001We're going to call the meeting to order. Uh first on the agenda, uh it is the mission of Montgomery public schools to educate and inspire all students to become motivated, articulate, productive, and successful citizens for today, tomorrow, and forever. Uh, next on the agenda is 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. Next item on the agenda is roll call. Mr. Here Mrs. B here. Um item four on the agenda is the hearing on the 202526 budget. And I'll turn it over to Stacy. Okay. We're going to call the 2526 budget hearing to order. So, this hearing is held to allow for public comment on the district's budget. Tonight,
002we're going to ask the board to pass a budget for next year that contains expenditures totaling 20,634,970. And we'll go more into depth on that during the actual board meeting during the budget reports. Our debt levy and seeking fund levy also needs to be discussed at this time for next year. That will be 8.5802 ms which is slightly less than this year because we did have a heavy roll back on the sinking fund. Our debt mill will remain at 7.8 ms and the sinking fund will be.7802 mills. Are there any comments or questions at this time? All right. Seeing that there are none, we just need a motion to adjurnn the budget hearing. So move by support by Scott. Any discussion? All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carried. Item four on the general agenda
003is approval of the agenda by Amanda, support by Scott. Any discussion? All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carry. Item five is consent agenda. Uh suggest a motion to adopt the consent agenda as presented. Moved by Amanda, support by Scott. Any discussion of the consent? Just like to pay notice. Thank you to Joe Brunson, high school teacher, social studies. He did take another position uh down at Holland Christian where he does live in Holland and his kids attend as well. Uh he was also our cross country and track coach. Uh but thank you to his additional discussion. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carried. Item six is public comment portion of the meeting. Public comments will be accepted at this time. Each statement shall be limited to 5 minutes duration. Participants shall direct all
004comments to the board and not to the staff or particip other participants. The board welcomes public comment does not respond but does not respond to citizens concerns at its meetings. At the citizens request of the board's direction, the superintendent or designate will respond in a timely manner. This meeting is a meeting of the board of education in public for the purpose of conducting the school district business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. Are there any uh anybody on the list? Anybody that has a public comment at this time. All right. Item seven on the agenda is reports. All right. Leading off the reports is business manager Stacy Brown uh to give us our financial report. She did meet with the finance committee prior to this meeting uh to go over the
005budget as well. This is a uh condensed version and slideshow for you to check out. Okay. Keep in mind as we go through this tonight that this is very conservative as all of our proposed budgets are and also contains a lot of unknowns. The state is not giving us a full idea of what's what uh funding is going to look like next year. So please keep that in mind. Now, in developing this budget, we've taken a lot into account. We've taken into account our declining enrollment, our staffing changes, our increases in wage and benefits, and and and also any maintenance and um repairs that need to be done. So, this is a good starting point, but we will be revised uh throughout the year and our first amendment in December and our second amendment next
006May. When we had to think about revenues, we assume that we're going to have 1,225 students here in the fall and that we're going to get $10,000 per pupil. Now, that is the governor's number. The governor, the Senate, and the House still need to come up with a final number, but that is what we use for this budget. It is a $392 increase per student. And while we are appreciative of that, there is an issue with the fact that we have declining enrollment. So, even with that increase and our decline of 64 students and that loss of $200,000 and you're going to hear a lot from the media in the next few months about how they're giving money to schools and just keep in mind that that does tend to be a shell game, that
007they're giving us money in one one hand and taking it away in the other. Uh, for example, this year we did not get a per pupil increase. They gave us a categorical of $500,000, half a million dollars, and they are taking that away from us next year. So without that being in place, it makes it very difficult to budget appropriately. Uh also right now we don't have a elective forest contract for next June. We've got one for this June but not next June. Hopefully we can add that back in at the time. And then we have many grants and categoricals that have been completed or not being expenditure assumptions. Expenditures increased by about 370,000. We have considered all of our staffing adjustments, our negotiated salary and benefit increases, grant expenditures, and like I mentioned the
008repair and maintenance needs. As we look at revenues by function, local sources are down by about 350,000. That is the electric forest revenue. I'm anticipating lower interest rates due to the banking environment and also uh no contract for the sale of timber next year. State sources you see are down about 360,000. that takes in are the declining enrollment and the completion or non-renewal of multiple categoricals and grants. The federal sources are down by about 160,000. That is the anticipated um title one and title two allocations along with the completion of the um filter first grant expenditures. While I mentioned that those were up by 370,000, there is going to be something that hits every single line item and that's the UAL, the flow through. So the state gives us money that we must immediately flow
009through to the office of retirement services and they are increasing the money they're giving us next year. So I had to increase our expenditure category. Instruction is up by about 58,000. Construction comprises most of our line items. So that took the biggest hit with that UAL impact. We also have our staffing changes there, negotiated salary and benefit increases. People support is up by about 290,000 along with that flow through. We are hoping to add a student support counselor at the high school uh for mental health needs for the students and that will would be grant funded with title 4. Instructional staff support is down 185,000 this year. That was our 35J Grant for curriculum and that should be fully expended. General administration increase ever so slightly. That's that flow through along with negotiated wage and
010benefit increases. School administration is up by about 36,000. Along with the impact, we have a change in allocation for the MAC principal. She is currently the principal, the title one teacher, and the title 2 coach. And there's just not enough hours in the day for her to do all of those things. So next year she will be the MAC principal. 75% and then title one 25%. Business services we have increased by about 30,000. I put that money in there for possible need for mid-year cash flow borrowing. As you may recall, we did have to borrow this year for the first time in forever. But with such an unknown uh funding picture in front of us, I do have that possibility of possibly needing money for cash flow mid winter, late winter. And I've uh talked
011to our uh attorney and he did say that we can hold off. We can keep evaluating it as we learn more this fall and then do a midyear borrowing if need be. And that will save us some interest expense as well. Operations and maintenance is up by about 10,000. That has the flow through. It has a change in staff. We had two longtime staff members retire and be replaced with other staff members. We took out last year's projects and put in this year's projects. Transportation is down by about 340,000. As I mentioned, I don't have the electric force revenue in for next June, but I also don't have those expenditures in there either. And currently, there is not a new school bus in the budget, but we're hoping that that can be changed come fall.
012Other central support is down by about 40,000. Oops, there we go. Um, and that is where our technology is hitting that line item. We've evaluated our technology needs for next year and we're able to move a lot of those to the tech and safety fund and take the burden off the general fund. Athletics is down by about 70,000 and that's the completion of the scoreboard project. Community service is down by about 36,000 and that is the unknown for summer school in June of 2026. So, we know how summer school is taking place this year. We're just not sure what grants will be out there next year to fund summer school. So, hopefully we can add that back in. And then construction saw an increase of 90,000. We do have one capital projects um capital project
013in here with general funds and that would be the possible resurfacing of the track and we're going to work on finding out what that scope of work looks like. Go out for bids and make sure that falls within our budget threshold. I'm going to take all that information into account. It's got 18.8 million in revenue, 20.6 million in expenditures. has us taking 1.7 million out of the fund balance, leaving us with 1.2 million in June of 2026, which is 6%. Now, that sounds drastic, but if you've been around here on the board, you've always seen these proposed budgets, and it is always the sky is falling. We just don't have a lot of information at this time. Um, and historically, we have always amended our budgets to show significant improvement over this. The move on
014to food service funds. Uh we do anticipate that the state and fed and federal uh agencies will continue to fund free and remove lunch for all of our kids and breakfast. We don't have any large capital expenditures coming out of food service next year since we've done a lot with food service over these past 3 to four years. Should leave them with about 43,000 next year. Safety and tech fund will be in year two of the countywide village renewal. We do fund our technology assistance, district and building software licenses and our large Chromebook purchases. In April, the board did approve uh 420 Chromebooks for NBC. So that will be our large device purchase next year. Scholarship Trust Fund. We have four scholarships that are grandfathered in the Griffin Flynn Okano Trib. We anticipate there will
015be small donations along with scholarships awarded to students. Should leave us with around 27,000. School activity funds are the funds housed at the buildings students fund raise for fun events and other items. And we have money in is money out. So we about 124,000. That kind of wraps up all of our funds for next year. And just know that we are constantly evaluating this with the information we received. We're looking what will that allocation look like? What does the state categorical funding look like? What are they going to take away? What are they going to give us? How many kids are going to be here in the fall? We're hopeful that it's more than what we've anticipated, what our building and repair needs, and how our staffing continues to evolve evolve, excuse me. And through
016it all, we'll stay conservative and fiscally responsible. Are there any questions or comments at this time? The numbers you see the 64 students, is that because of the a large senior class going out and a smaller kindergarten class coming in or is it that large? So yeah, we move everybody forward one grade level. We graduated, I believe, around 120 um seniors and we only have 60 about 65 new kindergarters coming in. The rest the rest are young. So who are remaining there. So you really have between 60 and 70 new students coming. You graduate 120 right there as a welcome students. We did have some graduates at Duck Creek as well. And so Duck Creek is going to have less than that in those hours as well. And do you anticipate that we are going
017to get an elective force contract? I don't have anything to indicate otherwise. So I do anticipate that we will have. I just because we like to be conservative. I just like to not put it in there until it's a done deal. Have they ever been this long before they started cuz I know they're like starting to set up, right? Oh. So we're good for right now. June like with this current contract I believe was signed in February. Okay. Y and they increased the amount of buses, the amount of staffing this year. So they always reevaluate it over the winter. Okay. So as Stacy said, um obviously this is kind of your worst case scenario that we are looking at and we do not feel comfortable leaving it at that. Uh but we want to make
018sure we put everything in there possibly so that we would have to stop working because this is going to get going. Um, so we feel confident that we'll move forward with this budget uh in a positive manner and I think that uh thank you to Stacy for all her work and put things together. Um, it is a lot of unknowns and we're just putting numbers and and not really have an idea but yet make sure that we don't get [Music] ourselves. So, thank you to her for that. Uh, moving on, we'll move into superintendent comments. We do have uh two new hires from our support staff. Uh Jacqueline Jacqueline uh Rella uh is going to be the new MAC administrative assistant. Uh she comes to us with some experience um not only from West Shore
019USD but up in Arizona and Shelby as well. Uh she did a very nice job in the interview process and I think some of our youngest new parents coming in the district will enjoy her uh very much. So um this would be a replacement of Kathy. uh growth of retirement. Um Ashley Lind also our RO la um does come to us with plenty of experience as well from Oakidge West Ottawa and Orchard View. Um most recently we're excited to have one as well. Um and just other comments just the legislative unknowns I'm sure as you've seen in the Friday updates. Um we're still a long ways from a budget uh to have an understanding of where we are. We obviously did put in some numbers for per pupils, but it's everything from uh $10,000 to
020per student with categoricals and not sure what those categoricals are to numbers as big as in a proposed budget of 13,000 with no categoricals. And I'm sure it'll be somewhere in between, but we'll uh navigate that when it comes. I do think uh in talking with the lobbyists and legislators that they anticipate uh shutdowns both at the state and the federal level. I do think for the funding of schools they'll put in um short stays of saying hey here's enough money for the month so that we have to get a new I think it'll progress for us as schools to where um we wouldn't shut down or anything else as far as money is concerned but yeah I could see a uh last minute uh 2 in the morning lots of uh budgets being done
021those kind of so um and that is it for superintendent comments. Awesome. Thank you. Item eight on the agenda is new business. State A is consideration to approve the proposed 202526 budget. Suggest a motion to approve the proposed 202526 budget as presented. Moved by Amanda support by Scott. Any discussion? So just heard the budget report from Stacy Brown uh business manager. We also did meet uh the finance committee. um Emily, Brent, and Amanda for a little bit deeper dying into the budget as well. Um and we do feel it's a conservative number that will allow us to grow that uh proposed budget throughout the school year. Any additional questions or concerns? All right. All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Item 8B, consideration to approve the MHSA membership renewal for 2025 26. suggest a motion
022to approve the MHSA membership renewal resolution for the 2025 2026 school year as [Music] presented. Moved by Amanda support by Karen discussions. So this is our yearly um board resolution to make sure that we are part of MHSA. This is both for our middle school and high school athletic purposes. If we work hard agency, we would be able to compete in contests but not the image as a journal. There is no cost to just any additional you follow the rules of Okay. Any additional discussion or questions? [Music] All those in favor? opposed. Motion carried. Item 8 C is consideration to approve the MASB membership renewal for 202526. Suggested motion to approve the membership renewal of the Michigan Association of School Boards MASB for the 202526 school year. Move by Scott support by Amanda. Discussion. So
023MASB which you are all a part of. This is our uh yearly membership uh component. As you can see, the total invoice were $4,144. Uh they do also participate the set pools uh to provide savings to the district as well. So, as you saw in your packet, um this is our yearly membership. What do you say? What do we get from that? Uh so a number of different things. We get the opportunities for professional development. Some are free, some are not. Um we do get legal uh components to that as well around the school board and its decision making representation. They also update us on policy changes and [Music] any additional questions or comments. All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Item 8 D, consideration to approve athletic overnight trip requests. Yes. Motion is to
024approve the summer overnight athletic trip requests for girls varsity basketball on June 1516, 2025. JV and varsity football to Montros on July 28th through 30th, 2025. And senior football players to Hershey on August 7th through the 9th, 2025. [Music] Move by Scott support by Amanda discussion. So three events uh girls basketball team Northstar shootout um they have tournament see an appropriate number of chaperones for the number of players. Uh all three of these do come out of their activity team budgets. Uh in that process uh the varsity football team will go to a camp uh in Montra something new this year that is staying at a hotel uh there the girls basketball one they have condos area and the final one is at village anniversary that is leadership [Music] course The only thing I noticed
025was nobody put down anything for transportation. [Music] That would be um I imagine the team is going to have So I know for it's a it's a variety. I believe there'll probably be somebody on news. Uh well, maybe not if they didn't put it down because a lot of the parents go to these things that are going up there as well. So, they usually are together and there's some student writers that that part of that. Um, I can find out on the um football ones because I do think that they're going to need some fans uh for the Montro Swan and for [Music] the so girls basketball. So, supposedly Jess was denied use of the van. That's what she told me today. Today. So, it's currently just her and I driving. I don't know why
026she was. So if it's parent drivers, do they have to be listed or students are driving? It doesn't have to be listed, but I don't see there communication with the teams how processes are taking. Amanda, would that stop you from approving requests? No, but my brain is like it's incomplete. Like it could be. It could be or they don't need it or they don't need it. Which there's not really a spot for other or Yeah. Okay. So, obviously this can't be required or anything to like how do they choose who's going to be on the team because the football one for instance is in July and They offer Yep. They offer it to everyone and they do fundraising efforts for it and they anyone that wants to go can go. Uh now I will say
027not for the uh second one the senior one the senior one that obviously narrows it down to the seniors but still any of those seniors that we want to go and that's what the ranges [Music] 20 typically with any regardless of the score they don't they don't they don't how much small enough to play. That's how basketball [Music] you'll use it. Well, they they definitely cut for basketball. You mean for the team or the summer? As long as they can pony up the money, they Yeah, exactly. They're They're not They're not limiting groups. So there might be 20 kids that go to the summer camp. There might only be 12 on the team eventually. They can usually any additional discussion. All right. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carried. Item 8E is consideration of
028approving the MISD special education advisory committee representative CPAC suggested motion to approve Mary Cavalier as a Monu CPAC representative for the 2-year term spanning July 1st 2025 to June 30th [Music] 2027 car support discussion. So, Mary Cavalier has agreed to continue as the MU special education parent advisory committee representative. This is a two-year term. She is a parent here in the district and two students. Uh she is our uh representative currently as well. This process requires our board of education to approve her through uh board minutes and once uh we get that confirmed that goes to the NISD board where it'll also be approved as well. Any additional discussion or questions? Um I will say Mary as her last two year terms was very committed to it um and was well representative. All those in
029favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carried. Item 8, consideration of approving Carrie Bergs as a new special ed teacher at RRO. Suggest a motion to approve Carrie Bergs as a new special ed teacher. by Scott supported by Amanda discussion. So Carrie Briggs is a former pair professional and a parent for us in the district. She's a chemist in her past life. Uh but then through uh district certification process for West Michigan Teacher Collaborative. Uh she worked to get her teaching degree. Uh she has been long-term subbing within the district here at the end of the year uh in a current fifth grade class in the classroom. Any additional questions or discussion? All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Item 8G, consideration of approving Alexis Cau as the new elementary's teacher at RRO. Uh the suggested motion is
030to approve Alexis Cob as the new elementary teacher in [Music] San Motion by Karen. Support by Amanda. Cindy discussion. So Lexi will be deemed to be the third grade teacher coming in for the retirement that we have here. Uh Lexi is a former Monty graduate like you may know as a name. She is a Central Michigan graduate uh and did a longterm substitute with us in that third grade classroom uh this past year as well. Additional discussion all those in favor opposed. Motion carried. Item 8H, consideration of approving approving Claudia Rumsy as a new elementary teacher and RRO suggest a motion to approve Claudia Rumsy as a new elementary teacher. Motion by Scott support. So Claudia is also a former graduate of four high school. Um she originally was hired on as a second grade
031opening position that we had. She received her West Michigan her degree from Western Michigan. She's taught the last three years in kindergarten uh at Hesperia. With uh numbers that we're having in kindergarten, we are going to have to add an additional section. So, she will actually be taking that kindergarten section. [Music] Any additional discussion? So, she's going to be kindergarten, not second. Kindergarten, not second. [Music] All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carries. Item 8 I is consideration of approving Carly Woodruff as a new elementary teacher at RRO. Suggest motion to approve Carly Woodruff as a new elementary teacher. Moved by Scott by Amanda special. So Carly will be taking on a fifth grade position. Uh she is was a current or I guess now finishes but a GSRP lead teacher plenty of experience um
032with them through women community education and did a great job there. She does have a degree from Central Michigan University as well as her teachers state university. Any additional discussion? All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Item 8J, consideration of approving Tom Wood as a new Spanish teacher at the high school. Suggest motion to approve Tom Wood is as a new Spanish teacher. Motion by Scott, support by Amanda discussion. So, uh Tom Wood uh comes to us with 13 years of experience um in that in North Carolina also on the east side of the state. Um in the lake shore, St. Clair shores uh Michigan there. um also buffer got out of education for a period of time. He does have his head leadership master's degree as well for him to um bring back time
033Spanish teacher rather than filling in. Awesome. Additional discussion or questions. All those in favor? Yes. Opposed? Motion carried. Item 8K is consideration of approving the superintendent contract. suggest a motion to approve the superintendent contract as presented. Motion by Scott support by Amanda. Discussion. This is the contract that I presented previously at the last meeting, but it is the same language from the previous years, just different percentage changes on the numbers from last year to additional discussion or questions. All right, I'm waiting for You too. I'm waiting for breath. I asked my question so I good. I'm good. We have time. Yeah. All those in it was going to be this easy. We could have done it. [Music] All those in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Item eight or nine is in German and I need a
034motion to adjourn. Some move. Motion by city, support