Portage Public Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting - June 15, 2026

001There we go. >> So, I just stay on here. I don't worry either. It will start and stop. So, start and stop. >> Yep, I'm going to start it over. >> This meeting of the Board of Education is now called to order. Please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. >> 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 justice for all. >> Thank you and thank you all for coming tonight. This is a bigger crowd than we normally have, so welcome. Uh we'll get started by approving our agenda. There's a motion, please, on page two. >> Mr. President, move that the Board of Education approve the agenda as printed. >> Thank you. Is

002there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? The motion passes. We'll proceed with our agenda as printed and go to the superintendent's report, Johnny. >> Oh, great. Our first update is a pleasurable update. We have uh our principal for Woodland Elementary, Jim Carson, along with a few of our Woodland students. As a reminder, Woodland is about halfway through construction now. And the students and families at Woodland Elementary School has had to spend its first year of two uh at the Haverhill, the old Haverhill site. And so, they don't have the ability to see their school coming up every day like our students at Central L and Haverhill had. And so we want to pause for a moment and give our students an opportunity to share

003about their experience and what they were able to do a couple of weeks ago before school ended. So, Ms. Carson? >> Thank you. I'm Jennifer Carson, the principal at Woodland Elementary. And I want to start by thanking the Board of Education for the opportunity to share tonight. We are very excited for our new space and uh we look forward to sharing with you some things we've learned. I also want to thank the Portage community for supporting these bonds. Without that, we would not have this new wonderful space under construction. I also want to thank PPS administration for all of their support uh with the moving process, settling into our new space, and all the work that we are doing. Uh most importantly, I want to say thank the Woodland staff for all of their hard

004work. They really are the backbone of this building and we are successful because of all the hard work they do. Our students are another group I want to thank because they were so flexible in moving to this new space, adapting, and we just kept going like it was any other day. But I want to give a special thank you to my wildcats who are here tonight, their families for coming on the first week of summer vacation, and uh to the Woodland staff that came tonight to support as well. So, we're going to talk I'm going to talk a little bit about the work that the staff has done this year with collaborative teaching and learning, some professional development, and then uh the most important presenters will be up here talking about their field trip to

005the construction site. So, this year Woodland staff had the opportunity to participate in four professional development sessions uh to help us prepare for this team-based teaching that we will be moving to in our new space. These four sessions helped strengthen how teachers work together, and we all know that when teachers work together, our students are the ones who benefit. The sessions were intentional in their progression. We started with understanding the why of collaborative teaching and learning, how it produces better outcomes for our students. We explored practical models of teaming, what that looks like, and the multiple ways that we can use this new space to enhance what we already do. We worked on building the trust, communication habits, and shared agreements that make teams successful and help them function well. So that when we go

006into our new space, we are prepared to do that good work. We also were very fortunate to be able to do these professional learning workshops at the new Haverhill. So we had the benefit of seeing that work in action and talking to people on-site about the things that they have learned. Looking forward, we are hoping to go to the new Central Elementary next year to continue this work and to learn from other teams as well. This year's professional learning has ensured that our Woodland teachers will arrive in this new building knowing their teams, having practiced collaborative instruction, and [clears throat] operating with shared goals and agreements already in place so we can hit the ground running as soon as we get there. Students are going to experience a more responsive instruction, strong differentiation, a strong

007sense of community, and the teachers won't be doing this hard work alone. Our building leadership team spent time this year working on our why statement of why we are doing this work. It's helping guide our next steps. So our why statement is at Woodland Elementary, we believe that proactively focusing on student needs with real-time data, grouping students flexibly so every learner can thrive, and surrounding each child with a dedicated team of caring educators, we will unlock the full potential as a school community. When we problem-solve together, teams feel empowered and supported, and we are stronger for every student. No educator carries the weight alone, and no child goes unseen. These practices will lead to more consistent and effective differentiation, stronger collaboration among our staff, improved academic and behavioral outcomes, and a school where every student

008experiences greater confidence, belonging, and success. So, our next steps with this is to share with all Woodland staff in the fall to gather more feedback before we get to our final version. And then So, May 28th was an exciting day at Woodland. The staff had the opportunity to tour the construction site. So, we have been doing all this work without seeing the progress, and I don't know about you, but I am not good at looking at plans on paper. It's not a strength. So, being able to walk through the site, you can see by the smiles on the staff's faces how excited they were to be able to walk through the site, visualize what it's going to look like, and know that we were part of the process to get it there. The other cool

009part about the tour for the staff was that they had the QR codes, so we could stand and scan the space that we were actually in. Um this really just brought another renewed sense of excitement to our building. Now, the most important presenters. So, because we are not on site, we had the opportunity to take first graders, second graders, and third graders to the construction site, where they got to participate in different stations. They got to see the building from outside of the fence. Um and they got to learn not only about our building, but about construction as an industry, which was very exciting. So, I have Amara Waller. Come on up. >> I have Monroe >> [applause] >> I have Rowan Kerwin. >> [applause] >> These are just a few of the amazing wildcats

010we have at Woodland. Uh but these students will have the opportunity to go to school in this new building, which is why they are here tonight. So, we are going to do this interview style. All right. So, our first question is going to be what did we learn on our field trip? And you will notice that the pictures are from our field trip. Thankfully, we had a great photographer there that day. So, Amara, what did you learn on the field trip? >> I learned that there will be two floors in our new school, and there are up to 100 people working on the job site each day. I also learned that there are a lot of different tools and materials being used to build the new school. >> And Monroe. >> I learned that there

011are 165,000 bricks being used to build the new school. I also learned that that there wasn't paint on top of the bricks, so they don't actually look like >> Good job saying that really big number, too. >> [laughter] >> Rowan. >> I learned that when the new school is all done, it will have taken them almost 1,000 people to build it. >> And Mason. >> The retaining pond is where the water goes from the pipes. The sky track is a machine and it could lift 6,000 lb. It is used to help going to the second floor of the school. >> The sky trek was a big hit during the field trip. All right. And then what are you excited about for the new Woodland? Amara. >> I learned that they will that the new cafeteria

012will have lots of different kinds of tables. There was also a quiet area in the cafeteria. I also I'm also excited because there's the outdoor learning spaces where we can get fresh air. >> And Monroe. >> Uh I'm looking forward to the learning commons in the new gym. Gym. The ceiling of the new gym is two stories high. If you are playing you can throw things much higher. >> Less chance of getting the ball stuck. Rowan. >> I am excited for the garden sitting area and the new school so we don't have to be really nice in school. >> I am excited for the new things on the playground. >> Outdoor learning spaces will give us quiet work spaces. We can listen to the outdoor music. >> And Mason. >> The playground will be sunny

013and new and have a lot of fast slides. We can eat outside when we go to lunch. >> Fantastic. Thank you so much FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. >> [applause] [applause] >> AND THEN WE WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS FOR US. >> You answered my questions but thank you for your courage to come up here. You did so well. >> They did. Thank you so much. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mrs. Carson, and thank you for bringing all your wildcats with you tonight. >> Thank you very much. And next uh two areas will be uh our assistant superintendent Russ Erbes, and he will uh talk to our bond project update as well as our change order summary. >> Russ. Good evening, board, superintendent Edwards. Uh very exciting end to the school year. You just

014heard from the the wildcats. We uh we had them out to the job site over at Woodland for them to kind of check out the building. It was a exciting day. Uh like they said, we started off bringing the staff through the building. They got a chance to see how it's coming. Uh we got the students out there to kind of experience what a construction site what happens on a construction site. We kept them safe, don't worry. Um and then we uh ended the day with bringing some of the administration building over to us so they can see what their hard work in the administration building ends up being for our students in terms of like when they pay the bills and all this stuff. They don't get out to the buildings a lot, so

015gave them a chance to see what all the work what all the works they're doing there in terms of making sure contracts are taken care of and looks like and you know, what our reward as a district is. So, that was a fun day for the for the kiddos and myself included, just a chance to see the kids out there playing with some of the construction toys and learning about, you know, the number of bricks it takes to build a building and there are and all the sky tracks. So, it was a fun day. Uh but things at Woodland are shaping up nicely. Uh the second floor is starting to be framed in, so the classrooms are coming together. You can really see the layout of what the what the second floor is looking like.

016They're up there working, so on the first floor they can uh get it all leveled out so they can pour the the final flooring for the uh for the first floor. So, they're kind of bringing in uh or kind of orchestrating all the different trades to be out there and get as much work as they can done without getting in the way of each other. So, they're doing a really good job of that. So, the stud you know, the studs are going up in the second floor, the electricians getting all their their pathways in and they'll start wiring here as we go. Uh so, that's exciting. Uh if you look out front, you can start seeing the shapes of what the the the uh entryway is going to look like, the awning uh that the

017kids will walk under when they enter the building. They start framing that out. So, that's kind of a cool you'll see it it'll be a very nice grand entrance for the kids as they come to school. Uh so, that's exciting. Uh Woodland's coming along nicely. We were you know, weather like today really helps with the construction process. Uh other things that took place over the last couple weeks, we had the groundbreaking at Amberley Elementary. So, those of you guys who were able to be there for that, thank you. That was a great day, a little hot. Uh kids were definitely excited at Amberley as well, just like Woodland to get their air conditioning. Uh so, that was uh it was a good day for the groundbreaking, very happy with that. Uh then the Thursday the

018Thursday before the last day of school, we actually uh did the we called donuts and design meeting with the uh Engling staff and we got to walk over the uh walk through the SD uh schematic design for Engling. So, they kind of got to see what the Engling's going to look like, how it's going to sit on the new property and all that good stuff. And we're bringing that to you guys the board here at our next board meeting. Uh so, we'll walk through the SD design with you guys and kind of let you know how that design process is going. Uh so, we got three fronts going on right now. We have the Woodland halfway through at the halfway point. We just started breaking ground at Amberley and we're going through the design phase

019for Engling Road. So, it's been pretty busy in the uh construction realm, if you would. So, is there any questions about that? Next week, I will bring a PowerPoint with pictures. This week, you just got my words. Sorry. >> [laughter] [snorts] >> Oh, thanks. We appreciate the update. No problem. And then uh next thing is uh as you guys know, throughout the construction progress, there's change orders for different things. Anastasia's going to run through our change orders from the the three projects, Central, Haverhill, and what we've done for Woodland so far. >> All right, thanks. Good evening, board. As Russ mentioned, I'm here tonight for the bond change order. I've presented these to you guys periodically throughout the process of Central, Haverhill, and Woodland. We have a few more here since it's been a minute

020since I've gotten up here and spoke on some of these. I'm just going to touch on some of the bigger ticket items or noteworthy items, but if anybody has any questions on anything on the document, please speak up and just let me know. So, for Central Elementary, we had a total bond change order cost of 58,381. One of the larger items there was some mechanical ductwork items. So, that was catching up a variety of items tasks that the mechanical contractor had helped us with. So, that was reworking some ductwork to accommodate change in the ceiling. That was adding ductwork for the vent in the kiln in the art room. So, it was a couple of those types of items and then really the other one was we had held an allowance for some site cleanup

021and that was where our construction drive was. So, that was part of it. There will be one more portion on that that didn't make it in here in terms of seating and grading and finishing that up on there. So, that was getting the foot practice football field back to what it used to be. Over at Haverhill, we had a bond change order cost of 51,025. One of the larger items on that was from a bulletin adding some leaching [clears throat] basins to the pond out there. There's a little bit more work we know we need to do. It looks like there's some trouble with it draining. So, the contractor is out there this week kind of taking a look at that, but the uh the leaching basins in there will help to control that as

022well. At Woodland Elementary, we had a bond cost order bond change order cost of 36,314. There was a couple on here. Uh one of them being bulletin six, which was some mechanical and electrical revisions including ductwork changes. And then uh the large item that one was adding electrical door operators to uh vestibules. And then we were adding some public address speakers, uh some outlets, and smoke detectors for that. Another item on this one, which was actually a deduct and an add back to our contingency, was bulletin eight. So, we had made some revisions based on what we've learned from Central and Haverhill to the casework and um the the teaching spaces. So, that actually gave us money back to contingency of 214,251. So, um just kind of reworking that gave us a nice credit. Uh

023the last item on that one I'll touch on was we did add the additional radiant flooring in the music maker space library and admin area. So, that will be easier for the building to control the heating during the winter months. Um overall I I'm all the projects that you can see are on the cover sheet there, our contingency at each of the buildings is looking is looking pretty good. Questions? >> A great report. Thank you. All right. Uh and last up is superintendent's report. It's the superintendent, Dr. Matt Mascola, about Matt's law. Barb's just loading the uh slide deck really quick. >> See if BB wants to go first. >> Good evening trustees, Superintendent Edwards. Tonight I'll present on the 25-26 Matt's Law bullying data comparing that to the previous school year as we usually

024do around this time to determine how our strategies are impacting the data on all of our school cultures across the district. There's a lot of information provided in your packets uh that we submitted to you. But, here's the criteria that we use uh when defining bullying in our schools for our PPS policy that's 5517.01. So, all of our administrators, we've worked hard to make sure they have a common understanding of this definition and the criteria so that these types of acts aren't missed or conducts they get labeled appropriately in our student information system. Um so, that they don't get mixed up with any other offenses. So, you can see it has to meet quite a few criteria, but along the lines of intimidation, humiliation, fear of physical harm, could be one or more students, could

025be through physical, verbal, um electronic, or emotional means. It could affect uh student's ability to participate or engage in any program or activity that we offer. And it could be based on characteristics of a of a student in terms of race, religion, disability, or gender, etc. So, we spent some time in our assistant principal and principal's meeting making sure that uh we're all on the same page as to what constitutes bullying in the district. So, let's take a look at the data from 25-26 and we'll compare that to 24-25 and um 24-25 and see how we did. So, you'll here that there were a a decrease in each area from 24/25 to 25/26. So, there was less offenses that results in less discipline or consequences that were issued. There's an overall reduction from 151 in

02624/25 to 97 in 25/26. So, that's a a decrease of 54 referrals this past school year. So, we've seen some positive numbers of the impact of some of the strategies that we have in play. So, you can also see the decrease in the number of referrals from both males and females comparing to 24/25 in our last school year. You can see that we reduced the number of referrals at each school level, which is great. I'm not sure if we've seen that over the years that I've been here. The largest reduction was at high school with 23 less referrals and middle school was closely behind with a reduction of 21. So, these are 21 referral/offenses. And you can see from pre-K to 12, so we have nine out of 15 grades showed a decrease in referrals

02725/26 compared to 24/25. The largest reduction that we saw was in seventh grade with 17 fewer referral/offenses that were recorded. In terms of disposition and our response to bullying offenses, there's a large decrease in the number of offenders as well as the number of suspensions. So, that's a good thing because it's 34 less days of suspension, meaning 34 more days our students were in classes with in-person instruction, connected to our resources and support. So, that's what we would like to see. We want kids in school as much as possible. So, an overall reduction of 123 offenses in 24/25 to 74 in 25/26. And I think that's something to celebrate. Um, had some really good conversations with our APs and our principals regarding this data. And the question was, what did they feel really made the

028impact in the reduction of these numbers? And so this is what they came up with. Although you have a laundry list of things that we have in play throughout a school year in your in your documents, but I just want to highlight the ones that they felt were most impactful. Uh, so talking to Mr. Med and Dr. Thompson at North Middle, they have something called PAC tickets at North Middle when demonstrating pride, accountability, cooperation, and kindness. And as kids earn those, they have quarterly incentive events where they help reinforce expectations. And that leads to improving culture within the building. So whether that's assemblies, student recognition events, that's going a long way with kids at the middle school level. Um, the reflection zones that you've heard about. We've had folks that support those rooms to the

029board. Like I think about Daryl at North Middle. We have that at all three middle schools and we have similar things at elementary and high school as well. But those help to reset and problem-solve as kids are struggling with conflict or having behavior concerns when they arise. So it's early intervention, it's increased student accountability, and we get to address issues early to help kind of prevent things from moving forward. Uh, across the board K-12, we value positive student and staff relationships. Our administrators said that that makes a huge difference in the number of trusted adults that students can come to when they see something that's not right in one of our programs and making sure that it gets to the right people so it can be addressed to reduce any future conflict or anything from

030happening maybe initially. Um, everyone's heard about OK2SAY. It's an anonymous reporting system through Michigan State Police. So every now and then I'll get a call at 1:00 a.m. and wake up and get the receive the call, see what the issue is, connect with our SRO, sometimes connect with our building principal, and we work through that until we get some resolve or connect with the family. Um families in in the audience today, they've probably heard about Lightspeed Alerts, and that's our monitoring system through the Google Suite that we have within our student Chromebooks, not our adult Chromebooks. Anytime something gets flagged that could be considered inappropriate or unsafe or maybe uh is a concern in terms of safety or a health risk to a student or others, uh we get notified. So, we receive those calls,

031a lot of them happen in the evening and over the weekends. Um it's led to a lot of home visits uh from either the Portage Public Safety Department or our own SROs to check in on kids. Uh we've had a lot of self-harm related things in the community, and um the positive part is that it's increased uh awareness on the home front where families, parents, guardians, they may not have known that their student was struggling with something and it's prompted communication. And then we also provide support. We have uh Mary Ann Joint um that is our mental health coordinator, so we're able to do a lot of things internally, but also connect them to external resources in the community, and that's been extremely helpful. And actually through those conversations, it increases our connection that we

032have with our families in the community. So, um that's been a that's been a positive thing um in terms of being able to intervene and and hopefully provide some support before anything of significance would happen. Um at the high school level, uh one high school reported a 24% decrease in harassment-related incidents with no repeat offenders from 24-25 to 25-26, which I thought was wonderful. All of our schools partner with Griffin Place. Folks may have heard of that. Uh they provide restorative facilitators uh when kids may be struggling. One high school reported that um 80 students got support that were involved in 51 conflicts, uh which I thought was pretty significant. That was one school. And there uh we have a partnership with them that we sign an agreement every school year. And uh they're a

033wonderful organization to help us through some of those uh issues. Our behavior intervention teams also use restorative practices, bringing kids in, talking about the impact of their actions on others, taking accountability, but also trying to um repair relationships and making sure that people can coexist respectfully within a school community. Um at one of our high schools, they do quarterly student voice sessions. They highlight the strengths of the school, much like Superintendent Edwards has with his uh student uh advisory board. And also the areas in which um they can improve. And staff has encouraged uh students to report behaviors that are [clears throat] not aligned with our values and keeping it. So, they continue to stress that. So, that's kind of a summary of where we were 25-26 compared to 24-25. We saw a lot of

034favorable numbers. Um to us, it's meaning some of those initiatives that our administrators mentioned here are making a difference. We just want to continue to build on the things that are working and remove the ones that are not making an impact, and continually reflect on our practices. So, hopefully, we continue to see this type of trend in terms of our our data and the reduction of referral referrals and offenses. So, I'll open it up to all of you for any questions or comments that you may have based off of the data that I presented tonight. So, right. >> Well, I mean the one you're dropping is incredible. Um good to see the interventions. >> I mean >> So, do you have any additional theory about, you know, could it be uh we're far enough from

035the pandemic that some of those things are just finally getting reviewed here, but that's it's an it's an impressive >> Yeah. >> We definitely did see our numbers shoot up after um after COVID, for sure. Um I think we have seen some dwindling of that. Um kids are still struggling with things and um sometimes families know and sometimes they're not aware that some of these things help start those conversations, start connecting kids to the support um so they can turn things around and and uh enjoy the things that they can't particularly as it relates to the school district. So, um maybe it's part of that. Maybe we're getting far enough away where we've been chipping away at what works and what doesn't and now we're seeing the results in the numbers. So, I'm hoping it's

036it's part of that, but I know it's a lot of great work that's happening at the buildings. Um and it's not just our administrators, it's a collective staff effort with a lot of this. So, I appreciate what everyone's doing to help >> [clears throat] >> these numbers, particularly the repeated offenses or the repeated situations where, you know, a student doesn't feel safe or welcomed um in any of our school communities. So, >> Mhm. >> Any other? >> I wonder if it's also you're seeing a benefit because as the years go by, you've got more kids who have been who are learning from kindergarten on up >> Mhm. >> how to treat other people and how to be accepting. I mean, I and I don't know how you track that kind of data. >> Yeah. Well,

037you have uh I think the role of the engagement specialist has helped tremendously. Um kind of that bridge between school and home, as well as supporting teachers in the classroom with um some behavior and uh just working through and supporting the principal. Although they are not administrators, they are teachers, um but they do a wonderful job and a lot of our ESs have become principals. So, um they see the the bigger picture, but I think at elementary uh outside of the teams that they have in terms of behavior teams and academic teams, that role in particular, I think has been very impactful. So, I'm thankful that that has been in place since I came here 9 years ago. So. And Dr. Jensenius and all the principals do a wonderful job, too. I know Carson was

038here, as well. So. >> [cough and clears throat] >> Were these the same parameters you used last year? Cuz I know last year the number jumped. >> Mhm. >> Or you changed your terminology or how you're measuring it? >> No. >> Is it the same? >> I think we try to get more consistent every year. It comes up in our assistant principals' and principals' meetings at the at the onset. Um I think we're getting better at that. I think that plays into the numbers, too. We're not allowing other offenses that do not meet that criteria to get mixed into those numbers. That's also helpful. Um and I think we're just as our leadership team for the most part, you know, stays the same for consecutive numbers of years, I think we get better collectively and

039stronger and more consistent with many of our practices. This tends to be and is tending to be one of them that we're seeing. >> What do you think, Kimberly? >> Thank you. >> [laughter] >> I noticed in Griffin Place and restorative facilitators, I know that many students with neuro-divergencies don't feel comfortable um declining services. Um that consent in that case is not always consent. It's more of a going with what it is. Um do you have any information on how that um on outreaches are uh techniques that are being used to ensure that those students are comfortable saying yes or no or consenting or not. >> Yeah, I I can I can tell you that students are not forced to do those. Uh we have, like I said, behavior intervention teams as well or folks

040that are um running the reflection zones. Those are our own staff members, not an external agency that they may have a stronger relationship and maybe viewed as more of a trusted adult to have those conversations. So, in those reflection zones, like Daryl, for example, at North Middle, he is running restorative uh practices all the time, restorative circles. So, that's part of it and we have that at West and Central Middle as well. So, I think when it's a situation where someone's not comfortable or >> For example, someone who has been on the receiving end. >> Right. >> To be able to say, "I'm not really comfortable >> That's right. >> with this person." >> And that happens and I think our staff is wonderful in terms of making sure students feel supported and they're not

041forced into a conversation that they don't want to have. >> Thank you. >> And that I'm sure that will that will happen from time to time. >> Dr. Pascoe, thank you for your report. It was a great report. I think that's the best MAS law report you've ever given in terms of the numbers. So, thank you very much and well, that one number you mentioned is the number of reduction in repeat offenders. I mean, that's that's really good stuff. So, >> Yeah. >> hopefully we keep it going. >> That's that's what it is. It's Can we sustain it? Can we continue to incrementally improve these numbers? Um but just know that we continue to reflect on our practices and we want to keep what's working and reflect on uh what's not making the impact and

042hopefully the longer we do that, um the more we'll see in terms of the numbers every year. So, thanks for that. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move to our comments and communication section. Are there any uh folks who wish to address the board tonight? Uh, yes, there are. Sherry, could you read our guidelines for, uh, public speakers, please? >> Sure. Public comment at board meetings. Board of Education meetings are held for the purpose of conducting the business of the school district. The board recognizes the importance of letting the public express themselves on district matters and welcome community input at our board meetings. To permit fair and orderly public expression, please conform to these guidelines when addressing the board. Attendees must register their intention to speak during the public participation portion of the meeting by completing

043the speaker registration form at the beginning of the meeting. Each speaker must provide their name, state whether they reside within the district boundaries, and specify the topic of their remarks. Individuals may not register others to speak. Speakers will be recognized by the presiding officer and may not be called in the order in which they have signed up to speak. Limit comments to 3 minutes. Direct all comments to the board and not to staff or to other participants. Speakers may not yield any of their speaking time to others. Provide a written copy of your comments and supporting documentation to the board secretary if available. Present your comments in a respectful and courteous manner to model the behavior expected of Portage students. Refrain from mentioning any student or individual by name. Contact the superintendent directly regarding personnel

044matters. The board has a legal obligation to protect the due process rights of students and employees. Typically, concerns raised by speakers during public comment are best addressed through the established chain of command. Board policy delegates resolution of operational concerns to the superintendent for further action. >> All right, thank you, Terry. I just want to inform everybody that as Terry said, we value public comment and we're glad you're here to give us input tonight and I just want to remind everybody that we have a number of speakers here from Angling and then unfortunately state and federal law, as well as individual privacy rights limits what can be publicly disclosed or discussed regarding our our staff and our students. So, we ask you to be respectful of that when respectful of their privacy rights when you address

045the board this evening and again, thank you for coming. We appreciate it. >> President Van members of the Portis public school as well as the Portis community. I normally do not make comments prior to uh citizens public comments, but giving the importance of different matters, I thought it was appropriate to do so. So, prior to that, um we've had an incident at Angling Road Elementary School specifically just prior to the end of the school year. Our policy as well as best practices require that we do not discuss individual students uh on whether that situation involves a student or a staff. Uh but tonight I just want to address the process overall. All along we've been committed to following the process, the facts, the law, and due process rights of our parents as well as the

046rights of our students and our employees. Safety of our students and staff has been and remains our number one priority. Since then, we've worked closely with our partners Portis Public Safety while they conducted an investigation during which our human resource department worked alongside of them to conduct an internal investigation as it is outlined in terms of our policies and procedures within the district. Late last week, I communicated with the Anglin Road staff and families that the Portis Public Safety had completed its vest investigation and they had advised me that the case was forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review. >> Now, the principal at Anglin Road sports my daughter. >> Dad, stop. >> And there's a witness here that saw it. >> You're not going to let us talk about it? >> Dad, stop. >>

047No, I'm not getting kicked out. Let us talk. Let us get kicked out. The principal at Anglin Road >> Don't get us kicked out of here. Stop. >> And they pulled her hair. >> Okay, can we finish? >> I'm so pissed. >> Oh my god. >> Late last week, I communicated with Anglin Road staff and families that Portis Public Safety had completed its investigation and had advised me that the case was forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review and that charges were ultimately denied. In the meantime, Portis Public Schools has worked to finalize its own internal investigation. We determined that our staff responded consistently with school policies and procedures. >> I'm a mom. >> This is not in any way any type of victory or celebration. There's still work to do with Anglin Road Elementary

048School as well as other schools within our district. We're focused on a growth mindset and we want all of our staff and students to grow. We're also focused on our assets. It's not to deny our deficits, but our deficits do not define any of our schools. When there's an incident or disagreement there are no winners or losers. Goal is to find a resolution with plans to improve. And we certainly want to improve our entire school district. School by school, classroom by classroom, day by day. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Danny. We'll call our first speaker tonight. Welcome to Anne Bujala, please. >> [snorts] >> As a parent of children attending Engling Road Elementary, I am deeply disappointed by another failure of this district and this board to adequately support this school, its staff, and

049its families. When my family joined Engling Road 4 years ago, there were already concerns surrounding leadership. Rather than relying on rumors or reacting emotionally, I became involved. I volunteered, I spoke with building and district leadership, and I sought to better understand the challenges facing the school. Having grown up with two educator parents, I understand that the school systems are complex and that personnel decisions often involve circumstances not visible to the public. What gave me confidence during those years was knowing that exceptional educators were teaching and supporting my children every day. That confidence is again being eroded by what many families and staff perceive as poor handling of serious issues at Engling Road. While there are numerous concerns being discussed within the community, I want to focus specifically on the significant staff losses over the last

0502 years, including the district's loss of Marsha Moore. Ms. Moore is one of the finest educators this school has had. She helped my child child navigate difficult transition into elementary school, provided support well beyond her classroom, and positively impacted hundreds of students and families throughout her tenure. I also watched Ms. Moore address this board 2 years ago, openly pleading for support for her school and colleagues. Following another troubling situation and what appears to be continued inaction and inadequate leadership, she has now chosen to resign. My family is directly affected by this loss as my youngest child will no longer have the opportunity to learn from and be influenced by such an outstanding educator. I'm equally troubled by the district's communication regarding recent events. Families received messaging that characterized concerns as online rumors. Yet important facts

051were omitted. Police were present at Engling Road Elementary in response to an incident that occurred on school grounds while all while our children were present. Parents were not informed on the day of the incident or the day after. Instead, days later the school community received a gaslighting communication dismissing concerns as rumors. To be clear, police presence at the school in response to an incident is not a rumor, it's a fact. The lack of timely and transparent communication has understandably further damaged trust within the school community. As a parent, I expect better. I am asking the district and this Board of Education to take meaningful action to support Engling Road, its staff, its students, and its families. I urge you to take these concerns seriously and demonstrate through your actions that Engling Road Elementary is a

052priority. Specifically, I ask that one, you clearly communicate the policies and procedures being followed in response to recent events. Two, provide transparency regarding the district's decision-making process and any limitations on what can be shared. Three, prioritize timely, factual communication with families rather than broad assurances that fail to address legitimate concerns. And four, take concrete steps to address the ongoing issues contributing to staff dissatisfaction and the loss of highly valued educators. THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> AND DO WE HAVE A COPY OF YOUR REMARKS? >> UM, you know what? I'm going to let you >> Thank you very much. Our next speaker this evening is Michelle Helner. >> Hello, my name is Michelle Helner and I live at 9950 Wexford Drive in Portage, Michigan. In addition to being a teacher at Woodland Elementary School, I'm also

053the parent of three amazing children. One who graduated and two others who are currently attending PPS. My youngest child began having seizures when he was 6 months old. At 3 years old, he finally figured out that he has a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome. With Dravet syndrome, people not only have long seizures, but physical, mental, intellectual, emotional disabilities and delays. The first time we needed to call EMS to a Portage Public School building was at Woodland when he was about 1 year old. This happened in an open house for his siblings. The last was about a month ago when Central Middle called after administering rescue medicine after seizure which lasted over 5 minutes. There have been many in between. When I look at the strategic commitment for Portage Public Schools, it states that

054PPS ensures success. Every student is welcomed, valued, individually known by their strengths and needs and supported on their path. In the same document, it states that we have a commitment to equity which states that Portage Public Schools is an inclusive environment providing each individual access to resources and opportunities for success. Though my son's medical needs are severe, he is in no way the only student who walks through those doors every day with medical needs. Hundreds of students have diabetes, asthma, severe allergies, mental health concerns, and other needs and responsibilities day in day in It has come to my attention that we have cut our three nurses who serve our PPS students. This means that the medical responsibilities and paperwork will fall on teachers, administrators, secretaries, paraprofessionals who are sometimes CNAs, and engagement specialists. Most of

055these people are not medically trained and have not worked in a medical environment. Our staff is already stretched thin with teaching, paperwork, keeping students safe, and building relationships with our students. Managing medical concerns, which can be severe, is so much more um to ask and could result in injury or even tragedy. My heart begins racing whenever I hear a Dexcom alert or when I need to send a child for an inhaler. I consistently wash my hands after eating to prevent the spread of contaminants to my students with food allergies, and I have needed to give a dose of Benadryl before sending a child to the office. Are people in the general education setting really equipped to deal with severe medical needs? Our nursing staff is amazing and it benefits all. The students and staff can

056learn from someone with different needs, cultures, and experiences than their own. PPS does an amazing job being inclusive. One thing that inclusion is not is cheap. We need to invest in medical staff in order to keep our students safe. I am respectfully asking the board and the Powdersville taxpayers to consider continuing to have our nursing staff at our building. It is a cost, but it is worth it worth it for the inclusion and safety of our students. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Michelle. Our next uh speaker this evening is uh Amelia Lambright, please. >> Hey, everybody. I appreciate your time this evening. Uh my name is Amelia. I'm a mom of three children. My youngest is a second grader at Angling Elementary. Right before her third birthday, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and

057at 4 and 1/2 she was diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which is a rare, severe and degenerative type of epilepsy that affects her in many ways. At her worst, she can have more than 100 seizures a day. She's a medically complex kiddo with multiple diagnoses that requires me to work closely with the staff at Angling. I'm frequently in the building at Angling dropping her dropping her off, picking her up for appointments. We manage 27 specialists for her. Um I'm dropping up meds. I volunteer every chance I get as a member of the PTO. I'm invested in the school and the students and I love the community that we have there with the families. Over the last 2 years, I have seen countless instances of the principal treating students and staff disrespectfully while sucking up to parents

058and putting on a false front. The vibe in the school is toxic and part of the reason I send my other two children to private school instead of Portage schools. The financial sacrifice is worth their safety both mentally and physically to my husband and I. I'm at a loss for you protecting a woman who has a history of violence and has lost the faith of the families entrusted to her. How many students have to be hurt before you take action? My daughter, who loves 99% of people, won't look the principal in the face. She won't fist bump her, she won't high five her, doesn't acknowledge your presence. She is known as the queen in the building and loved by everyone. She's a wonderful child. I'm disappointed in the recent investigation that continues to leave students

059at risk to a tyrant. A woman who has a long history and track record of not being someone who should be in a position of power. I'm curious how you would feel leaving your vulnerable child in the building with administration that you have no trust in. Part of her disability severely limits her speech. Do you understand how difficult it is to leave your child in a building every day and she cannot tell me if something happens to her inappropriately? Could you do that in my shoes? She's not the only student in that building that's non-verbal or limited verbally. These kids rely heavily on us to to keep them safe. I personally rely heavily on a few trusted key members of the staff to keep her safe. One of those staff members is leaving because you

060have decided to not continue to staff nurses in the building. The nurses are instrumental in training staff in seizure first aid, manage her medications, her safety. Without nurses, so many students are now vulnerable. Kids with diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma, and severe allergies, just to name a few. These are life and death diagnoses that like ours deal with every day. So, this now falls to you. Nurses, controlled substances are being managed by nurses and not not by nurses, but by secretaries and parapros. I mean, these are not people trained to handle these medications. This year, a teacher almost gave my daughter a rescue med a second time because she broke protocol and didn't check if it had already been administered when she had too many seizures. That I mentioned it to the nurse, she stepped in

061and did a retraining with the staff. Who is now going to do that? Who is going to keep these kids safe? The secretaries and paras are amazing. They're close to my heart. I love them. I work with them closely. But, as I said, this is not their job. This is a liability for Portage to have these not managed properly. I hope you can reflect on your decisions and how it negatively impacts families like ours and going forward to make changes to keep them safe. Every child, regardless of disability, deserves a safe environment to learn in. I appreciate YOUR TIME. >> [applause] >> NAYA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. IS that your your presentation on the podium? >> No, it was just on my phone. I just typed it out quickly. >> Oh, okay. So, we

062don't There's nothing there for us? >> nothing there. I can email it to you if you'd like a copy of it. >> Please. Please do that. Thank you very much. Okay, our next speaker this evening is Rebecca Lehto. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening board members. My name is Rebecca Lehto. I've been part of the Angling Road family since 2015 and a parent as a parent and for the last 4 years as an employee. What I saw on May 28th made me sick to my stomach and 3 weeks later I'm still not okay with it. I saw a 7-year-old child hit our principal on the arm. The principal then hit the child back and said, "Don't you hit me." I want to be very clear this was not self-defense. I unfortunately was the only one

063in the hallway at the time of that incident. It had been going on for a few minutes before that and there had been other staff members out there, but when this part happened it was only me. After I saw it I looked up and down the hallway to see if there was anybody else that had seen it. I also checked to see if there was camera coverage of that area because I didn't want it to be my word against our principal. I reported it because I had to, because I'm a mandated reporter, because that's what we're supposed to do when we see a child harmed. And then I was made to feel like a liar. When I read the email from the superintendent praising how staff rallied for the end of this year celebrations, all

064I could think about was there was one second grader who wasn't there for any of it. She missed her entire year or last entire last week of her school year. I thought about my own four children in this district. I thought about how I haven't been fully present as a parent for those celebrations because I've been sick with worry over what I saw and how it's been handled. This board has a responsibility. Children must be safe in school and staff who speak up must be believed, not silenced. I am asking you tonight to reopen this matter and investigate it properly. The children and families of this district deserve nothing less. THANK YOU. >> YEAH. >> [applause] [applause] >> MY NEXT SPEAKER TONIGHT IS DANIEL MORRISON. WELCOME. >> Good evening, members of the board. My name

065is Danielle Morrison. I live at 5226 Gross Pointe, Portage, Michigan. I'm here tonight because I believe the students, teachers, and families of Egeling Road Elementary have been failed by this very leadership that is supposed to protect and support them. As a parent, this issue has a very real impact on my child. Since kindergarten, she has witnessed violent behavior in her classroom directed at both other students and her teachers. She's now preparing to enter fourth grade, and what concerns me most is that she has come to see this as normal. This reflects a broader pattern of leadership that has created an environment where teachers feel unsupported, disruptive behavior goes unchecked, and accountability seems to exist for everyone except for those in charge. So, lockdowns are an everyday occurrence in classrooms. Teachers call for support and receive

066nothing for 45 minutes to an hour. Parents shouldn't have to worry that repeated disruptive behavior is being rewarded instead of addressed with appropriate consequences and interventions. When children see serious misconduct met with rewards rather than accountability, it undermines respect for our teachers, disrupts learning, and sends exactly the wrong message to our kids. Leadership matters, and the culture of a school starts at the top. When teachers are unsupported, morale suffers. When classrooms are in chaos, the students suffer. One of my biggest concerns is the lack of respect shown to staff by this principal. Teachers should never have been to walk into their classrooms wondering they will be left to handle dangerous or disruptive situations on their own. They should not be blamed for asking for help or made to feel they have failed because they cannot

067single-handedly manage serious behavioral issues without meaningful support. Parents and students have witnessed teachers leaving the principal's office on multiple occasions in tears, and that should never be considered normal in a workplace. Compliance appears to be valued over competence, and the consequences are ultimately borne by students who continue to lose experienced and dedicated educators because they simply can't continue working in this environment. This principal has made statements to staff and the PTO that have later proven to be untrue. And when these inconsistencies are questioned, the response often feels like gaslighting rather than accountability. The teacher evaluation process, which should be a tool for growth and professional development, is perceived by many of the teachers as a means of punishment and intimidation now by our principal. In my opinion, there have been actions that warrant serious disciplinary

068review, but many people are afraid to come forward because they believe the district will protect her instead of addressing the concerns. This honestly was put on display during last week of the last week of school when our superintendent attendant came to the school for our talent show. He came to high-five and fist bump this principal to show his support in her just days after she was accused of striking an Angling Road second grade student. Where is our support for our students, our teachers, or the staff member who witnessed this event? The board has a responsibility not to just react to crises to but to prevent them by ensuring that schools are led by individuals who foster safety, accountability, and respect. I urge you to listen to the voices of these families and educators who have

069been raising concerns and take decisive action that puts the needs of our children and dedicated teachers ahead of everyone else. I'm here because I love this school and the community. I believe our children deserve better. Please don't allow fear, silence, or inaction to define the future of Angling Road. Hold leadership to the same standards of accountability expected of every teacher and every student, and put the safety, well-being, and education of our children first. THANK YOU. >> [applause] [applause] >> CAN ANY OF Y'ALL CAN YOU EMAIL US AS WELL? OKAY, THANK YOU. Our next speaker this evening is Ashley Brown. Welcome. >> [laughter] [laughter] >> Good evening. My name is Ashley Brown. I'm a former Angling Road Elementary teacher. I left this district and now work in corporate education. I'm standing here tonight because I'm also

070part of the data I'm about to share with you. On May 31st, Superintendent Edwards sent this community an email describing allegations involving a member staff member at Angling Road as I'm quoting directly here, "unsubstantiated rumors, unsubstantiated internet rumors spread by individuals with no direct knowledge of the situation." I want to be precise about what actually had happened at this moment. A family had filed a police report, a staff member who was present reported the incident to HR, and gave us this a statement to law enforcement. That staff member is a mandated reporter, someone with a legal obligation to report suspected child abuse. A CPS complaint had been filed. These are not rumors. These are official channels activated by people with direct first-hand knowledge, including someone the state of Michigan trusts to identify and report harm

071of a child. And this was told to be social media gossip. During this investigation, the staff member in question was not placed on administrative leave. Children at Angling Road continued to be in that person's care while a police investigation and a CPS complaint were both active. Regardless of how the case was ultimately closed, that decision poses a serious and unacceptable safety risk and this board should answer for it. Portage Public Safety closed the case, that's their jurisdiction, but a police closure does not answer the question that this board has to answer. What happened in that building? And is this person who is responsible for all of these children the right person to be our principal? Was my principal. Now, let me tell you about the staff who have left Angling Road in the last 2

072years. Nine classroom teachers transferred to other K-12 schools at approximately double the national transfer rate. Eight additional staff, myself included, left the district entirely and the profession entirely. Some retired early. I left in a large part due to unsafe work environment and burnout. That is 17 people entirely in the last 2 years of a staff of roughly 43. Nearly 40% gone in 2 years. The district calls this normal. I'm standing here to tell you it's not. It is not normal and I can tell you that cuz I lived it, I believe it. Half the people here are in support of of all of us and it's it's sad. The Learning Policy Institute calculates that replacing a single teacher costs the district nearly $12,000 per teacher in recruitment, hiring, training alone. 17 staff leaving a building

073over 2 years represents over $200,000 in costs to this district, something that we continue to talk a lot about. That is not a rumor. That is a financial consequence of what has happened at Angling Road on the day-to-day and this board is responsible for it. When I left, I requested an exit interview. I wanted to tell someone what my experience was in Portage Public Schools where I grew up going. No one responded. Portage Public Schools has no formal process to collect that feedback and I want to ask directly, why? Why don't you want that feedback? I would assume that KPIs are relevant here as they are anywhere. Why don't you want to know why people are leaving and why you're continuing to pay this cost. So, here's what I'm specifically asking for and I'll be

074quick. One, an independent interview of what happened at Angling Road, separate from the Portage Public Safety investigation. Two, a public accounting of whether it was accurate or appropriate to describe a reported witness or staff at Angling Road as an unsubstantiated rumor to this community. Three, why was there no administrative leave for this person during active police investigation while they are in the care of our children. Four, the immediate implementation of a formal exit interview process so the district can no longer remain willfully uninformed about why their teachers are leaving. Five, a review of the hiring protocols to ensure that public records from previous districts are part of background checks when you bring administrators into our schools. I'm not a rumor. The 17 people who have left Angling Road in the last 2 years were not

075rumors. The family that filed a police report is not a rumor. The mandated reporter here tonight who witnessed what she saw is not a rumor. So, I'm asking the board to look at what's been documented before you and to do something about it, please. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you for your comments, Ashley. Our next speaker tonight is Raul Garcia. >> [clears throat] >> I didn't expect to speak tonight, but I can't be quiet. Um, I don't understand how you can let somebody with an allegation of hitting a child be at our school under under investigation. So, that is that part of the process? I don't know. I just why is is our our children um in danger of such person and has allegations against them. That's just my concern, one of my concerns. And

076also, you know, I requested a FOIA request for the incident. Have not uh received that request yet. They said the investigation's still ongoing. So, I'm not sure how it can be closed when it's still ongoing. Um and uh this report is uh email coming through that the uh investigation had been closed. Um I haven't got the report yet. So, they said it's still ongoing. So, it's just some miscommunication there or some incorrect uh information being passed out. Thank you very much. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you for your comments, Raul. Our next speaker is Savannah Babcock. >> [clears throat] >> Uh so, I'm not going to be as amazing as these other fellows that has spoken today, but I'm going to do my best. I don't have it papered. My daughter is the one that

077was assaulted at the school. Um it was 10:00 at night. I'm Savannah Babcock. I do reside in Portage. I have for 4 years. And we had an incident last year, the same principal with my student, with my child, who had dragged her down the hallway and gouged her rings into her arm, leaving broken blood vessels, and then made her crawl the other half. And I talked to the administration building. I talked to No one would act on it. And when Ms. Fischer told me she was leaving, um I know I was devastated. I was like, "What am I going to do? What is my child going to do?" I was scared because of what had happened last year and this this um teacher was leaving, and I I depended on her to take care of

078my child at this school. So, this year, when my daughter, a week ago, we were laying in bed, and she's like, "This is what the principal did to me." I was livid. What do I do? I want I went to that school ready to fight. And the cops told me, "Don't." And I knew if I went into that school, I was going to regret it forever. I I did every It took everything I had to stay outside of that school and not go in there, and confront the woman that laid hands on my child. And she told me that it was self-defense. A 7-year-old. We're talking a 7-year-old who hit this principal. Yes, she did hit her first. Though my child hit the principal and kicked the principal. And I want to tell you, too,

079since my child has started this school, she has sworn at me, she has called me names, she has flipped me off. I have She has seen um other kids bash heads into the school bus walls, where I had to pull her off the school buses. It's just uh it's been very eventful, to say the least. And I really hope some eyeballs are open tonight, because it is not okay what she has seen, what she has witnessed, what she has gone through. This child has been through more than I have been through in a in a lifetime. And I don't think it's fair. And I can only imagine if this is happening to my child, what is happening to the other children at this school. That's all I can say. I hope something is done. I

080hope you guys really take to heart what I said. The police said they dropped the case. I have lawyers. I have every Like, I'm not stopping. I will keep going. I wanted to transfer her. She wasn't even supposed to be here this year, and they told me I could not transfer her. It was not okay. It was not going to happen. So, I had no choice but to put her into this school. And I I felt the need to keep her home all the time and I they called CPS on me. Called CPS on me three different times because of the miss schooling. So, I felt the need to put her I don't want to put my child I rather keep her home have CPS at my door than to her go to that school

081and suffer. And that is what I've been through in just one school year. Um that that's it. I mean I hope you guys really like I have a community on my side and I'm really thankful for everyone who spoke tonight. You guys all have done amazing. THANK YOU. >> [applause] [applause] >> THANK YOU, SAVANNAH. >> YES. >> OUR NEXT SPEAKER tonight is Shantel Johnson, please. >> Hello, I am Shantel Johnson. I live at 1305 Carriage Place, Portage, Michigan. I've got 11 children. Four of them currently in the Angling Road District. First, I would like to start as the school year conclusion, there's growing apprehension regarding the current state of leadership in the handling of ongoing issues. Parents are left questioning whether recent leadership challenges will be addressed or merely prolonged from resolution. For our Angling

082Road teachers and staff, concerns have been raised about the lack of communication devices for the teachers, discouragement from face some face in seeking assistance, the lack of resources, the rapid rapid >> [snorts] >> Oh, sorry. The rapid reintegration of students into classrooms following serious behavioral incidents, 504 plans not being used. Additionally, the absence of timely notification of parents regarding such incidents raised further alarm. Recent reports of a child being harmed by the principal alongside verbal confirmation from an eyewitness have led to police and board involvement. Yet, the situation is now being downplayed as a mere online rumor. The lack of clarity is unacceptable. If the concerns were significant enough to involve law enforcement, the community deserves a thorough and transparent response rather than confusion or dismissal. Given the history of significant issue within the district,

083it is crucial for leadership to recognize the importance to the response to such situations as it directly impacts trust and the future of the district. An adult should be able to control their emotions where a child is still developing theirs. No principal should be able to strike a student, ever. Finally, the increasing turnover of teachers at Engling Road is a source of distress for parents and students alike as it disrupts the educational experience and leaves our children feeling unsettled. We have children who will be doing senior walk-through and they won't know the the new teachers at all. Already this year, we are losing one more amazing teacher who has impacted my son personally very deeply. As a whole, we want answers and actions to be taken at this point. We are not giving up. This

084isn't an issue to be just brushed under the rug just because it's summer time doesn't mean oh, we're going to forget about it. We want results by this coming year. This is not okay. THAT IS ALL. >> [applause] [applause] >> THANK YOU, SHANTO. ARE YOU PLANNING TO SEND that to us? >> I will email it to you. >> Very good. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Nancy McMillan, please. >> Hello. My name is Nancy McMillan. I live at 5206 Brenderton Drive in Portage. And I'll even though I look amazingly young, >> [laughter] >> I have children in in school at this time. I am just saddened and appalled at hearing presentation about the significance and the leadership about bullying, student-to-student bullying. When is it appropriate for you to get involved? When

085do children have a voice? >> You're okay. >> No. >> You're okay. >> My point is, if you want good, responsible citizens, see something, say something has to be How are they going to learn that their government needs to hear them? You're their government. Do you hear them? THANK YOU. >> [applause] [applause] >> THANK YOU, NANCY. SPEAKER [clears throat] IS ROGER MCMAHON. >> WELCOME. >> Thank you. Uh I came here this evening. Oh, I live at 5206 Briarcliff Drive. Been in this city about 30 years. I like it. It's a great city. Um I came here this evening hearing some rumors. Uh and I've been listening to what's been going on. And this body yourselves are supposedly the representatives of the people on this side of the room. You are our representatives, my representative to

086the to the students and to the administration in making things run well. However, tonight I heard from yourselves that you can't discuss or won't discuss the issues of importance, anything to do with an individual or their actions or their student Well, excuse me, in the education business, what else is there than individuals, students, and what they do? By choosing to never speak of it and not allow it here, you simply create a star chamber where the people in the administration run, do whatever they do without the responsibility to us. Which by custom and by state law, frankly, they are supposed to report to us through you. So, I'm seeing a terrible disconnect here. We had a presentation in the opening of a reduction in There were phrases I was not familiar with. I went to

087school a long time ago. Um but essentially a reduction in problems in in bullying and and then we sit and hear a long litany of people with very specific, very problematic problems. I went to school in the 1960s and if a teacher had actually struck a student and I played football. So, it's not like people are wussy. But if they'd actually struck a student, they'd have been out of there that night. They'd have been on leave and they'd have been prosecuted and the school board where I grew up would have led the prosecution of that and not covered it up. We'd have known their names. >> [applause] >> THIS BOARD HAS A SERIOUS problem in the way you handle things. And I don't know the resolution of the specific problem that mostly we're hearing about

088tonight. Uh it's bad. But you know, when you have a lot of humans, sometimes bad things happen and they have to be dealt with. That's That's your issue. But and I don't know where your reluctance comes from. State law, policy, wherever. But you need to be more forthcoming with us. The The people who elected you here. And you need to take from the sound of it, a lot more seriously the behavior of your employees because you are the people who are supposed to run the schools, not the I mean the administrators report to you, the teachers report to you. You're in charge. We put you in charge. But I have heard I have heard not a good behavior tonight. Hope I'm wrong. I have been before. But I leave you with I suggest you re-examine

089how you handle these things and how you deal with apparently troublesome employees. I do not have a copy of this speech. I made it up AS I WENT. >> [laughter] [applause] >> THANK YOU, ANDREW. OUR NEXT SPEAKER TONIGHT IS Stephanie Alquire. Please. >> Good evening. I'm Stephanie Alquire and I live on Little Lear. I'm a Portage Northern parent and I spoke to this board 1 month ago and also in the fall about the growing inequities between Portage Northern and Portage Central. I'm here tonight because I'm still waiting on a response. I also want to acknowledge that many Angling uh elementary parents are here tonight. I want to be very clear. What I'm sharing just isn't about current students. It's about what your students are likely to experience when they hit high school and the try

090if these trends continue. And part of that reality is already visible. Today, Portage Northern is rated six out of 10 on GreatSchools and Portage Central is nine out of 10. That is a significant difference in how these schools are performing and how are they perceived. And those ratings influence where families choose to go to school. Over the past year, my daughter has tried to start a HOSA chapter, Future Health Care Professionals Club at Portage Northern. She found student interest, she did the work, but she could not find a staff advisor. Because of that, for a second year in a row, she will go to Portage Central to participate because Portage Central has significantly more clubs and opportunities available for students. But this is bigger than one club. This is about measurable academic outcomes. I provided

091a chart for you today that shows M-STEP 11th grade proficiency over the past 4 years. What this chart What this clearly shows is that Portage Central school are raising significantly while Portage Northern's are flat or decline. In the most recent year, Portage Central students are 65% proficient in science compared to 40% at Portage Northern. In social studies, it's 69% at Central versus 48 at Northern. That is a gap of over 20 percentage points in both subjects. And the gap is growing. So, the question is no longer whether the gap exists. The question is what is the plan to fix it because right now students at Portage Northern are not receiving the same level of opportunities or outcomes. And the families are responding accordingly by requesting school of choice. I'm asking the board again for clear

092public plan that addresses how will you rebalance enrollment and school of choice impacts? How will you evaluate boundaries and the roles in these outcomes? >> [clears throat] >> How will you ensure that Portage Northern students have access to the same level of academic programs, staffing support, and extracurricular opportunities? And I'm asking for accountability through regular public updates on progress because without a plan, this gap will continue. As a parent, I cannot accept a system where the students' access to opportunity and their academic outcomes depends on which side of the district line that they live on. And I as I ended last time, I want to end again that you are standing by a sign that says every student, every future. And I don't think that that is being followed right now. Please hear about these

093Portage Northern They matter. Thank you. >> Well done. >> [applause] [applause] >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, UM, STEPHANIE, AND thank you for giving us copies. Um, that concludes public comment for this evening. I'll turn it over to the MSB Board Trustees, please. >> Uh, Mr. President, I will make a comment as soon as I sip this water. So, um, you know, trying to take this all in and, uh, we appreciate the public comment. Um, it is helpful even when it is harsh hard and blunt. Um, it is appreciated that you are here. Um, Superintendent, appreciate your comments about, um, figuring out Angley Road, um, and improving the culture there. Um, frustratingly so, we have to deal with some of these things behind, uh, closed doors in closed session. But, um, but a number of

094these things can be dealt with in public session. And so, I mean, I'm speaking for myself, but I'm pretty sure you're all on board, is looking forward to engaging on these in the coming weeks. Um, and and trying to lend perspective in helping to figure them out. And then, um, you know, it is our job to assure performance. And so, our practice is we get, uh, our the performance reports throughout the year on various, uh, indicators, um, of the the school district. And we have always remained monitoring at the the district level. Um, so it would be unprecedented of us to do it for a school, but I suspect there will be supporting on this board for doing a better job of doing direct reporting on Angling Road and getting that information um sent directly

095uh to us and and I hope, you know, that can create a sense of urgency and a better accountability loop. So, um anyway, I mean, I know I know you're all on board with that. Um and look forward to addressing this uh in the coming weeks. So, yeah, that's all I have tonight, Randy. >> Thank you for your comments, Bo. Appreciate it. Anyone else? >> I'm going to piggyback off of what Bo said. First of all, thank you for both time and courage to speak. Um it's not easy. And thank you. Uh it's especially not easy when you're sharing your heart. Um this board uses what's called policy governance. And we have as a board one employee, which is a superintendent, and then he reports to us and we go from there. With policy governance

096as Bo mentioned he uses monitoring reports to look at policy and Bo and I recently took a training about policy governance to learn about it and how it works. And one of those is that we have the ability of as a board to request specific monitoring reports. And that's not something that the board has done previously. And Bo used the word unprecedented. Um he's right. It's a change. It's something that I have already requested and that we had I'm relatively sure I'm not the only one. Because it's really hard to sit with your stomach so unsettled and know that we need to know what's going on. And when you don't have that assurance that you know what's going on, um you need to find out. Whether that truth is easy, whether that truth is hard,

097you need to find out because that is where you get accountability and that's what I talk about with my kids at home, accountability. Sometimes that accountability is easy. Yep, did it. We're done. We're good. Sometimes it's not. And as he humans we make mistakes. And again, what I tell my kids, it's not so much the mistakes you make, it's what you do after those mistakes. To change, to learn, to grow. And sometimes change is hard. And it's kind of hard to ask for a completely different monitoring report. It's hard to do a completely different monitoring report. Um but that's I think the right path from here going forward. And there's a lot more I'd like to say and I'm going to recognize that sometimes wisdom is not saying everything. Even though you really want to.

098>> Thank you, Kimberly. Comments from trustees. >> I I'll say something at the risk of redundancy, but I think in this case it's important that you hear I'd like you to hear my voice that I hear you guys. Um I've been unsettled by the allegations, the emails, the rumors. I appreciate the um communication that you've had with us. Those emails were professional. They were courteous you know, they were courteous. Um but they were to your point and I'm a parent. I got three kids in Portage. I grew up in Portage. I live here. This is my home. So this is not good news for me. This is not something I like hearing. Um as a board, as an administration, we have to uh proceed cautiously and properly and but I can tell you as a

099board and as Bo is alluding to, this is a high priority for me to um follow through with this. Um Unfortunately with public situations, they can't happen uh always at a rapid pace or the pace we want to see it and they can't all happen publicly the way we'd like to have it be and emotionally. So it is um I think a lot of us feel this way. I don't think anyone's happy about this meeting we've had tonight um regardless of how it is. So I just want to reiterate that this is a priority for me that Angling Road is important. We hear you. I hear you and um we're going to work on coming to a resolution that parents can be proud of and Portage can be proud of. >> Thanks, Mark. >> I

100wasn't going to say anything, but I'll just reiterate what Mark just said and believe me, this is so upsetting to me as a parent of Angling Road kids for 15 years. It's it's a sad It's a whole sad situation. So, you know, my heart is here and I'm committed to Superintendent Edwards making some great decisions to work this whole thing out. So, that's all I can say. >> Thank you, Jerry. Any other comments from trustees? >> I want to thank everybody for coming to speak. I know it is a challenge and particularly when there are such strong feelings. Particularly me, when I get strong feelings I cry. That's what I do. Um so, I hear all of you and we we feel it in our hearts. Unfortunately, we can't say some things that we particularly

101would like to say. Sometimes we're just kind of hamstrung that way. Um but as everyone else has said, we're working on it. Um I also don't want to leave the um last speaker out of this because of this is a fascinating [snorts] chart that was just presented. And um well, I know that we have a very interesting matter when it comes to angling. I also want to um say that this needs to be addressed as well. And I'd like to see if we can look at this information closely and see what we can do about it. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> Well, I guess I'd better >> [laughter] >> I really appreciate my colleagues on the board and Superintendent Edwards and I just I also appreciate what you just said about the six on

102angling or um northern and central. I just want to let you know, as a board, we are a good working unit. And this is only my second year and I think we're really coming together in telling as a team, and we're also committed to working with Superintendent Edwards. Um we know that strong board superintendent relationship is the best path toward economic success for all our students. And when that exists, districts are successful, and we're committed to making this relationship a successful one on all sides, and just have confidence that we'll find a way. >> Thank you, Mary Lu. Uh I just like to thank all our speakers again, and um let you know that we hear you, and um appreciate your comments, Superintendent Edwards, that there's work to be done, and uh I know it'll

103get done, so we appreciate that. And um Okay. We have to go on with our agenda. Thank you all very much. >> That's our general >> Thank you, guys. >> Our next agenda item is uh to approve the consent agenda. We have minutes on page seven from the May 18th policy governance retreat and the regular business meeting. Are there any exceptions to the consent agenda as presented? Hearing none, the consent agenda is approved. Thank you, and we'll now move on to assurance of district performance. We have monitoring report 1.0. There's a motion, please, on page 13. >> President, I move that the Board of Education accept monitoring report 1.0 ends as a reasonable interpretation evidence of compliance with policy. >> Thank you, sir. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Danny. >> Hi. Uh thank

104you, uh President Van Antwerp. Um now we're at the conclusion of a series of monitoring reports over the course of the 2025-2026 school year, uh and many of the information that the board has received has been reflective of the 2024-2025 school year. With that being stated, we've provided the board across monitoring reports 1.1 through 1.5. Over 60 data points. I do want to just highlight and lift up the fact that we've included some new data as a reminder in our monitoring reports. More specifically, there's a reference to data and our improvement with low-achieving students. And so, that was new this year. We defined that in terms of students who are not proficient. Understanding that proficiency does not mean, or the lack of proficiency, does not necessarily mean a lack of success, or that the student

105may not be on grade level. So, those are new data points that have been added to monitoring report 1.1 specifically. As we move forward, looking at our competitor comparisons versus schools, future monitoring reports would be our comparisons against other school districts. All of which have been identified now for the next year. We continue to work and improve the work we do in monitoring reports 1.2 through 1.5, which are not always exclusively academic, but there are other metrics as we use. When I say academic, we're talking about educating the whole child, and so it's important that they receive a high-quality education both inside the classroom and be well-rounded. And so, we've interviewed our students through our student surveys, and the board has received that information. And then even with post-graduate success, while not all All data

106is available readily, for the board was able to see our trend in terms of the college enrollment for students within their first 6, 12, or 24 months. So, that concludes my presentation for Global Ends 1.0. >> No questions, Johnny. You provided a lot of data and some great new data and I think we all appreciate it. >> And and we spent a number of hours in this board reviewing all that this past year, so appreciate the the summary. >> Any other comments, questions? Okay, then. All in favor of approving monitoring report 1.0, please say I. I. Opposed? Uh the motion passes and we'll move to District Performance Monitoring Report 2.0, Global Executive Constraints. There's a motion, please, on page 20. >> I move that the Board of Education accept Monitoring 2.0. >> Oh, Global Executive

107Constraint as a reasonable interpretation of evidence of compliance with policy. >> Thank you, Mark. Is there a second? Thank you, Jerry. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Um so, 1.0 Global is more about Ends. Uh the Global 2.0 is about the executive limitations and these are statements in which the superintendent uh shall not violate um or um or dismiss. And so, over the course of this academic school year >> [cough and clears throat] >> we've had a series of reports related to uh our monitoring reports to the board uh within 2.1 through 2.11 or 2.11. Understanding that 2.7 um executive limitation was deleted by the board. Um the record as of December of 20 uh 14. With that being said, uh all of our um elements related to ethics have been followed. No conflict of

108interest or nepotism. We followed our bidding and procurement procedures. Our largest procedures or bidding typically becomes bond projects. And today the board earlier saw what our change order summaries look like. >> [clears throat] >> And at the same time, internal controls for processing financial transactions. Our business team has done an outstanding job with monitoring those things. Even in light of the fact that more and more fake emails are circulating across the country impersonating employees and asking for payment to vendors. Our team has done an outstanding job flagging those things. Our technology team has done an outstanding job and even in the midst of some of those things that have gone on throughout the country including in Portland Public Schools, we continue to maintain the highest level of internal controls to make sure that um that

109our our team are doing everything right as it relates to our executive limitations. So, that concludes my presentation on Global Ends 2.0. Global Executive Constraint 2.0. >> Any questions for Janine? Janine, your first year doing my reports. Frankly, I think you did a really good job. >> Thank you so much. I appreciate the board. >> Thank you. Now, all those in favor of approving monitoring report 2.0, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed. >> The motion passes and the Global Executive Constraint item is approved. Our next item is a required action on the Michigan High School Athletic Association membership renewal. This is an annual request routine. Is there a motion, please? >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education to the 2026-27 Michigan High School Athletic Association membership resolution as presented. >> Thank

110you, Terry. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? Okay. All those in favor of approving the Michigan High School Athletic Association membership renewal, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Uh the motion passes. And we'll now move to our next action item, and that's to set the budget hearing for uh June 29th. There's a motion, please, on page 29. >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education set the budget hearing for June 29th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. as a part of the board's June 29th, 2026 regular business meeting agenda. >> Thank you, Emily. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor of setting the budget hearing on June 29th, 2026, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Uh the motion passes. The

111budget hearing date is set, and we'll now move to our uh first discussion item items, which is the final budget amendments. >> Good evening, Board of Education, Superintendent Edwards. This evening we bring to you our budget amendment uh number two for the general fund and the uh the amendment one for our debt retirement, our building and site sinking, and our school services. Um and we'll also provide a small glimpse into the 2026-27 preliminary budget. We're going to start off with the general fund, looking at revenues. Uh we adjusted our property taxes. We had some adjustment to our foundational allowance. Uh we had an adjustment also to the enhancement millage, as well as our MIPS first categorical. Uh we don't typically see property tax adjustments this late in the year. However, we did receive a higher

112than expected delinquent property tax revenue amount. Those typically range in the 10,000 and this year it was much higher than we typically receive. So that caused just a little bit of a way in some local revenue that came in. The foundation allowance adjustment is primarily due to property tax adjustments because as Paula and I have mentioned a couple times before, when the local property taxes come in, if they come in lower or higher or lower, the state comes in and adjust as well to put us at that 10,050 that we currently receive per student. It's also in the foundation allowance also includes 25E adjustments which is foundation allowance amounts there like a proration that we receive for students out of county as well as from students from non-public and charter schools. The Mipster's categoricals we've

113talked about once before, a couple times before. Those have quarterly adjustments so those we made adjustments to that. We also have the addition of some CTE revenue. This is new revenue to the district and that is because we've brought the marketing, the finance and the wood shop CTE programs in district instead of them being housed at K Resa. We've also adjusted revenue for current year trends primarily in the athletic entry fee area as well as facility rentals. Your next slide is your visual of your revenues. We are up $2.9 million from a month ago in June. We are also $4.8 million up from the preliminary budget that we brought you almost exactly a year ago. There were so many unknowns at that time that this just really shows how many unknowns we had at that

114time. Not really knowing where the state was headed until October 7th of 2025, which is very unusual. Uh there are increases in all year or in all areas except for the incoming transfers and other area and that's due to a decrease in the food service indirect. Uh state funding was our largest increase from Amendment 1. That's again because of those MFS first categorical updates and it also includes the addition of 22 L2, which is the added educator compensation categorical. Of that $2 million increase from the state sources from Amendment 1 to Amendment 2, uh 1.2 of that is that 22 L2 uh compensation that we paid out in the end of May. The rest of that is primarily made up from those property tax adjustments I keep mentioning along with the addition of state grants

115that we received later in the fiscal year. Federal funding is has increased just a little bit. Um and that's primarily due to the Medicaid payment. Um we've kept to that >> [laughter] >> We've kept that pretty conservative just because we haven't really known what's happening at the federal level, but now that we actually have that payment, we're confident to put that in. Moving on to expenses, um we've with every department for both budget amendments, so we did that for this one as well. We've made adjustments due to current year trends, so on compensation, benefits, utilities, grant funded projects along with the district subs, and so many other accounts that we have really sat and analyzed over the last month or so. Um adjustments were made in many different areas. Those are just a few. We

116did add in that 22 L educator compensation payment that was made to staff late in May. Uh while that revenue we received will net our expenses, it still shows an inflation in our revenue and our expenses. Um we also added a new So we entered a copier lease purchase agreement back in July of 2025 and there is an audit standard that we have to follow. Um and so, there is a decent size expense increase due to that tech copier lease requirement. This next one is your high-level look at our general fund of expenditures. We are up uh 2.4 million dollars from amendment one. Um as true to most school districts, the majority of our spending supports the people serving the students every day. Teachers, support staff, transportation, operations, and student support services. Um and to

117kind of put this into um maybe like a I don't want to say a smaller level view, but we're looking at 82 cents of every dollar is spent on people. Um and for districts, that's very common, but that's something to be proud about here is that we're we're really investing in our staff. Um all other categories stayed about the same between the two amendments, and we're adjusted in a base on current year trends. Uh those categories are the expenditures that keep our schools functioning with instructional materials, technology, utilities, um mental health, uh counseling, student services, all of those different things. There is a slight increase in the capital outlay and that's due to 31AA funded project. Uh we're doing a door and lock update at West Middle School, along with an update to district-wide security

118cameras. This next one shows where our dollars are ultimately directed in the district. Each category has fluctuated from amendment one, but not a lot. Uh 59% of those expenditures are directly tied to instructional services with nine nine with 9% of the budget that supports our students and includes counseling, the mental health supports that I've mentioned, along with other direct student needs. Uh instructional support services includes areas that support learning and classroom success such as curriculum, professional learning, and other educational supports. Overall, nearly 3/4 of our general fund spend directs Nearly 3/4 of our general fund spending directly support our students through instruction, support, student support service, and instructional support. This really shows where our where our district dollars go. People, classrooms, student support, and maintaining healthy and safe learning environments. This next slide gives you

119a snapshot of where we ended the 2024-2025 school year as actual audited numbers. The second column gives you a snapshot of where we brought you the first amendment for the general fund predicting that our unassigned fund balance would be 17.09%. The amendment that we're bringing you tonight shows that that excess um, deficit has decreased some since the amendment down about six down about $600,000. And um, overall, we're projecting the general fund unassigned balance to be 17.47% at year end. Moving on from the general fund is our smaller funds building site and sinking fund. We have not amended this one yet. This one only comes at end of year. The rest of these budgets that I'll touch on briefly only come to you at end of year. Fund 41 is our previous building site and sinking

120fund levied in 2019. We are projecting to spend down that fund balance by approximately $1.9 million. This is a planned spend down. Um, this fund only collected um, personal property tax um, that was sent to us payment in lieu of property taxes from the state of Michigan because they're collected and are were awarded that in arrears and it earned some interest dollars. But fund 42 is our new building site sinking fund that was approved by the voters in 2024. That one we are projecting to have a fund balance at year end for the first time because it was just levied this year of $1.1 million. We levied 0.4980 mills and used it on planned projects. The next one is our debt retirement fund. We are We are planned spend down of the fund balance of

121the debt retirement fund this year. We just did a new bond issuance and a refunding and received our bond proceeds last week Thursday. We are planning to spend down about $3.8 million in the common debt fund. Levied 6.85 mills this year. We the $4 million that we contributed towards the refunding helped be redeemed against our 2016 issuance. So all in all we saved $6.6 million on our debt service payments by doing that refunding. >> Wow. >> The final fund to briefly touch on is what we call our school services fund and this is comprised of our food service fund, our bookstore funds and our school activities funds. Food service is projected to decrease their fund balance by a little over $60,000. This is planned. We are in a spend down plan with MDE. You're only

122allowed to have 3 months of operating expenditures on hand in your fund balance for food service, otherwise Department of Education or they force you to spend it down and and put it back into the program. The bookstore fund, there's a bookstore located at both high schools, Central High School and Northern High School. We're projecting to end with a fund balance this year of just under $1,800. The CTE program is now running that books those bookstores in each high school, and so they're incorporating that into the classroom. And school activities, we're expecting to have an increase on our fund balance there this year as well. This is comprised of our student clubs, uh building fundraisers, and sports clubs. We continue to receive those um requests to open those new club accounts, and so as revenue comes

123in, the fund balance has grown. So, that pretty much gives you an overview of what's in your packet for the second amendment to the general fund and the first amendment to those other funds. Are there any questions before we move forward to give you a snapshot preliminary look at what's what's coming together for 26-27? >> What's the average percent for payroll expenses? >> For payroll expenses? Over 70%? >> What's that? And the ex- Well, you said it was like 82%? Is that >> 82% of the overall? >> Yeah, that's >> Appreciate the pie chart. >> Mhm. >> Very helpful. Thank you. >> Okay, moving on to the 26-27. >> Moving on to the 26-27 uh budget, I spoke um in the financial report at the end of May regarding this a little bit. Um as

124we all know, the we have three proposals all at the same per pupil foundational allowance rate of an additional $250 per pupil, which would bring us up to 10,300. Um it's very unusual to see that. I believe even Paula has said this is a the in her career um after almost 30 years. So, um for this to happen is it's it's a little out of the ordinary. We do know that conversations have started for the 26-27 school aid fund. The state is required by July 1st to pass that that budget, but that can be a soft date, so to say. Something we felt that is worth mentioning is that two of those three proposals propose a different way different type of funding process for the districts. The governor's includes a weighted pupil funding, while the

125Senate's is a three-year average count or the normal 90-10 90 of the current fall semester 10% of the previous spring semester. How that's exactly going to look for our district, we're unsure. Just because we don't know yet and it has to pass through the government before that even happens. But the way that we understand it is that the government or the governor's the executive budget defines a weighted pupil and establishes weights for our English language learners and our economically disadvantaged students. So basically, instead of getting a 1.0 FTE like we currently do for them, we would get a higher than 1.0 FTE. Now, what that does for our section 41 funding and our other English language learner funding along with our 31A or at-risk funding, we're not sure how that's going to look either. Whereas

126the Senate proposes that three-year average count or the normal 90-10. Again, not sure exactly how that's going to look, but it has been mentioned that that will be put into place over time if that were to become legislature. We will also see multiple decreases in the MIPS/MERS categoricals. We'll go into that a little bit later, but we'll see a loss of one categorical and a decent size decrease to one of our 147A categoricals, which are tied to MERS specific uh funding. So, um usually our two unknowns are funding level and enrollment level, and we typically have to guess at each of those, but I really don't think we're going to have to guess at the funding level for this year because I'm pretty sure it's going to be the 250. It's just the weighted the

127weighted funding is the only thing we don't know yet. Um looking at preliminary numbers that have come across my desk the last few weeks, um I am using the spring counts from February and preliminary projected enrollment. I'm I'm projecting that we're going to be down just under 17 FTE for next year. I don't know if that's going to be right, wrong, or indifferent, but it's uh it's it's the best number that I feel like going with right now for next year. Um we do know what our retirement rates are going to be. A few of those rates have come down due to the healthcare component being funded, um but um so we will be incorporating that into our budget projections. And just last year, Sammy and I actually started budgeting on individual employee retirement plans.

128Um there are several of them available through Officer Retirement Services, so it puts another layer of complexity, but hopefully um a more dialed-in number on that true retirement cost per employee. Um we will incorporate an increase in for our insurances for the second half of the year, the January um through June of next year. And going into this preliminary budget as of right now, we have two unsettled contracts for next year, the Bus Drivers Association and the Portage Support Professionals Association. On the general fund side, the good news is our operating millage levy will not roll back any further again for this year. We're at the 17.5695 mills. Um we will see a reduction in some MIPSERS categoricals for next year. Um we received uh money this year under Section 27L, approximately a hundred $850,000

129that we will not get next year. That was one-time money. It was leftover student loan money that they reallocated at the state level. Um and we will also see a decrease statewide of about $598 million in the 147A2 categoricals. So, I'll have to take a guesstimate at what that reduction's going to be. Surprisingly enough, the preliminary calculations for title funding are available, so we can use those, but they will adjust again come early winter once final allocations are done. We will also at this time are aware that our 31AA funding leftover from the 24-25 school year will need to be spent by September 30th uh of this year, or it has to be returned to the state of Michigan. And we're setting the budget hearing 2 weeks from tonight at 6:30 here in this room.

130>> Moving on to the building and site sinking fund uh for the 26-27 fiscal year. Uh fund 41, which is our 2019 building and site, we've mentioned it a couple of times that we're no longer revenue. [clears throat] The only type of revenue that will continue to be coming in um is interest or any delinquent taxes that might apply to that fund specifically. Um and we'll continue to use it until it is depleted, and that'll be on our normal projects, the roof replacement, asphalt replacement, fencing replacement, glass, uh any HVAC or boiler repairs or replacements that we need to do. Um we're very fortunate as a district to have this fund to help pay for those items, if not, the general fund would have to take that stressor. Uh for fund 42, this is our

1312024 building and site sinking fund. There is a small rollback in millage. Uh we will roll back from 0.4980 mills to 0.4973 mills, which is a 0.007 rollback. Um this fund allows for greater flexibility with spending, but can still be used for our typical items that we used in that we funded in fund fund 41. Those new expenses are limit not limited to, but include transportation vehicles, technology, vehicle repairs, um along with safety and security updates. So, having this and then having 31AA sunset is it's a nice um It's nice to know that we have that building and site sinking to kind of fall back on if there were a project that needed to be uh done with that funding now that we will lose 31AA. And then um finally just to touch on food

132service um for a couple moments. All three recommendations, House, Senate, and Governor are including free breakfast and lunch for next year. So, our budget is including that um as well. They are trying to um get this made into permanent law. I can tell you that the Senate Education Committee just passed bills last week uh to make this permanent. And so, it's working through the legislative process right now as we speak and I'll have to go through House and Senate. Governor is encouraging legislators to get this taken care of. She wants to be able to sign that into law before she leaves office. Um we are planning additional um projects with excess fund balance um in the food service fund for next year, uh doing a Northern High School serving area refresh, um planning to purchase

133uh the kitchen equipment for new Woodland and Amberly buildings. So, I mean, there's some significant um dollars that are being allocated back out into the buildings for food service. And finally, this is Bo's chart. Bo, thank you. And this This shows the history of actual fund balances starting from the 2021 school year through the '24 '25 school year. And then the final dot on the far right is projected where we uh right now based on revenues and expenditures um for our amendments to the board. So, that wraps us up unless you have any >> So, thanks for that chart. >> Mhm. >> Um, so was it last winter when you showed us the the over 20% in the fund balance or maybe it was um with the audit last fall, I forget. But, that just

134felt uncomfortably high and you told us it was going to come down. Um And so, right? So, it's at 17 and 1/2. And I think just for my colleagues, I mean, I think this is uh potential discussion for policy because right now we have a floor, we don't have a ceiling. And and sometimes if it gets too high, it feels it just feels weird. Um, and maybe it it wouldn't feel weird if there were an explanation or if it were if it were growing for a certain reason. Um, and so, that might be a future discussion topic. But, but is it is it >> I've given reasons to the board why the fund balance has increased over different years and what we've done in regards to federal funding. >> So, good. that >> that SR

135funding that we received starting in late 2020 to well, it expired in 2025. We were able to legally supplant that. So in that 20% that you're seeing on that Can you go back to that slide for me, please? >> Let me try. I'm not good I'm not good at >> So in that fund balance, that's that's the unassigned. So there's there's more sitting there, but it it's it's it's making its way. But there there is a reason why that has increased and a lot of that is because of that federally funded money that we weren't necessarily able to legally supplant, but we were able to get a process started and the general fund was able to continue it and that's why we're now seeing that decline. Um but again, there's that fluctuation that we're going

136to see. So it'll be the final audit will be a real telltale sign of exactly how we're coming out of the COVID era in finances. >> And revenues could come in differently than I'm projecting and expenditures could come in differently than I'm projecting. It's I mean, there's a lot of accounts in the general fund. >> [laughter] >> Anything else before >> So the building is site 141 and 42. Are we required to split it out like that now instead of all together? >> We can't we can't spend the old money. >> Oh, and the new stuff. >> You're right. You can't commingle that. >> Yeah, you don't want to commingle. >> But once that's gone, that's gone until they change it again. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Well, thanks for your presentation

137and all your good work. Here, next >> discussion item is the Amberley contracts. >> Give me the word and the word is Vince. >> Uh very excited to bring you guys the Amberley contracts. This was bid pack four. So, the majority of the bidding took place in this this bid bid round. We had very favorable results of it. I'm not going to steal any of Anastasia's thunder. But, very pleased with the results and I'm going to hand it over to her to kind of go through it. Give you guys a high-level view. Again, if you guys have questions, we're happy to answer them at the end. Here is Anastasia. >> Thank you, Russ. Hello again. So, today we're here hoping for approval on the last bid pack as he mentioned for Amberley Elementary. We previously

138had bid out and awarded the demolition portion of the existing building to accommodate the new building, the earthwork, general trades for that existing building, concrete which was the early foundation package, and we had previously awarded the structural steel. So, what we have here is the majority of the remainder with the exception of a couple categories that we would still like to bid out next year. Those are going to be the asphalt landscape, signage, playground, and the full building demo. And the reason was is kind of the same as we bid these out before to get favorable pricing. It doesn't make sense to bid out landscaping and get a contractor to hold pricing for 2 years. It doesn't make sense right now to for the signage and the playground equipment. So, really just trying to make

139sure that we're getting the most accurate numbers for the district on those. Um I don't want to read through the entire 32 bid categories that we are looking for award on, but I did want to touch on a couple of the higher items and also a couple of the items where we did not go with the low bidder. So, again, we did do we are looking for award on 32 bid categories. Between those 32 bid categories, we had 111 bidders. So, we we had excellent coverage across all the bid categories. Um bid category 13, the miscellaneous metals, we ended up uh recommending FCC as the contractor as the low bidder. Barnett Shield did not have a complete bid and had to withdraw their number they would not be able to complete that contract. Uh bid

140category 23, the resilient athletic flooring, the Dynamic Sports that was the initial low did not bid per plans and specs, so would not be able to meet the contract. Um really the majority of these contractors, a lot of them we have had on one of the previous projects, which I thought was excellent. Meeting the contractors enjoy working on these and are excited about the next building. So, out of those, I think there was only a handful of new contractors that OAK has worked with previously and uh have a good reputation. But, overall, um we were really pleased with the the bid results. On here, there was a couple alternates that I wanted to address. There is the add of the snow melt system outside of the vestibule. That will help with maintenance during the winter.

141Uh we did have concrete pathways in lieu of asphalt. So, this is going to be connecting that neighborhood up to up to the building between the well houses. Um and then the last one was a voluntary alternate from one of our contractors for field welding of the doors. And that's really a a construction piece that makes it easier for everybody to get that there rather than trying to assemble one large unit of uh a frame in the building. So, overall, um we came in $629,000 $629,027 under our anticipated budget. Any questions? >> I appreciate the memo indicating uh where the majority of our bidders, you know, are headquartered. That was good information. And a question about the sidewalk by the law houses, is that going to be redirected another way? >> It will take a

142new look, but there there will still be a connection to that neighborhood over there. It won't I don't think it's like a straight line like it is right now, but >> Okay. >> It's still there. >> There will still be a path, yes. >> It's good school's out cuz I see the fences are already up and there's stuff going on over there. >> Oh yeah, they're moving. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. Yeah, good, good. >> Just a quick observation. It's fascinating to see for some bids how close it is and on other bids how far it >> Yeah. Nope, I I that's something we we ask during those post-bid interviews, too. So, not only do we do an official interview with the low bidder, but OAK makes sure that we call and have a conversation with

143all of the the next bidder and sometimes even the ones after that to ask that question on, "Hey, what do you think might have been the difference? Is there something that you were looking at a little bit differently?" So, we we do call every single low and second low contractor on here. >> Thank you for sharing that. >> Of course. >> I didn't know to wear a bid, but that makes sense. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Any other questions? Would we be okay moving this to action this evening? Okay. A motion, please, on page 47. >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education move the A&B contracts discussion item to action. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All of those in favor of moving this discussion item

144to action, please say I. I. Opposed? Motion passes, and now we have the action to approve. >> I will do item two, please. Um I would move, please, that the Board of Education authorize Owen Ames Kimball Company to issue notices of pending award in the amounts indicated for Amberly Elementary School to contractors and suppliers listed on the award summary sheet pending confirmation that all requirements of the contract documents have been met. Furthermore, upon receipt by Owen's Owen Ames Kimball Company of appropriate documentation, contracts will be awarded to these contractors and suppliers by Portage Public Schools in the amount of 24,000 24 million 393,216. The funds for which will come from the >> [snorts] >> Expert trying to save us some money, Mary. >> [clears throat and laughter] >> Is there a second? >> Second. >>

145Thank you. All of those in favor of approving the Amberly contracts, please say I. I. Opposed? Thank you. The Amberly contracts are approved. >> Thank you guys very much. >> Thank you. Now we'll move to our third discussion item, surveillance camera refresh. >> Good evening, trustees, Superintendent Edwards. Uh as Sammy and and Paula alluded to, the surveillance camera refresh for the district. So, I recommend that tonight that the Board of Ed approve the contract with Moss Audio Corporation in an amount not to exceed $138,146.77, which includes a 10% contingency, for the purpose of replacing and installing surveillance cameras. This project will be funded with remaining fund money 2531 AA funds. So, just a little background. Surveillance cameras themselves, the physical ones that are on the wall, not these guys, these are PTZ cameras that are

146a little fancier, but surveillance cameras are have a lifespan of about 7 to 10 years. We have noticed over the last year and a half plus that we've been having problems with one specific model throughout many of our buildings and we are focusing this refresh on those specific cameras. So, we've identified 85 of them in the district and you can see in the chart spread across the different buildings. Sorry, I made it a little small on there. In addition with this project, we want to install two brand new camera installations that are on the backside of both of the high school stadium press boxes where we've had some break-in issues and so we're hoping to that their surveillance will prevent some of that or at least help us to identify what's going on. So, just

147a little more information, we we continue to assess all of our equipment, but security cameras knowing that they have that lifespan will just continue to look at the various models that we have. These ones happen to be the H3 Avigilon. No one really cares about that, but there's an H4, there's an H5, there's those different series of camera models and we do carry a Speaking of all of the the budgets in the in the general fund, we do have a small repair budget to do that. It's not enough to address 85 cameras. So, it might address two or three that get broken from who knows what or just decide to to fail during the year. So, that's the purpose for this. The this service specifically was competitive competitively bid through the formal bidding process. We

148received three responses. Uh Audio was both the lowest and uh met all of our expectations and our requirements. Happy to answer any of the questions. Uh you do have a copy of the bid responses and you can see the various uh projects and where they're all broken out in the different schools. Uh if it's uh possible and the board would be comfortable, we would like to ask for approval tonight if possible to get this work done uh this summer. Happy to answer any questions you may have. >> Questions for Ryan. Everybody okay with moving this to action? Okay, we have a motion, please. >> Sure, Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education move the surveillance camera refresh discussion item to action. >> A second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All those in favor

149of moving the surveillance camera refresh to action, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? It passes. Now we need an action to approve. >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education approve a contract with Moss Audio Corporation in an amount not to exceed $138,146.77, which includes a 10% contingency to replace and install surveillance cameras with funding for the project coming from the 2025 31AA funds. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay, all those in favor of approving the surveillance camera refresh purchase, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? The motion passes. >> Approved. >> Another hard sell, Ryan. >> I know. >> Our next discussion item is the curriculum purchase. >> Welcome. >> Hello and good good evening, Superintendent Iwords and Board of Trustees. Um I'm here tonight on

150the behalf of um behalf of myself and Dr. Speaker Kurt Humer. This is a very common occurrence at this time of year. And so we want to bring the recommendation to the board that the purchase for curriculum materials for the 26-27 school year, which includes replacement tax, um specific course materials, intervention materials, and all consumables for young fives through 12th grade. The total cost is not to exceed $375,000 from the 26-27 general budget. And we go through our typical process and make sure that we're using um any competitive bidding that needs to be done in our consortiums as well in our cooperatives. So, you have the breakdown of all the categories that we include, like replacement tax, intervention materials, and those course specifics with those amounts that we typically spend on them. So, the projected

151cost for these materials is above the board's threshold, threshold, which is why we come every year at this time, um to present this to you. >> [snorts] >> So, in order for us to make sure we're ready July 1 to start that ordering process to get the materials in time for school, we are asking that you would move this recommendation to action if you feel that it's necessary. So, um I'm here to answer any questions you might have about this typical process. >> Any questions? I think we're all pro curriculum purchase. Is there a Motion, please, to move this item to action. >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education move the curriculum purchase discussion item to action. >> Okay, Mark, is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All those in

152favor of moving the discussion item to action, please say I. >> I. Opposed? Now, we need a motion to approve, please. >> Mr. President, I move that the Board of Education approve the purchase of curriculum materials for the 26-27 school year. It includes replacement tax, renewal of specific course materials, intervention materials, and consumable texts for grades young 5 through 12 for a total cost not to exceed $375,000. Funds for which will come from the 2627 general fund budget. >> Thank you, Mark. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. All those in favor of the curriculum purchase, please say I. >> I. >> The motion passes. Thank you, Dr. Bingham. Okay, our last item is we're going to go into closed session and we need a motion to do that, please. >> Mr. President,

153I move that the Board of Education move into closed session to discuss collective bargaining strategy and security planning as allowed under the Open Meetings Act section 8C respectively. >> Thank you. Um Is there a second? >> Second. >> This is a roll call vote, please. >> Mrs. Roar. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Crawford. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Navarre. >> Yes. >> Mr. Van Antwerp. >> Yes. >> Mr. Snyder. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Larson. >> Yes. >> Dr. Stevenson. >> Very good. The motion passes and we'll go into closed session. We're going to wait till the cameras are off. All that good stuff. I understand. Anybody needs to go to the break room, you can do go ahead.