001[Music] Regular meeting of the Richmond Board of Education will come to order. Please, please take your hats off and stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Sandy, could you please read our mission statement and take role? At Richmond Community Schools, we provide a quality education that empowers students to be successful in a global community. Uh, board member here, board member Mich, board member Sutton is absent with notice. Board member Tilto here, board member Styer here, board member Gillis here, and board member Fortuna. And we have a quorum. And we also have our student representative Elizabeth Schaer here with us tonight. Thank you. At this time, I'm looking
002for a motion to approve our agenda. So move support. Thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. I'm looking for a motion to approve the consent agenda. So move support. Thank you. Any discussion? Msley. In your packet, you have the personnel report. Uh there was a couple of resignations and retirements listed in that personnel um report as well as the new appointment. Uh Sarah Agnet is here. She'll be our new director of human resources beginning July 1. She currently is the pupil accounting person in the district. So, she'll be moving to that role. Um, we're going to honor obviously our retirees a little later, so we'll recognize them at that point. There were no questions regarding the regular board meeting uh on May 27th or the special board meeting on May,
003excuse me, June 2nd. Uh the district headcount and FT report is in your packet as well as the claims and accounts for the month of May. Anyone have any questions for Mr. Winsley? Yes, Brian. For the um secretarial job, the part HR part 50/50. Is that new or has it been that way? We're looking at splitting the position into two to accommodate schedules and hours. oftentimes an HR might need more of an evening activity or vice versa with athletics. So splitting it kind of into two part-time positions. So it's two part positions is what that says. Okay. Thank you. Anyone have any other questions? Okay. All those in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Next item on our agenda is our recognition of our retirees. Okay. Uh tonight is a is a good night for Richmond.
004We get to celebrate people who have dedicated their lives and and a good chunk of their their uh career to Richmond Community Schools. Um each of the principles or department leaders will read uh uh what they prepare for each of the individuals. For the retirees, we're going to ask that you come up to the podium when the principal reads to you and if the board would stand where Billy is and over, uh Deb, you can hand out the brass bells when they're done and shake the hands of the retirees. So, uh we'll start with elementary. Mrs. Dangoni. I can't be trusted. Is Miss Walters first? She is. Okay, Miss Halters. Good evening everyone. It's an absolute honor to stand here today and to celebrate and recognize the remarkable career of someone who has worn so
005many hats and touched countless lives. She's left a lasting legacy at Willle with as an incredible colleague and friend. Autumn Walters. Over the years, Mrs. Walters has served in multiple roles. Literacy teacher, technology teacher, classroom teacher, mentor, leader, and above all, a constant source of support and inspiration to both students and staff. What stands out the most isn't just the variety of positions that she's held, but the passion and excellence that she's brought to each one. As a literacy teacher, Mrs. Walters helped spark a love of reading in our students. She helped them find their voice, grow their confidence, and discover their joy of storytelling. As a technology teacher, she opened the door to digital learning, empowering students with the tools and skills that they will carry far into the future. No matter the title,
006she always brought compassion, patience, and a deep dedication to each and every child. What makes Autumn so special is her ability to adapt. And if you know, working for me, sometimes you have to do that more than you'd like. She led with grace. She made every student feel seen and capable. She believed in absolutely every potential of every learner t tirelessly to help them achieve success. Beyond the classroom, she was a valued teammate, a problem solver, and a friend. She was a lending ear. She's always so generous and has the best hugs. Miss Walters, your retirement is well earned, but your presence here will be greatly missed. You've given your heart and soul to education, and the impact of your work will be felt for many years to come. Thank you for your decades of
007service, your flexibility, your kindness. You've left a mark and we are all better for have working alongside you. Congratulations on your retirement. Now go enjoy those grandb babies. over here. [Music] Thank you. [Music] It's great. And now I would like to welcome Mrs. Dors to the podium. Today we gather to celebrate and honor someone who has dedicated over 25 years of their life to shaping young minds, building strong relationships, and making a lasting impact on generations of learners. It's my privilege to recognize the retirement of Jen Dorsey, an exceptional elementary teacher and beloved member of our school community. This is my favorite part of all. Mrs. Dorsey walked the very halls of Lee Elementary herself as a student. She went and completed her degree in education and come back to those very hallways and walls
008in that same building that impacted her as a young learner. For more than two decades, Jen Dorsey has been a steady, compassionate, and dedicated presence in our school. She pours her heart into teaching, always puts students first. Whether it was helping a child learn to read for the first time, comforting them on a tough day, or finding a creative way to make learning fun, Miss Dorsey goes above and beyond in every way. It's not just the lessons from the whiteboards that will be remembered, but the life lessons that encourages every children that child that walks through the door. Miss Dorsy has also been a mentor, a leader, and a fellow friend to many teachers. She shares ideas, offers a kind word of support. She helps shape not only students, but our entire community. To say
009Miss Dorsey will be missed is an understatement, but we're excited for this next chapter of her life. A chapter filled with rest, adventure, family, relaxation, and maybe some Netflix. Thank you for your years of service, of your unwavering commitment and your love for all of us and your students. On behalf of the entire school community, we wish you the best in your retirement. You have earned it. first bell. Thank you very much. Here she is. Mrs. Germaine is not with us this evening, but I do want to honor her um because she earned it. Um it's my privilege to stand before all of you today as we celebrate the retirement of someone truly special to our school community. She's been a steady presence in our halls, a warm smile in our cafeteria, and a loving
010heart in the lives of hundreds of children over the years. Of course, I'm talking about the one and only grandma, also known as Mrs. Sharon Germaine. Her official title might be lunchroom supervisor, but around RMS, that barely scratches the surface. She's been part guardian, part counselor, and all heart. For many years, she has been a quiet hero of our lunch periods, the one making sure every child has a seat at the table. What makes Mrs. Germaine so special isn't just her dependability or even her tireless work ethic. It's her kindness. It's how she knows our students. It's how she notices when someone seems a little off and offers just the right words or a smile. It's how she treats every child like family. There's a reason the students don't call her Mrs. Germaine. They call
011her grandma. And that title was definitely earned. It was earned through years of listening, caring, and gently reminding kids to clean up their areas without ever raising her voice. While we are sad to see her go, we know that her legacy is deeply rooted in our building and the children she's helped grow, the staff she supported, and the example she set for us all. So, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank Sharon. We thank her for giving so much of herself to our school. We thank her for being a safe place for our students. We thank her for showing us that love doesn't need a microphone. It can be served one lunch period at a time. We wish Sharon nothing but rest, joy, and all the peace she's more than earned. And she will
012always she may be retiring, but she will always have a seat at our table. So, we wish her nothing but the best. [Music] All [Music] right, Mrs. Campo loves this stuff. Um, today I have the privilege of recognizing the retirement of Miss Kathy Compo. Miss Compo joined Richmond Community Schools in 2000. She's taught a variety of classes over the course of her career. However, I think she is mostly known by her students for the passion and enthusiasm that she had for technology and how that passion for the subject area was transferred over to her students and their curiosity for learning. Her energy was contagious, transforming routine topics into captivating explorations and fostering a growth mindset. A fellow colleague described Kathy Combo as a world-class teacher. She always had a wonderful perspective on education while continually
013pushing herself to learn new skills to give back to her students. During my 12 years here teaching with her, she reimagined the computer skills curriculum and brought it to life. She was innovative in her classroom, offering students the 21st century skills they need for future careers. I've never met a student who did not enjoy Cathy's class or Kathy as a teacher. Her blend of compassion and insistence always led students to give their best. I am thankful to have known and taught with Kathy as long as I have, and she will be missed in the school, but especially in the elective department. She has left a positive mark here in Richmond. She also is the foundation of our esports program that was recently established in the last couple of years and was able to lead our
014team to its first state championship in such a short period of time. Thank you for your many years of service. Congratulations on your retirement and may your retirement be filled with joy and new adventures. Thank you. Congratulations. Try that. [Music] I just want to say a couple words about our retirees and I've had the the privilege of working with them not on a dayto-day but but an indirect basis. Um, Mrs. Walters, as Mrs. Nuni has said, has taught many uh many different roles. I think when I started, you're the technology teacher uh and moved into the classroom and ultimately titled one. Um, the one thing I can say about Mrs. Walter is the smile on her face to make sure every student feels valued. um and pushes those students to to reach a potential that
015they may not see in themselves, but she did that each and every day. So, thank you for that. Thank you for the hundreds and hundreds thousands of kids that you've touched over the years. Um it's been a significant impact. Mrs. Dorsy, um I only know her as first grade, but but her smile every day is infectious when you walk through the hallway um or at staff meetings or just in anything. her ability to smile and change the perspective on people who may not be having a good day um or a rough day, whatever. We all have our own stories in their day, but she is truly an asset to the school. Um and especially the number of new teachers we've had, has been a mentor and a guide to them to help them each year.
016Um she too has touched thousands of kids. She's one of a one of a kind from those that are from the perspective went to Lee Elementary School and came back and have taught in her career here. Um thank you. Thank you for that. Um and for that we are internally grateful for grandma. Mrs. Germaine as as Mrs. Mela has said um she's been the lunch aid far beyond me coming here. She's been there for years. Um but she is one that is uh she's very kind. Um, when you're dealing with middle school students, you have to have a patience, a different level of patience. I mean, they're middle school kids. They're going to make mistakes. They're going to be a little goofy. That's what middle school kids do. Um, but she always is there. Um,
017that kind word that you talked about about cleaning up your your space and trying to teach kids to be respectful and all that. She did that in very subtle ways throughout her career. And she's she's just phenomenal lady. Mrs. Combo. Um when I started here, you were at the middle school um in technology. I have only known Mrs. Compo as a technology teacher, but she is probably one of the um best technology teachers. She's up there with a with a handful of people that I've had to put into working in my career over 30 years with technology. Her passion to always look for that next step and to challenge kids to think think a different way or to think um really makes her special. Um, internally I was extremely excited for her when she made
018the decision to head to the high school um because I knew what that was going to bring to our high school uh courses and and the picture that you see here, three short years, three titles um is just a small piece of the impact that she's had. So for all of our retirees, thank you. Uh you've given Richmond uh a legacy that we're proud of. Um, and if you recently read the the what I posted on the social media, um, Richmond teachers are rated number 24 in the out of over 500, uh, districts in the state of Michigan as having some of the best teachers around. These four teachers as well as the lunch uh, lady are examples of all of our teachers in our district. So, thank you for your years. Thank you for
019your time and dedication to students. Okay, next item on our agenda is our volunteer recognition. Well, National School Volunteer Appreciation Week was officially observed April 27th through May 4th. Uh this evening we get to take the opportunity to celebrate and recognize some of the outstanding volunteers and individuals in our districts who generously give of their time their talents to Richmond schools. Our volunteers are the heart of our district. They offer an invaluable gift of time not to rec not for their recognition or reward but just because they care deeply about our students, our staff and our community. They're selfless, compassionate, committed individuals who want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students each and every day. We are truly fortunate in Richmond to have such dedicated volunteers who support our schools in
020so many ways. Whether to assist in the classroom, coordinate athletic or school events, uh serving in leadership roles, or just helping out on the playing field, these individually individuals, excuse me, constantly go above and beyond, not because they have to, but because what they it's what they want to do. Their impact is immeasurable and their efforts help make Richmond Schools a truly a great place to learn and grow. in front of you have a list of the well over 200 volunteers that were uh submitted as for recognition. Um June schedules is very hard to find a time that we get everybody here, but tonight we have those that that were able to attend tonight. Everyone on that list will receive um if they don't get their certificate tonight, they'll get their certificate and uh in
021the mail. So we'll make sure that goes out this week. Um, for the volunteers that are here tonight, when your name is called by the building principal, uh, if you please come forward and and gather your certificate and pin from Miss Bashan and we'll have the board stand on this side to shake your hands. Um, I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done in volunteering for our school district. Uh, your contributions truly make a lasting impression in our students and everything we do. So, we'll begin tonight with Mr. Gibson and Mrs. Vangu. Come on up. All right. I would first like to welcome our volunteer from the elementary and from preschool, Miss Barbmenti. Barb is being recognized for volunteering frequently at least. She helps with our lost and found items, book fair, circus
022night, the list goes on and on. We truly couldn't do our jobs without Miss Barb. Thank you. And our next recipient, I would like to welcome Miss Terry Costin. Miss Costin is a new parent at Lee, which is exciting for us in particular. I have gotten to know her um very well and she is a classroom party helper and I plan to rope her into some other things to do in the upcoming years. Thank you. Okay. Um, we are so grateful for all of our volunteers who help in a variety of ways and a variety of different programs. I'd like to start with Miss Emily Allen who uh was a shepherd on a field trip for our coral festival. Thank you so much, Miss Anna Fernandez Polaro, who helped out with robotics. She was there
023with our middle schoolers every week. Miss Courtney Manek, who says here she is a volunteer for shaper and field trip, but she pretty much does anything we ask her to at the middle school. So, we are very grateful for her. [Applause] I didn't see I did not see our next um Miss Are you here? I did not see her. Okay. Um Mrs. Amber Russo who volunteered in our classrooms which I And our our next two volunteers um are very big in our band program. We are very grateful. We'll start with um Mrs. Lynn Tucker. Manning those fake sails. [Music] your cookies tonight. Thank you so much. And Mr. Andrew Tucker. Thank you so much. Thank you. All right. For the high school, I have Miss Tracy Gasquire, um, choir booster vice president and band booster
024treasurer. She does a phenomenal job with our fine arts program, and we appreciate all of her hard work. This one's going to be tough for me. Miss Annie Telto. Um I've had all three of her kids and to say that uh she supports the school, she supports administration, she supports fellow parents, um all of our kids, her kids are great, but more importantly, she's just a great person, and she can't be replaced. So, thank you. So, I have the honor of uh recognizing some of our athletic volunteers. And like Mr. Walmsley said, um, if you've ever been to an athletic event, you probably never get to talk to me because I'm running around trying to coordinate a bunch of different things. And having people there that I can rely on and, you know, find me
025doing something and say, "Hey, you know, I'll take this. You go ahead. You got other things you need to do." Um, if I didn't get your name on the list, because it there's a lot of you that just step up. Um, I really really appreciate that. So, um, couple people that I know are here that we can recognize. Did I see Coach Foster? I did not. Okay. Um, our first was Coach John Foster. He's part of our amazing staff of volunteer assistant coaches for softball. Um, and I can't say enough great things about what they do, not only coaching wise, but um, taking care of our field and at districts helping me out with that part of it. So, I I'm very thankful for them for that. Our next uh volunteer is Nick Matthysse. Nick
026is our program coordinator for the football program. Um which there's a lot between making sure all the stuff's ready to go game day, making sure the film's uploaded and ready for the kids and coaches to watch and making sure the headsets are charged and work. So I appreciate that. Um, next is Zach Matthysse. Um, Zach also helps Nick with some of the program coordination. He's also helped with our girls basketball program and he does a ton of things social media wise to spotlight our um, student athletes. If if you ever see some of the the really nice looking graphics on the athletic Facebook page, those are not me, those are Zach. Um it's it's phen. He'll just put it together, send it over to me and I can post it. Um and he also posts
027articles about our kids on our athletic website. Um so I I thank you for that, Zach, and highlighting our athletic programs. I didn't see Marty. No, Marty Rancilio helps us out with the scorebook um couple times for softball, so we appreciate that. Um, our next one is Mr. Adam Rush. Um, Adam I put down as I helps out with our uh football program, but he also keeps me company in the press box during softball. And if I need to or excuse me, soccer. Um, and if I need to run down to get a kid a bag of ice, he'll sit there and hit start on the clock for me. So, I appreciate that. Our next one is Mr. Bud, thank you. No, actually Marty is here. He's high. Thank you. And we got it on
028camera, too. Our next one is Mr. Buzz Schmidt. If you don't know Buzz, you probably recognize his voice from our football games on Fridays. Um, funny story about Buzz I tell people is usually every year about June, I'll get a call or a text. Um, hey, you still interested in having me come back for football? And I every year say the same thing. It wouldn't be Richmond football without you up there. So, I appreciate that. Uh, our next one is Coach Kyle Simmons. Coach Kyle. Thank you. And our next is Miss Vicky Simmons. Vickiy's also helped us keep the score book for So, yeah, we als we also have uh volunteers that help us at the district level. I don't know if you know this, but when we send out a mailing, it's to thousands
029and thousands of households districtwide. Um, and so Pat B, which everybody's help us with mailings from holiday cards, etc. that go out to all the households. accept and she's also going to accept on behalf of Karen Johnson who could not be here tonight who's also helped. So thank you. [Applause] [Music] So finally, as the board sitting down, I just want to again thank the volunteers. We could not do this without you. Every little bit that you do makes an impact on our students. Thank you. We're going to take a pause here for about 30 seconds for those who wish to leave. Okay, next item on our agenda is our millage tax request. Um, each year we bring to you the millillage rate requests for our general operating tax levy and our debt levy to cover
030our debt payments. form you have in your packet is for the 2025 tax rate request which is a summer collection. We do entirely summer collection, no winter collection. On the first line, our operating millage is listed at 17.9244. It's the same as it has been since 2021 when it was rolled back from 18 mills by heading. Um, this year we'll lose about $16,000 um from our revenue because the state assumes we're going to collect it when they calculate our per pupil foundation that they sent us. Um, but we don't collect it. So, we lose about $16,500 over the course of 5 years, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. We will lose probably around $76,000 in taxes. Um, not too bad, but it does accumulate. Our millillage for operations is good until June of 2037. So maybe
031down the road you will consider an override of the Headley millillage so that you can get it back up to 18. But for now I think we're okay. The next section lists four debt millages and in total the four debts um we're collecting 6.5 mills is what is on this rate sheet. It is down.2 mills from 6.7. Um so this year 6.5 is another reduction. and we've reduced it in the last few years. We paid off two years ago, we paid off a debt, so that fell off. We didn't need to collect um the 2017, I'm sorry, the second line, the 11 2017, which is a refunding that will be paid off in two years. We'll have a payment in 26 and payment in 27 and that one will be done. The other refunding was
032a 2021 refunding. That one as well will be paid off in two years. Um, so our big village that we'll have left to pay is the one that was approved in 2019 and then any new village. So I don't know if you have any questions on the tax rate request. Just a reminder, the the um tax rate has been dropped this year from 67 to 65. It was also reduced last year. Um, basically we're we're levying the mills that we need to pay the debt. So we are fiscally being responsible to our community and only loving what we need to pay the debt. Two years ago was 6.95. We dropped it last year to 6.7 and an additional drop by.2. So we're down.45 in two years. Thank you. Thank you. Next item on our agenda
033is our fiscal year 2026 budget discussion. Mr. BS. Um I don't have anything new. The house has not introduced their their budget. So in your packet what we have is as of last week the AS400 or plan is to take that as our final budget. Um which would show about 234,000 that we're using out of fund balance. Um take that roll that over to be our starting budget. Um, obviously we have the month of June yet to still pay and process bills. We have basically the 13th month, which is July. As things come in, we anticipate with with everybody kind of finishing up the school year, principles kind of closing out their books, secretaries closing out their books. We have a really good handle on what we anticipate be to be cost, but we're estimating
034that at the when all the dust settles that we will actually put money into fund balance rather than taking money out to finish the year. We don't want to be too tight because when you when you approve your final budget, uh it's better to come in better from the audit perspective than we overspent what the board approved. So, we are not to the dollar and nickel and everything, but we have gone through and um where we can reduce expenses because we don't need that. It could have been for a variety of reasons. Um it could have been positions that weren't filled completely over the years. So, there's un uh um payroll or FIC retirement that has been uh expensed. Um it could be supply dollars, etc. Um so, in your backup, you'll see kind of
035our projection of where we're going to be for the audit. So, at the next board meeting on June 23rd at 6:30, we'll do a truth and budgeting meeting which will show basically where we finished and where we're starting. Um, in two weeks we may have a budget from the state, but I'm not optimistic. Um, and so we will begin rolling things over as as next year. uh in your in your packet, you'll also see some other items that we're looking at. Um as we know things throughout the summer um we will begin staffing uh we'll be giving once the board approves the budget on June 23rd. Uh in many of the contractual contracts we have 7 days to give them their tenative assignments employees. So we'll start that process based on known variables enrollment. Um,
036we may need to make some adjustments in our special ed staffing from a a pair of professional based on needs of kids coming in or IEPs that have changed in the spring that may require more assistance. Um, so that that's just a normal process of what we do over the summer. Um, and then if there's a if there is a notice that we need to give employees that they're um not being renewed or the positions changing or not being um we'll follow the contract language to make sure that we're in compliance there. Other than that, um we're we're going to begin preparing the documents for the the final budget and the start of the budget for next year. Are there any questions people have on anything at this point? I really thought last week we'd
037have a house budget, but we have nothing. It's kind of disheartening cuz it's got to go through that budget process. We shall see. Thank you. Next item on our agenda is our blue double rings. Let's see. Sandy, I do have a few. Um I was I was uh lucky enough to attend the Congressional Art Awards. uh galleries uh ceremony at um CCS and white not I'm sorry not CCS4 SC4 um all the C's but um I the the artwork there was absolutely amazing um there were three of uh our talented students that I wanted to recognize um that were just absolutely had phenomenal work there in my opinion uh Ava Metman Jenna Zeleleski and Elizabeth Koker um this all three of them did. I couldn't even pick which one was my favorite out of the
038three to be honest with you, but they did an awesome job. So, thank you to them and um or congratulations to them and and thank you to those who helped them, I guess, get in there and and uh get noticed because they they certainly deserve to be seen. It's they did great work. And then I also just want to give a quick shout out to all of the first graders. I went to the first grade award ceremony and they sat so good. Um they were absolutely they behaved so well. I was absolutely blown away. Um I have seen high school students not behave as well honestly. I mean they really did a phenomenal job. So good job first graders. Thank you. Next item about Candace. Yes. I wanted to congratulate the Richmond trap team for
039uh winning first place for their Richmond Invitational. on May 31st. Um I they did a wonderful job. I wanted to thank Miss Shaq for coming and attending because um her five of her students did the national anthem and they were on the track team. So it was nice seeing two different um tablets together, I guess you could say, which was really nice when she came. So it was cold that morning. Very cold. So thank you to Miss Shen for that. And um I I wanted to say thank you to all of our amazing staff for um the 2425 school year. Um and I wish them all a wonderful summer and I think that's it. Good luck to the track team this weekend. Uh they're going to the states that no tomorrow. Tomorrow night. Okay. Raymond,
040I just want to say um thanks for all the volunteers that were named and unnamed um tonight that have supported this district, the teachers, the staff, and then just the students overall. Uh, I know there's more volunteers that were probably than were mentioned and we just want to thank them all. Thank you, Sarah. Let's see. Just a quick one. So, I attended two of the award ceremonies and just to say they were very well done. I thought it was a they were both great events for the kids. Everyone seemed to have a good time. So, thank you. I know that there's a lot of work that goes into that, but thank you to everyone who helped with that. That's it. Margaret Um, 8th grade graduation was great. Um, I went to the congressional art show
041with Sandy and I just wanted to add Mrs. Shannon, the art teacher. Um, she does some really, really good things and it showed in the artwork, Richmond artwork that was displayed that night. Um, and I also want to give a rave to Miss Christensen and her marketing students for the ice bucket challenge um that they did. They raised $1,100 I think it was for seeing these kids. Um, it was really fun and I want to just recognize Miss Christensen, Sean Msco, Preston Trend, Mr. Wsley, Becky Borwick, Julie Nater, Tim Lang Messer, Emily Urban, Carrie Shna, Ariah Spencer, and Zack Yos all from the high school who um were courageous enough to volunteer to get themselves dumped. And it was very fun. The kids were excited and elementary kids were there from their field day and
042Elizabeth was right in there with her class just having fun with them. So, it was just a great event and um helps really uh our needy families in the in the community. Thank you. I too um attended several of our awards ceremonies and I know that it takes a lot to put together. Um the students were well, you know, all attended well even when the lights went off. But um I just want to thank our administrators. We're involved in putting that all together. I don't know how much time it takes. Okay, next item on our agenda is our student. Elizabeth, so high school had exams for that last week and students are very excited for summer and all that's to come. Um the middle school finished up amazing school year. Throughout the week, students were
043honored at their grade level celebrations and staff utilized the last days of school to have fun while still learning. Mrs. Schlayer and Mrs. Breman providing ice cream social and book exchange for students to reach their AR goals while classroom teachers celebrate other student successes. Report cards will be ready to go out on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025. And our office staff is working finance and everything else before the end of the summer. RMS would like to thank our teachers, staff, RCS board, office staff, superintendents, Miss Billy, um our board of education for all your support through this outstanding school year. Police had a PBIS, um, large pie travel assembly. Students won scooters, inflatables, dollhouses, large plush and stitch chairs, squish mellows, you name it. It was very, it was very fun. Um, PBIS stands for positive
044behavior support and simply encourages positive behavior. Students earned blue tickets all throughout the day for having true blue behavior. Every blue ticket that was given for the entire school year, over 3,000 were affected by Miss Muni and were entered into the raffle. We wrapped up the school year with an end of the year celebration in the preschool rooms. The children enjoyed popsicles and story time with their teacher soaking up the sunshine on a beautiful day. Each student received a beach bucket filled with a book to enjoy over the summer and other fun goodies. They also celebrated a memorable preschool gradu graduation. Our students did an amazing job and couldn't be prouder of their hard work this year. Um for athletics, varsity softball takes on good at the state quarterfinals at Mary'sville City Park at 6:00.
045Um tickets are available on Gop fan. The leading Blue Devils claimed the regional championship with 3 to1 walk-off win against Orchard Lake St. Mary's and then a 7-3 win over Mary'sville on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came and supported. It was a tough to find an open seat on Richmond side. Good luck to the track team as they head to states on Sunday in Mason. The competition was at 9:00 a.m. Today was the first day of summer camp with the tennis camps off. There's still time to sign up for all the other camps offered this summer. All camp information is linked on the athletic page of the district website. Student athlete registration is open for the 2025 through 26 school year. Parents can complete the required forms for student athletes through the event link
046site and be ready to go on day one. All thank you very much. Okay. Next item on our agenda is our superintendent and legislative update. Mr. After our last board meeting on May 27th, um we got some additional details from the federal level. Um not a whole lot of additional but a little on the uh President Trump's FY26 budget proposal um regarding education. So these are some of the um highlights that we've gotten to date. Again, all the details will come through the department and then ultimately through the Michigan Department of Education and us. Overall, um, his proposal is to cut 12 billion from education programs. Um, some of these, uh, programs that currently exist will either stay or are expected to increase funding. Again, if I go through the the budget process, um, those
047programs that would remain the same or receive increase funding are scheduled to be the charter school grants, impact, Indian education, and the Perkins CTE programs. Um uh in in the budget also introduced two billion for new block grants which is called the K12 simplified funding program. Um I don't know a whole lot of details about it but there's there's money allocation there but there are some programs that are part of the reduction or elimination. Uh title two which is primarily teacher training and um staff training. Uh reap I did some research on it. We do not do anything with re uh title five which deals with a lot of the um innovation and technology. We've used it some years past. We've used it for some of the um programs that we had kind of evolved
048over the years. Um Mckin Vento, which is the homeless lead on providing funds for families that are homeless. Those are all part of the grant uh programs that are scheduled to be reduced. um and so forth. Some of the uh spotlights, title one funding is expected to be preserved. I think I recall a couple weeks ago one of the budget we showed what our title one's funding has been over the years. It's been significantly reduced over the years, but um right now we typically plan for keeping 85% of it. Um which is generally the the process that you're guaranteed at least 85. So if this holds true, uh we should have at least that or more of our current allocation. And then IDA, which is the grants they give to the state, which um is
049another one that's expected to have a slight increase. Um as I said, some of the ones that are being eliminated, Title One Part C, which is migrant children, title three, which is English language learner students. Um that's one of our grants that we're using to pay for summer school this year for our EL students. Uh teacher and school effectiveness incentive grants. Uh there's a supporting educator effective development grants. We don't have that one. And then there's a full service schools community schools grant that's expected to be eliminated. Uh that has a lot to do with wraparound services as well as the initiatives to get attendance kids um to be coming to school. Um, so we're going to watch that carefully. Um, and then I mentioned the last time the impact medic any changes to Medicare
050have on the education side of the the the coin here, if you will. At the state level, I wish I had a house budget to give you and share you share with you, but we have nothing. Um, there was a lot of talk and movement committee work last week, but nothing really has happened. uh summer recess is approaching. Um I think I told you at the beginning of May, if you recall, uh when I went to the superintendent meeting up in Lancing, a lot of the conversation was they do not anticipate us having a budget. June 30th, um which is by law they're supposed to, but there's no teeth to it. If they don't, um it's really an October 1st is their um deadline. Uh district update, last Friday was the last day of school.
051Um so students are on summer break offices the last day is this Friday uh for office staff and they'll start they'll head home for the break. Um they students are on break until Tuesday September 2nd I believe it is the Tuesday after Labor Day and then preschool will start the Wednesday after Labor Day. Um we are still negotiating with the team series local 214 for our secretaries at parapro very optimistic. um been going very well actually. Um we did reach a tenative agreement with our teachers union for a three-year contract. Um it has been approved by the bargaining team, their executive board and MABLE um which is the union leadership in the local one. Now it goes to the membership for their ratification. Once ratified, it will come to the board on June 23rd. Um,
052pending board approval on the 23rd, uh, we will release the 2526 calendar to the parents, uh, and community. Um, which I know there's a lot of people who are looking for that. So, that's I have a question. Yep. On the Perkins money, is that they're taking that away? Perkins is scheduled to be either the same or a slight increase. Okay. For those who don't know, that's our CTE, part of our CTE funding. Okay. Next item on our agenda is items of interest from the board. Sarah, no. Um, Raymond, go ahead. Margaret, no. Candace, I'm all set. Sandy, I'm all set. Thank you. Me, too. We're good. We're going to move on. Okay, next item on our agenda is public comments. Um, since the last board meeting, we have the board has not received any emails.
053There are no public comments that need addressing from the last board meeting. So, at this time, any member of the public may address the board. Please sign in and state your name. You will have three minutes to address the board. Are there any public comments? [Music] Okay, being no public comments, we're going to move on to our action item. I am looking for a motion for the approval of the 2025 millillage tax request. I move to accept the recommendation of the superintendent and approve the 2025 tax rate request L-4029 as presented in the attached documentation. I have support. Right. We'll give it to Okay, we heard Ray. Sorry. Any discussion? Uh, quick question. So, in the packet that we received, uh, there was two two of the L 4029 forms and one one had um,
054Deborah Bashan as the president and then the other one had Margaret as president in in two different forms. death. Yeah, I didn't in the packet we received there was two and then I only saw one so I didn't know if there was like somebody accidentally and but the dates were the same and the information was the same but it was two different names. And the one I receive has [Music] Okay. The one we have tonight for signing has. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Because in your presentation you only had one, but in the packet there was two with two different names with the same information. Any other discussion? All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Looking for a motion to go into close session. Pursuant to MCL5 that 15268 section 8C of the Michigan Open Meetings Act,
055I move that the board of education go into close session for the purposes of negotiations. Do I have support? Support. Thank you. Um any discussion? All those in favor? All right. Opposed. Motion carries. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat.