And I have blissfully sat in silence watching the direction of this district since my chairman, but I can be silent no longer. I am truly disappointed. I've spent the majority of my life being a part of Sheboygan Area Schools, having attended school here K-12, followed by my 30-year career. Never in those 43 years have I seen a board so corrupt and out of touch with the wants and needs of the community that has

096been elected to or appointed to serve as this one. I was proud of this board when they released a statement taking unanimous action in response to the public statements and ideologies of one particular member of this board. It was completely appropriate. The purpose of a school board is to act in the best interest of the students and the community. First of all, I do recognize that board members' public statements are absolutely protected by our US Constitution. But even this board member has agreed that the First Amendment's purpose is to offer protection from government retaliation. It was designed to give citizens the right to disagree with our government without fear. The First Amendment does not give one carte blanche to spew sexist and racist vitriol without consequence. And being a member of a school board and

097someone who works closely with children, a person can indeed say things that would make them unfit for those appointed responsibilities. For example, a board member has publicly declared beliefs that feminism and women in the workplace are responsible for the degradation of society, in addition to specific statements that women make inferior teachers, cannot be trusted to objectively vote on matters of hiring, tenure, and possible disciplinary action with female staff members given such beliefs. A board member who has made light of racist ideologies by saying that racist jokes are the funniest cannot be trusted to make objective decisions as a board member when dealing with minority students, staff, or community members. A coach who has supported the belief that hazing and bullying serve a purpose cannot be trusted to protect their students if these take place under

098their supervision. Similarly, a board member cannot be trusted to objectively decide on disciplinary matters that may come before them involving hazing and or bullying. If this board decides that Mrs. Lovelace overreached her powers as board president by issuing a statement delineating what action this board unanimously decided was appropriate, you will be confirming the exact issue that many in this community believe exists. And that is that this board has been corrupted beyond repair. And what is left is corruption. As someone on the inside, I can tell you that what led to all this was the man that was hired to lead this district back in 2023. And with respect to Roger, I'm not going to say the name because you all know what I'm talking about. You need to do what the board back then refused

099to do. You need to look into his history. You need to notice that he has done the exact same thing here that he did in previous districts. You need to look at staff turnover since he was hired. You need to talk to the people that left and ask why they felt they had no other option but to leave. You need to look at the priorities of the district and where his money is and is not being spent. You need to look at why four board members have resigned since his hire, enough to give him a majority vote on any of his self-promoting, self-serving wants for this district. You need to look at errors in certain contracts that have cost the district tens of thousands of dollars and were swept under the rug. Someone needs to

100do what's right for Sheboygan. I will not stay silent anymore while a group of frat boy good old boys sit around drinking brews keys on someone's boat deciding how they're going to make Sheboygan into Hillsdale or Oliver 2.0. I KNOW BEING A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IS A thankless job. But no matter what decision you make on any given topic, someone will disagree. You have a responsibility to set aside personal wants and beliefs and think of the community as a whole. And if you are unable to do that, you need to do the right thing if you can't be a man, step down. Hello, I'm Nicole Cragman and I've been a committed teacher in Sheboygan. I live at 7990 Gabriel Road. 23 years ago, I was hired to work for Sheboygan Area Schools. Julie Lokia was

101already an established educator. I was lucky enough to get her as my mentor for 3 years. Every piece of advice given to me by Julie was to help the children of this district. She raised her children here and her grandchildren. She wanted to be a board member because she knew she could help the students and staff even more. I can honestly say Julie Lokia fits the bill of all the goals we have for this district. She has put in the time and the effort for our district vision and our community. In October of 2023, I met with district leaders to do the labor-intensive work of our district's strategic plan. Some of those individuals are here with us tonight, including Rochelle Kila, Spencer Bird, Matt Lanatschka, and Tim Pergolski. The day was full of deep and

102insightful conversations of how we should move the district forward. The time spent creating this strategic plan showed the devotion. It was a Saturday. And work it takes to achieve a successful district vision. To quote the leader of our school district, Superintendent Bird, "We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit." With while some board members have mentioned that Mr. Neville's in-person actions do seem respectful, his online social media presence is the opposite. His dis- discriminatory social media posts and commentary are a habit. A habit that does not represent our work ethic or our board's adopted strategic plan, mission statement, or goals. We all have our own views, but it's our underlying intentions and biases that truly drive our decisions each day. Many of the posts he has shared on

103his social media platforms are offensive to me as a mother, a wife, a female educator, and a member of this community. There is little room for misinterpretation when reading Mr. Neville's continuous posts focused on hostility and intolerance. Part of our district's mission statement reads, "The Schuylkill Area School District will provide a welcoming and safe environment, inclusive, collaborative, in addition to attract, develop, retain, and invest in quality personnel." However, on March 7th, 2026, Mr. Neville posted a visual graphic correlating correlating 77% of male discipline referrals with 77% of teachers being female. This is implying that female teachers are the cause of such high disciplinary rates. An even more offensive post on Mr. Neville's Sub Staff Platform states that 19-year-old men sit in college classrooms listening to some stinky bitter hag who hasn't had the big O

104in decades. This is what he deems appropriate for his athletes to read? Ideas like this that reflect his wanting to openly detract from our district's goals of retaining caring teachers when he shames them on the internet for the entire world to see. We are looking to attract many candidates for the 2026 school year. This will undoubtedly hinder our prospects. Individuals doing their due diligence before applying will be hesitant to join the CAS team when in fact there is a board member who without hesitation posts his demeaning views of female educators. On October August 10th, Mr. Neville posted that ADHD was created by women who don't know how to understand, let alone raise or teach boys. In the words of a thank you card given to me by Luke Akoskin and his wife, whose boys I

105have both taught, "Another amazing year in kindergarten. My son had the very best year with you. We could not be more grateful for all that you do for us. You are amazing." As a mother of a boy and a teacher of hundreds of boys over my 23 years being here, including children of school board members present here today, I find Neville's posts about women raising and teaching boys categorically untrue. More importantly, his habit of sharing anti-teacher, anti-female posts goes against the district's vision statement. The Travis Neville Neville chatter is diverting us from what we really should be spotlighting tonight. The seniors today who attended the Northern Shore Academic All Conference Team Awards program. Those 12 high-achieving seniors, they deserve this spotlight. Our amazing new pre-K program, if you've not heard about it, it's amazing. Our

106two D1 soloists, our students of the month tonight, our increasing academic scores, our CTE programs, early middle college, our dedicated parent advisory committee, East Side construction, and our passionate principals, they deserve this spotlight. The district's strategic plan isn't just a document on a shelf. It is a promise. It's a promise to provide a safe and inclusive environment for every student and every educator. Mr. Neville's words have broken that promise. Hostility does not help these kids. Demeaning teachers does not. That's right. We have a choice to make about what kind of Troy area schools we can be. DEFINED BY THE EXCELLENCE GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS DAVE THOMPSON. My address is up there table. I have two daughters in the school in high school. I'm not here to be polite. I'm here because we're angry. I'm

107angry because while my daughters are here, they are trying to get an education. This board dragging backwards gets because Neville filed a complaint against Julie. One person, one complaint, and now this entire town is dealing with it. This was already handled, but Neville brought it back. And what's it doing? Stirring this town apart. People are divided. Parents are frustrated, and our kids, they're watching it all play out. My daughter, she's watching this. And what they're seeing is adults excusing conflict over children. Students, sorry, saying They're seeing behavior that shows a lack of respect, especially toward women. That matters in my house. I'm going to say something else a lot of people already A lot of people are already saying. At this point, it doesn't even feel like this is about students anymore. Feels like attention.

108Feels like he is using this situation to stay in the spotlight. And people in this community are noticing. If Neville truly cared about this district, he wouldn't be dragging us through this. He'd stop. He'd step down. So, I'm going to say it clearly. Neville, if your actions keep dividing this town and pulling focus away from students, then you should resign. Because right now, that's exactly what this is doing. And removing Julie makes no sense. All that does is create more chaos and reward the very behavior that caused this mess in the first place. Julie Julie Lo Hila should remain president so this board can finally move forward because right now, we're not moving forward. We're stuck. And my daughters don't get to pause their education while this place owls. Sorry. Drive fingers. They get one

109shot at high school. One. And I'm done watching them get overshadowed by this. Do your job. Put your students first, or step aside and let someone else do it. My daughters deserve better. Every kid in this district deserves better. YEAH. HI, MY NAME IS KRISTEN GANN. MY ADDRESS IS ON PAPER, so I'm not sharing it. I'm a mother of three girls. They all attend CIS. I'm also a middle school special education teacher who works at the high school. Some of you, I don't question your intent. I don't question your character, and I don't question why you're on that board. Some of you, I want to know why you decided to join the board. What inspired you to be part of a team that ultimately is the face of our school district? Teachers are held to

110a high standard and are reminded regularly that we represent our district. And being a team of individuals that essentially drives our school standards, you should be held equally, if not more accountable, for your actions. When you're in an educational role, you decide to share content and you decide to share controversial topics about your personal beliefs and student interactions to the rest of the world, you have now crossed a very simple boundary. The content you share and your role on this committee, they don't align and can't be done simultaneously. And sitting on this board, you're not just a single identity. You represent an entire community, a community that obviously cares. District administrators, teachers, and students. Although you didn't show up again, I do want to let you know he's sitting behind his keyboard, and just before

111this meeting he decided to post Mostly I had a few questions. Um One is we didn't go over the fact that Neville still holds a significant financial conflict of interest within the school board's own policy that um and we haven't addressed that yet. And so, he's used his position as school board member uh to gain on credit introductions to superintendents and school districts and other coaches and uses these titles to peddle his books. Um the his titles to coach school board trustees given the validation that he needs to sell his books. Um it's a direct conflict of interest. So, what is the status of the investigation into this conflict of interest? If this and the ethics code violations were resolved by the disclaimer resolution, then why are we here? Cuz I think that we had

112a really good resolution. Why are we here again? Rumor has it that a bunch of guys don't like having a strong gal in charge. They're doing what guys have always done since the dawn of time. They're trying to taper down again tonight just for doing her job well. Tsk tsk. Travis, are you really so mad at camping out with the guys at the golf simulator anymore? Is that why we're here pricing bomb? Luke, couldn't show up cuz you're too embarrassed couldn't stand behind your nasty comment? How unoriginal. You were commenting on direct Travis quotes. Um thought of me. Matt, you coach girls? What? Kim, you had a school but stayed silent. Well, not anymore. Pay attention. So, the discipline of Neville was not an abuse of power, but a necessary response to unanimous finding by

113this board that he violated the code of ethics. His removal from coaching and student access were the critical step to restoring this district and community, a place where all young people, regardless of gender, race, are respected and supported. The decision was unanimous. It was a systemic failure of professional conduct. That's what we found. Uh while individuals are free to hold personal beliefs, public servants have to be held accountable for their conduct when it overlaps with their official duties. So, our community has united tonight to protect the educational standards of this community. We stand by the board's decision to restrict Nevell's access, ensuring that personal dogma is never substituted for curriculum or professional guidance in our schools. We stand by Julie Loheia, and we stand by the board's decision of the lame duck resolution of the

114March special meeting with regard to Nevell Traxler. Nevell, now you do your job and uphold our independent ideal. I'm speaking to the board. So, Anyways, my name is David Martin. I have five children in this They went through the school system, four of them girls. Um I have grandchildren, um boys and girls. But before I go further, um Nevell may disagree with what I'm about to say, but just to duck some masculine, but I'm been tearing up throughout this experience. So, hey y'all, try not to tear up after that meeting. Anyways, there's a few things I wanted to talk about. This is kind of boring, but what we heard already. So, I recently became a city council member, and I learned a lot of things. For one, I work for the people. I don't work

115for the city manager or any of the You kind of work for us, more or less. But then we work for the people. So, I wanted to bring up something called the open the Michigan Open Act meeting. So, this is just Google here. It requires public bodies to conduct business at open accessible meetings with advanced public notice. It mandates that all decisions and deliberations of a quorum, we'll talk about that later, must occur in public ensuring transparency. The law permits limited closed sessions, requires meeting minutes, and allows citizens to record. Now, I recently joined a group of people and one of our group of people, and we have been doing some investigations. It seems like the board has been getting some of the board members have been getting together and hanging out. Now, I'm not

116sure what regard, but if there's more than four, which is a quorum, seven in this case, more than four, you're actually Here's the definition of a quorum. It's the minimum number of members, often a majority or a specific percentage, required to be present at a meeting for it to officially transact business or take valid action. Without a quorum, decisions made by boards, committees, or legislatures are usually deemed null and void. So, it seems with the investigation some of the board has been getting together. Not sure if they're making decisions or just drinking on the boat, which I've heard that happens quite often. Um I don't think that's actually supposed to happen, at least according to my rules as a city council member. And if we do get together, we are supposed to take notes, minutes,

117something. And then it's we get people to do a FOIA on it. So, I'm not sure if they're making decisions while it's happening while they're together, but if you are, it should be open to the public. And then, finally, last meeting, there was a person an employee of your staff, she clapped for a person, one person, but all people that were talking, she clapped for one individual. Now, I'm not sure if employees are supposed to do that. Obviously, the board can, but there is one individual sitting over there. She's not here tonight. She clapped. So, you might want to look into that, too. I'm pretty sure they can't do that. That'd be like the county clerk clapping for tape for life situation. And anyways, that's about the end of it. I fully support Julie Loppnow.

118UH MY NAME'S ERIC PAUL, AND WHILE I'M sure this impressive turnout is definitely about the tennis court resurfacing, um I have a feeling that most of us didn't rush out of our homes tonight thinking, "I can't wait to talk about asphalt." So, I'm actually here to talk about the agenda item that comes after public comment. Now, we don't know exactly what this complaint is about. While our instincts have pieced together pretty solid theories, we're not here to deal in rumors. We're here to deal in facts. Fact, at the beginning of March, this board voted 6-0 to to pass this claimer resolution. That resolution gave the board president the authority to place necessary restraints on a certain board member. She acted in the best interest of students, staff, and this entire community. Fact, Julie Devin Rich

119publicly asked for this board member to resign. Fact, two other board members chose silence. One with arms crossed, and the other staring at his crotch like it might suddenly offer guidance on how to lead. Fact, another board member referred to the community's comments as nasty, which is interesting because many of the comments were simply direct quotes from the very person who was trying to defend. These are not opinions, these are facts. And here's the part that matters. This issue has already been addressed. It was addressed clearly, publicly, and unanimously with a 6-0 vote. We don't need to keep circling like this like it's unresolved. It's not. The board made a decision, the president acted on it, that should mean something. At some point, leadership isn't about revisiting the same issue over and over again. It's

120about standing by the decisions you've already made. Because if we can commit to fixing cracks in a tennis court, we sure can be committed to fixing the cracks that are within this board. One of those costs money, the other costs integrity, and only one of them actually determines whether this community moves forward. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Baron Hall, and I'm a junior at Spring Lake High School. Today I want to talk about students. Every decision made by this board impacts us, how we learn, how we feel at school, and how much we trust the adults leading our district. Right now, what we need most is stability. We need to walk into school knowing that the adults in charge are focused on helping us succeed, not caught up in ongoing conflict. We need

121consistency in leadership so our teachers can focus on teaching, and we can focus on learning. We need to feel like students are the priority in every decision being made. From a student perspective, this situation feels like it just keeps going in circles every day. When the issues keep getting revisited, it takes attention away from classrooms, opportunities, and things that actually help us grow. That matters to us. We're the ones in these classrooms every day. We're the ones preparing for our futures, and we're the ones affected when it feels when things feel uncertain or divided. We're not asking for perfection. We're asking for focus. Focus on students, focus on learning, focus on moving forward. If there's one thing I hope you take with you tonight is this. When the adults stay focused on conflict, students are

122the ones that fall behind. Please keep us at the center of your decisions. Thank you, and I SUPPORT MS. WHEELER. MY NAME IS ABBY BROOKS. MY ADDRESS IS ON the comment card. At the March 2nd meeting, the board many many members of this community. We heard many more tonight. We made it clear that this situation needed to be dealt with. At that meeting, you all voted unanimously for the motion that said the words and actions of Mr. Neville were not reflective of the board. As a result of that motion and at the public's behest, the board president took decisive steps to limit his involvement in the school district. She did exactly what the community asked her to do. Julie, know that the people of Sheboygan honor your leadership and your standing behind you tonight. Now,

123if I have my facts right, that same board that unanimously voted to disavow Mr. Neville's behavior is planning to support his efforts seeking to remove Julie from her position as president because she did her job. Do I have that right? This is spineless behavior. It is now beyond clear to all that certain members of this board will put their own personal beliefs and agenda before the will of the public and the well-being of the children in our school district. This alone makes you all all of you in favor of the proposed motion unfit to hold your position. This board has become a circus. Accountability is a sign of strong character. Someone with strong character would understand that their role on this board is a privilege. And if their personal behavior begins to cause havoc to

124the functioning of the board and its mission for any reason, they should resign. I will remind you again that this is not about politics. This is not an attack on free speech. He is allowed to go vote act however he wants on his own time. What we, the community of Sheboygan, are telling you is that we don't want someone like this having custody to our children. At the last meeting, I let you know that an action was forthcoming. Tonight is a different story. If you plan to vote in your favor of removing the board president, you will signal beyond a shadow of a doubt not only are you complicit, you share the views of this man. You think racist jokes are funny. You think it's acceptable for grown men to be eyeing 15-year-olds for marriage

125qualities. You think publicly posting about a concerned parent and telling them them to quote suck it is behavior beholden of this board. It has come to my attention that a board member may have made a statement that the people taking issue with this are crazy and a minority in the community. CLEARLY THAT'S NOT TRUE. WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF MR. NAPPLE? WHERE ARE ALL THE I support Travis votes? In fact, you've heard from many well-respected members of this community, including former school staff with decades-long careers in this district, who are telling you that the situation is unacceptable. The mental gymnastics required to determine that this turnout is representative of the minority of the community should call your ability to serve on the board into question. I ask, what is your end

126game here? Most of your seats are up for election in November, and those of you that aren't facing an election year are eligible for a recall. This community has their eyes upon you. You can only hide behind the shield of bureaucracy for a short time longer. Ultimately though, I do want to say thank you. In a time of such great division, it has been the most inspiring thing to witness people from all genders, occupations, religions, and political affiliations completely unified. I've seen people putting aside all of their differences to stand together and say that behavior and beliefs such as this have no place here. As Maya Angelou said, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. We believe you. We see you. A vote in favor of Mr. Napple's motion tonight

127will show us exactly who you are and ensure someone will be coming for your seat in November. THANK YOU. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I've had to come speak on the same thing. I really don't like repeating myself that many times. Yet, here we are. Mr. Malarchuk, you made the motion that to put Travis Nimmel on the board. Mr. Tarja, you seconded it. I'll give you another opportunity, Mr. Malarchuk, Mr. Tarja. Today is your chance. Say it clearly, call for his resignation. Mr. Kaposki, not here tonight, but didn't stay silent. He called the public's concerns "mad speech" and uncalled for. Told us to have a conversation with him. Let's have a conversation right here, right now. Let's talk about a sitting school board member who, in his own public accounts, engages with content that jokes

128about sexual violence, demeans women, demeans public education, demeans educators, treats inappropriate comments about teachers and students in sexual relationships as funny, and aligns himself with white nationalist rhetoric. This is a new one. Travis Nimmel liked "My mantra 2026 going forward, the white race above all else. We will not be subjugated. Those aren't rumors. Those aren't exaggerations. Those are his actions. I have all the screenshots to prove it. You want to see them? Just ask. So, what's nasty isn't the community speaking up. What's nasty is the behavior we're being asked to ignore. Mr. Kukowski did not show up to have that conversation today. His absence speaks volumes. Mr. Pilon, you kind of took us on a journey last meeting, BUT YOU GOT THERE. MISS BUELNA, THANK YOU FOR continuing to show up and speak for this

129community and for calling for his resignation. Miss Lovelace, you don't only call for his resignation, you took action. The public sees it, it matters, and we appreciate you. And you're definitely not the one who should be apologizing. Let's be honest, though. This whole thing is embarrassing. Every day Travis Neville stays on this board, it becomes more of a sick joke. Not because a crazy minority of the community is overreacting, but because the standard has dropped so low that we're being forced to tolerate this. Every day he remains is a distraction from the important work this board needs to carry out. It undermines the integrity of the the institution and erodes the public's trust. Instead of having even a shred of decency and resigning, he's filing complaints, playing the victim, and continuing the same behavior. Very

130on brand for him to attack and blame a woman for his problems. It aligns with everything he said online. We're supposed to take this seriously? The idea that Julie Loheila should step down from president as president? For what? For speaking up? For taking action? For representing the people who put her in that seat? That's not abuse of power. That's accountability. Yeah. Calling for her resignation while Travis sits on this board isn't just backwards, it's absurd. And if it's true that Mr. Neville plans to send out cease and desist letters, let me tell you right now, this community will not yield. I tried being calm, I tried being patient, but we are fed up with this behavior. And well, I'm exhausted. Let me be very clear. As long as he sits on this board, I will

131be here. Every meeting, every public comment, until I take his seat in the NEXT ELECTION. YEAH! YEAH! >> MY NAME IS MARK BRONSKI. I'VE BEEN AROUND THE DISTRICT. I served as superintendent from 2010 to 2016. I do have to compliment our board president and our superintendent for taking the action that they did after the March 7th meeting. Julie Donahue's position she appoints them to committees, she can remove them from committees. Superintendent Byrd without question can remove a person from their extracurricular responsibilities. Ask for his keys, remove him of his coaching duties. I applaud you for that. Thank you very much. But we're not done. There's still an empty chair there someplace. It's not Denise Wood here, folks. We don't need that empty chair. We need a resignation and we need someone reliable willing a genuine

132to take that seat. I taught special education prior to getting into administration. I should have stayed there. But in teaching people who have learning difficulties learning whether it's considered slow learners, dyslexia, whatever the disability was. I question some of our board members can still after the meetings we've had go on social media and say, "This is getting blown out of proportion, folks. Let's wait until the next election." What are we doing? Stirring the pot. Why? What we have here, without rehashing what everybody says, and I need to applaud our high school people. It was amazing and a feeling of it was overwhelming for me to hear you speak and be willing to come up here and talk to the public and say what you have. We've created an institute where our schools are a place

133of fear, unsettledness, and unknowing what happens day to day. Are we are going to allow the handout of materials to our students without approval? Do we have secret clubs meeting in our school because we have so many keys out that shouldn't be out there? What's going on in our school? Get a handle on it. Administration and board, you are the governors. Administration, enforce the rules. Someone comes in the back door, not an employee, probably not covered by insurance, a safety issue, and against precedents that a board president not that long ago requested the keys of board members. And it happened. We needed to happen here. What we've come down to right now is a tale of two board members. We have a board member who we can rehash everything he's done on social media. But

134if we had a single athlete do what he did, a Sturgis High School teacher was arrested Monday after authorities say marijuana was found in his home. Said board member was arrested after deputies from LaGrange County Sheriff Department executed a search warrant at his home. They give the address, he no longer lives there. Marijuana was found during the search. He was arrested and taken to the LaGrange County Jail. This is in Indiana, folks, not Michigan, so you're probably not going to find a home in He was charged with possession of marijuana, a class A misdemeanor, and maintaining a common nuisance, a class B felony. How many people know what a class a common nuisance is? Yeah, I had to find out, too. Maintaining a common nuisance is a legal term for knowingly using, renting, or maintaining

135a place, like a house, a vehicle, or boat, a boat, for the purpose of unlawful manufacturing, storing, using, or distributing controlled substances or illegal alcohol. A drug house. Possession, one thing. Now, questioning how much was there. Had any of our athletes were even close to that, they were gone without question. Immediately It is. My point made. Um, I got something else here if anybody wants to read it, BUT IT'S ABOUT JULIE. MY NAME IS JESSICA COOPER. MY ADDRESS IS ON THE FORM. I was born and raised here. I'm going to move away for a while. I got married and then decided to come back here. My husband is a police officer and we decided to settle down and have a family. We have a 1-year-old daughter. And it is becoming very evident that we need

136to decide if we're going to stay here because we don't want our child to attend a school district that is allowing this inappropriate behavior to continue and turning their back on the community that's standing here and saying this is not okay. And our school board is saying mind your own business. Not your business. Our superintendent stood up here today and said how can we get more money into our system? We need more students here. I'm telling you right now, you are at a loss. You are losing students and you are losing staff. Your question isn't going to be how can we get people to come? It's going to be how can we get people to stop leaving at an alarming rate. There's no question here whether the board member is in the wrong. He is

137in the wrong. When my 1-year-old daughter does something wrong and she is learning, I hold her hand gently and say, "Do you feel like this was the right choice?" Giving her an opportunity to make the right choice. If you need me to hold your hand and ask you, "Do you feel like you are making the right choice?" I will. Even if you stood 10 toes down in your Bud Light mirror in your man cave and said to yourself, "I support Travis." You still have the choice to change your mind. The vote has not been made. We deserve a board that aligns with the way that this community feels and it is clear how we feel. Don't encourage young families to leave. Stop making us the laughingstocks of this community. Children and families are not going

138to be joining your school district and that's the truth. They're going to be running to the Pellston Blue Ribbon School, to the Mackinac City School that has 10 kids to a teacher. Staff are going to be running to these open positions. Whether you think he's right or wrong when you're standing at the cornhole board next to him does not matter. What matters is that you speak with integrity and you take action against what is wrong And Travis Neville is right. OH, CHERRY, YEAH. GIVE ME ONE MORE. WOO! OUT OF nothing prepared cuz I really didn't expect to be here or be speaking to you all today. I was uh gone while all this embarrassing thing was happening. And here I am today. I'm nervous, jet lagged, so my brain is not braining at all. But

139um 11 years ago I moved in this town. 14 years ago, feet not braining. 14 years ago. My oldest is now 14. She's a young, kind respectful young lady. That racism is not even crossed her mind or in her vision. Cuz she's proud of who she is. Same goes to my youngest child who is 9 years old. And my little child 12 years old. Yes. But um he's a young man. He's respectful. He's kind. He sees the world, they all see the world, that there is in fact a division. Not only between men and women, culture sexist, anything. But they see people as a human. As just plain human with heart, with integrity, with dignity, respect, love. And that's what made me fell in love in this town. As a proud immigrant, my vision of

140being in the United States is working in the big town, in the city, working at the top floor, being a CEO, just like what every man wish. And women can wish that, too. I did not get that big town building. I got Short Pump. And I'm like, "What the heck is that?" My dad would not be proud of what I'm doing. But here I am. Proud and still in love with this town because never once I felt I don't belong. There were moments where I questioned myself, I doubt myself, and I felt like I don't belong because of that one racist joke. I'm sure you all heard one racist joke. It's funny one. We all hahaha, even myself, hahaha, good one. But one racist joke said way too many times is not funny. It makes

141you not only question who you are, make you question your ability, make you question if you belong, but it completely depleted you in the inside and make you question every single day, do I really belong? I hate speaking in public cuz I had that way too many racist jokes said to me. And it makes me question myself. I don't want to be judged. My grammar's not right. I don't want to do that. But here I am, proud. Because you all in this community made me feel like I belong. And my children will grow up to be proud Asian Americans that live in this town. Because of their teachers, their names, that helped them. Seth, again, I wasn't here, so I didn't even know. So I was like, I guess this is Seth. That made that

142book that you got to eat a man, eat a man. I'm here today eating a man. I don't think he read his own book cuz he's NOT HERE TODAY. AND OBVIOUSLY HE DIDN'T GIVE IT TO HIS FRIEND THAT WAS not here. I don't know the name of it. Just I'm sorry, do you know I guess. Anyway, long story short, I had to work for spending my battery and I wrote something while everyone else was speaking. But I'm rambling, I know. But I guess here's where I'm coming from. And you all heard that one racist joke. I just want you all to close your eyes, say that joke one time. Try it three times. Not funny anymore, is it? Now say it again, or imagine hearing it 100 times. Not only in 1 year, I mean

143here 20 years. And today I chose not to be silent anymore because it's wrong. Not only about racism, demeaning the teachers, the teach The teachers are the foundation of who we are today. I have five minutes. Okay. So, this town is absolutely unified. When I got here, when I moved here, I am truly proud to be a member of this community. And we all heard everyone's opinion, everyone's want to happen. So, I'm going to ask every single one of you. This is what was asked to me. Do you hear that word that's coming out OF MY MOUTH? ARE THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? OKAY, WE ARE WAITING FOR the I would like to make a motion. Excuse me, can I say something? My name is Greg Duncan, former board member of nine years. It's been

144very difficult to see the actions of what's happened over the last few months. Listen to all the comments today and I appreciate everybody coming forward and bringing up these topics. I wanted to really talk about the role of board members, which has been talked about tonight. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure the education of students and support the staff. There is not any position or any place for a personal agenda. I think Mr. Nebel has a personal agenda and I call on him to resign. And I hope that he does that. It's the right thing to do. Thank you. OKAY, UM AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO turn the meeting over to uh Vice President and uh Mr. Parson as he can explain the next thing. At this time I would like to make

145a motion to table all decisions regarding the recent actions against board members pending selection and retention of a third-party investigator. NO! NO! I'M SORRY. YOU YOU ARE IN CHARGE NOW. THAT'S HOW YOU do your job. Give me a minute. a It's a motion. No! Get the PRESIDENT OFF THE BOARD. Madam President, Point of order, Tim. Can I help you, please? Yes. >> You're in charge. You need to wait for someone to have support for your motion. Exactly. I agree with So, ask for it. And support? Mr. President, that motion fails due to LACK OF SUPPORT. DUE TO THE FACT THAT MR. Neville has forfeited his right to stand up to defend the claim against himself or to defend his position on the motion to remove Julie, I move that the complaint is dismissed. YES. CAN

146I HAVE SUPPORT? MADAM PRESIDENT, I SECOND JULIE, I second that. I second that. I second that. It's a fact. You are so out of line. We need to see where you stand. STRAIGHT UP. YOU LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY WHAT'S LIKE YOUR OWN BED WITH YOUR 15-YEAR-OLDS? Somebody check his temperature. I can't see if we have emotions to support Do your job. Okay. Motion to We got support. We need a poll. Let's have a list. We can dismiss Can we really state it to dismiss the the complaint? Dismiss the complaint. Richard Pilon? Yes. Ken Carbone? No. Woah. Wow. Boo. Sandra Radtke, yes. Matt Walczak? Yes. Angeli Waukegan? YES. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT. MHM. We are being a part of the community that's concerned about our children. And I would like to

147entertain a motion to adjourn. Oh. You're resigning? Are you going to resign? Resign. This is not for the people here. It's for everybody. It's for the people who have not made THIS MEETING. OH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY YEAH. THIS IS FOR YOU, TRAVIS. You got it here. Public comment, the same thing that happened in the last meeting. More than half of the residents didn't get to speak, RIGHT? SWEET GOD! A MOTION IS MADE TO ADJOURN, you have to follow through. Unless it's adjourned by the mayor. No. I made the motion. Okay, the motion has been supported. I made it, Matt seconded. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye.