001Good evening and welcome to the September 23rd Board of Education meeting. If you could all rise for the pledge 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. Oh, James, could you take attendance? >> Yep. President President Mcdana >> here. >> Vice President President Aldrid is absent. Secretary Summers is here. Treasurer Whitney >> here. >> Trusty Gibson >> here. >> Trusty Aches >> here. >> Trustee Caproni >> here. >> Thank you. Changes to the board agenda. >> Yep. I do have one. Um, I'd like to make a motion to I just want to make sure I get the right section here under uh board of education matters that we add in their um
002updates from the governance committee. >> Support chain. Thank you. All those in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Wonderful. We'll put that between A and B if that works for you. >> Yep. >> Thank you. All right. scheduled public comment. Do not have any this evening and we have our consent agenda. Would anybody like to make that motion? >> James. Thank you. >> Move to approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Support and thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. Item number five, our superintendent highlights with Dr. Milligan. >> All right. Good evening everyone. I want to begin as usual by emphasizing our strategic vision, empowering learners, building community, and inspiring futures. I also want to acknowledge the amazing work happening across the district that is bringing
003our vision to life. From learners in our classrooms who are empowered to take ownership of their academic choices to new students who are being warmly welcomed into their school communities to students exploring exciting learning pathways that open doors to future possibilities. Our Oxford team continues to deliver on our vision every day. And as a reminder, our mission is the path we walk daily to achieve this vision. And this is guided by our core values where we ensure that the way we work together truly reflects the qualities needed to make our vision a reality. And with that we begin some highlights. So tonight's highlights include um a strategic plan activity we did with our ad team and they took back to their individual teams. We'll talk a little bit about that. um staff appreciation night at
004the football game and the presentation to Oxford Lakes uh HOA. Want to shout out to them and say thank you and some additional school highlights. So we see Officer Barnes here with his core values commitment. this activity, our ad team leaned into our core values, empowerment, belonging, innovation, and integrity, and selected one that they were going to lean most heavily into this year. And on their card, they talked about which one it was and how they were going to demonstrate that value every single day. Officer Barnes here um is looking at interacting with students each and every day to um increase the sense of belonging. So, it was really fun to see and thank you Christie for sending that. I appreciate that. Um so, you'll see these posted throughout the district. I have mine in
005my office and it is also it's about um empowerment and empowering our adults to be strong leaders. So, that was a fun activity. I also want to say thank you to our OS athletic boosters who supported a fantastic staff appreciation night uh which is aligned with goal three empowering staff. Um they provided dinner for staff who came to the game. Uh Tony Demar and his team set up uh the um where the staff was going to gather. We went through the Wildcat tunnel which was on my bucket list. So I feel really good about that. Now, I wanted to run out like Rocky, but people said no, so I didn't get to do that, but that's okay. Um, I also want to thank um Ryan and our HR team as well as our wellness team
006for helping put this together. We are leaning heavily into goal three and really focusing on staff development, staff support, staff empowerment, and this was a great way to really kick it off. Um, and of course, I appreciate the staff who attended. We had about 150 staff attend and with their families it total almost 400 people who attended. So it was really fun to celebrate them and have their families celebrate them. Um the Oxford Lakes HOA that was an incredible opportunity for us to kind of share the syncing fund and the operating millillage with the homeowners association. So, I appreciate them allowing us to speak during the Q&A session. So, we were John and I were able to talk about the two millages, what they meant, what they meant for property values, and everybody was very
007gracious and attentive. Um, we handed out our flyer and uh talked about information that's on our website. So, I really appreciate uh Oxford Lakes allowing us to present some school highlights. We have um these are pictures of the Clear Lake playground. So, this is pretty exciting. Um so, Clear Lake had their September PBIS celebration and during the celebration, there was a ribbon cutting uh to officially open the new recess area on the playground. It has a colorful sensory path, four square courts, and lines on the basketball court, which were painted by Clear Lakes's parent and artist, Mr. Pascal, and funded by the Clear Lake PTO. A new volleyball net was also put up to give students another play area. And after the ribbon cutting, the whole school enjoyed an extra recess. You know, elementary kids
008are all about that. And it had music, bubble wands, and had fun using the new playground area. And I just love how colorful that is. It's so beautiful just to even look at. It's a work of art. So, thank you to Mr. Pascal and thank you to the Clear Lake PTO. We also had our Clear Lake fifth grade camp. Looks like they had beautiful weather. Um they did an overnight camp at Echo Grove. Uh this camp provides students the opportunity to part participate in different activities such as archery, climbing towers, zipline, team building, paddle boats, and more. Um and they typically like to go in the fall because it provides a unique experience for students to engage with each other and build connections that they can carry throughout the rest of the school year. And
009here are some additional um pictures of the archery and a climbing wall. And I especially appreciate Miss Neimi who clearly joined in the fun and enjoyed herself. So I always appreciate when our leaders do that. This is from Crossroads. They had um two really great experience. The first one has to do with the exotic zoo uh which made its first trip to Crossroads. Students and staff enjoyed an incredible educational wildlife program with a variety of animals including groundhog, skunk, reptiles, spider, baboon, sloth, and siberian lynx to name a few. Students participated in guided horse rides and several received lessons that were able to demonstrate their new skills with a short ride independently on our campus. They also received their first PBIS donation from their new partner with Oxford Orion Fish. Kathy and Rich from Fish
010purchased healthy snacks from Costco and delivered them to Crossroads campus for the PBIS store. Students were able to purchase and receive items from the PBIS store every Monday and Wednesday. And finally, to highlight, this is a OVA shout out and highlight. Um, we've partnered with Michigan Elite. This is a program tailored for collegebound student athletes. Um, and it's a it's launched its on-site classes partnering with Oxford Virtual Academy. Students follow a dynamic daily routine that includes weight training, ice time, Pilates, cardio, film review, and academics delivered through Oxford's curriculum. So, those are my school highlights. We have a couple of additional updates. Um we'll start with Dr. Willleman with a safety update and then we'll have uh Dr. Gary Van Staverin come up and talk about the millillage update and our digital dashboard. >> U
011real quick Tanya if I can just a quick question. Sure. >> I believe this marks now the second time that there's been a sloth in this district and you've not made me aware. >> I thought you were going to say the skunk. >> Three three strikes. Oh, >> that's all you get. >> Man, that's harsh. That's harsh. >> Yeah. When is your birthday? >> Never mind. >> I did get lucky last year and get to go to Science Alive with Leonard. So, I have a really great selfie with a slope. >> Oh, yeah. Rub rub it in. Rub it in. That's hardcore. >> Every once in a while there's little perks to my job. So, welcome to the safety update for this meeting. Um, as a reminder, you are able to access this one pager
012that we have by going to the school safety and security website section of our website and then scrolling to where our community conversation video is and then this document is hyperl within that box. So, as we continue to go down the list, we have 3M protective film. This is um film that is put in across our district and it really is focusing on being shatter resistant and being glass fragment retention um for anyone trying to enter our building not through the front door. Um whether it be through using different devices um it's not going to stop everything. It's just going to create a resistant film. Um, and so that is things that we have across our district in different buildings. Um, the next item on there is building alarms. So those are our burglar alarms.
013Um, should we have any sort of person try and get into our building outside of school hours, even if it's staff and they forget to use their badge, we get an alert for it. um that's set up to be the principal, myself, um the sheriff's department so that we can partner with them, the village as appropriate, such as this building would be alerted so that we're able to look at that. And then with that, should any sort of burglar alarm go off for any reason, whether it's someone trying to get into our buildings or just a staff member who didn't swipe as they walked by to deactivate the alarm. Um, there are some of us throughout the district as well that can check cameras off property to be able to both look and make sure
014that it's secure and that we'll be able to help in case someone was trying to get into our buildings. And then on this sheet, the last thing would be go kits for emergency situations. These are buckets. They're five gallon buckets that are in areas where children are. So, we do have some that are in different offices, but for the most part, they're predominantly in classrooms and inside our supplies. In the event that they had to if there was a chemical spill, they could seal off their door. Um, if there was a situation that required them to have to evacuate, they would be able to take that bucket with them. There's first aid supplies within there. Um, there's a whole list of items. So, if you see their Ace Hardware white buckets in classrooms, that's what
015that's for. Um, to be able to use things like tarps and gloves and if there was a any situation where we needed masks, those are all in there as well. Um, and then not on here because it's in the piloting stage, but wanted to touch on things like vape detectors because that has come up. We are currently piloting a vap vape detector at OEIC. Um we had it installed late spring last year and um Bridges and Ova and Loft has very graciously agreed to be able to pilot this with us and we picked that area because there's two bathrooms right next to each other and the people who receive the notification are within a couple of feet from that and so we're looking at piloting that in the fall and then looking to see what
016other options are out there because we've been researching this for a file and companies that will give us, oh, here's this school district, this school district, will call them and they'll say, there's so many false positives, it's not worth the time. This company, when we called school districts, they said they're all right. So, I said, all right, that's better than absolutely not. So, that's why we're piloting on a small scale. We are researching, Dr. Milligan and I, and we've started to approach this topic with other secondary principles of what does that look like in a largecale building. Right now at OEIC, I can take a couple of steps and I'm there. So, it's a lot easier to figure out if the person's in the bathroom still, if what they're doing. And when you look at
017a footprint like the high school and the middle school, we need to research what's going to be most effective, what's also going to be fiscally responsible, and how the monitoring is going to look. So, this is an ongoing conversation and something I know that we've had with Mr. Bigalow and Matterstad over the last couple of years. Um, but now that we have a product to try, we will then bring that forward to them. But also look at what else is out there because Dr. Milligan and I both have experience in secondary. It brings us a whole other world when you're looking at all of the things that come from high school. And so we just want to make sure whatever we do is going to be effective and supportive for our campuses and not just
018be a thing that is there. So, that's our safety update today. Anyone have any questions? >> Uh, yeah. Regarding the building alarms, um, other than the main entrances, uh, at the schools or the entrances that lead to the office, if those other doors are opened, um, even during school hours, is anyone alerted to them? There are doors that do have contact alarms throughout the day, but the burglar alarm would focus on after hours when people are out of the building. >> Sure. Um, but I guess I'm I was more concerned with when students are in the school versus in the middle of the night. I just mean, are are doors activated and somebody is notified if a door that shouldn't be opened is open during school hours? >> We do have some doors with contact
019alarms on them. Not all of them, but that's part of the the culture of safety that we have here and part of Foris' responsibility and our custodians responsibility is to go around and check doors. >> Okay. >> For the the 3M on the glass, that's not ballistic resistant. Correct. >> Correct. And so is that also on every window or just more main points of entry classrooms? What I mean I I guess if you could give me an estimate of the percentage of windows within our district. Could you guesstimate? >> It is in a lot of windows throughout this district. If I give you percentages or estimates then I would be sharing where it's not and I'm not comfortable doing that. >> Okay, understood. And then for the vape detectors, if I understand this correctly, you
020are piloting this year OEIC. >> Yes. >> And I'm sure you've done research and seen plenty of the studies that show that just the pilot itself, you know, it it can reduce by up to 80% the the alarms that that go off. Do you think that that is something that you would see correlate into the high school or do or do you think OEIC is is a better pilot area? >> If we were to pilot it at the high school or middle school, it'd be very easy to figure out what bathroom we were piloted in. So then kids would avoid that bathroom. >> Okay. >> Which was why we picked the spot that we did because all of the kids have to go to that bathroom. You don't really have that much of a choice
021if you're on the first floor. >> Gotcha. Thank you. >> Any additional questions, comments? Appreciate it. >> All right. Next up, we have Dr. Van Stabin. All right. Good evening. It's good to see you all again and today we're going to be talking about the millillage update kind of give you some more information actually getting into the website so that you can also see what we've been doing as far as educating the community also from our website and then we're going to go into the the dashboard a little bit more and then I think after that presentation we're going to have a little discussion about the dashboard as well. So, revisiting the proposals, getting into our website, um more steps how we've t what we've done to inform the community, and then getting into our
022dashboard. And so, you've seen a lot of this already, but I do think it's important to continue to educate and and learn more about an operating millillage versus a syncing syncing fund mill. And so, on the left side, you're going to see here operating mill. What is it? It is a nonhomestead property, so commercial, industrial, second homes. This is not going to increase taxes on primary residences. And then on the right side here, we have sinking fund millillage. Um, and so you see that that is a local property tax. And thank you. You've authorized us to propose a one mill um levy. And so what can we use syncing fund for? That's going to be for building repairs, technology, roof, boilers, HVAC, etc. On the left side here, operating millage key facts. The state expects
023us to uh leverage this 18 mills. We're not doing that. We're at 17.3. And so, we're not fully funded. Okay? We're required by the state to receive full funding. And that would be the 18 mills. And so that's why we have this operating millage replacement so we can get to that 18 mills instead of the 17.3. And again, the impact is no tax increase. And that's going to bring in about $250,000 a year back into our general fund. And on the right side, again, syncing fund. This would result in a tax increase. And we're going to actually go into that a little bit more about what that means. What does that really look like for the homeowners? And then that's going to be about 1.6 million and that is going to help our general fund.
024All right. So instead of purchasing a a boiler or uh technology out of the general fund, it would come out of syncing fund. So again, we can keep that 1.6 million. We can keep that in the classroom. So what are some things that we're going to be doing in the first year? So, if the sinking fund passes, on the right side, you're going to see some very specific things and specific buildings that will be impacted. So, for example, emergency roofing repairs district-wide. We've got a lot of roofing needs. Sinking fund is going to help pay for that. Entryways and doors at the middle school and the high school. Replacing broken flooring, outdated air handlers at OES and the high school and Leonard, etc., etc. So, there's some some very specific things we'll be doing in
025the first year. And there's also we're going to be working on a uh 10-year plan, and that should be on the website in the next couple days. Again, looking at 10 years, what are we going to be doing over the next 10 years with the syncing fund money? Any questions on this so far? >> Gary, can you speak to why it says preliminary? >> Preliminary because um costs may change. um you were, you know, most of us are homeowners and so you've probably had an estimate for something. For example, you might have an estimate for your uh your driveway and that estimate might only be good for 30 days because costs change and so that's why this is preliminary. Um this is what we'd like to do but we don't want to really commit to
026it because uh again costs change and so on. So hopefully that helps. In addition to there are just like a house right you might set aside money to do the patio but then your air conditioning breaks so you have to shift the money right >> so it's similar to that yes >> right >> thanks >> right >> Mike under operated millillage replacement key facts um I see the the fourth bullet point required by the state to receive full foundational allowance funding I don't know if it's just worded kind of funny. So, I mean, I understand that the state expects us in order to get our full funding, the state expects us to have full 18 mills. >> Yes. >> Um, but the state doesn't require us obviously because we're right now pulling only 17.3, >>
027right? >> And so, is that just word kind of funny or maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it says required by the state to receive full foundational allowance. So, it's not required by the state. This is the mechanism that the state requires us to use. Yeah. >> To get the funding. >> Does that explain it better? >> Correct. So, okay. Yes. This is >> Yes, I understand that this is the mechanism to that that we are required to use to get the full funding. >> And so, I think I think it's like 968 um and I'm going to show a slide in a moment, but and I think we're around or something. So we are just a little bit below what that full foundation allowance is >> per pupil. >> Okay. >> Not to be
028a Debbie Downer, but what happens if they don't pass? >> Well, um for example, um some of these these are these are high needs that that have to be done, you know, roofs, etc. that would come out of the general fund. And so by coming out of the general fund then that's going to impact the classroom etc. So obviously we you know we want to use this 1.6 million okay and to help pay for those those items. So yeah, >> for the the transformer at the transportation facility, is that similar to the MS situation where there was, you know, why we were on a generator for a couple of months or is that a separate issue? >> Separate issue. >> Separate. >> Yeah, that one I'm not sure about. Thank you, John. >> Thank you.
029>> Any other questions? when looking at maybe we can talk later then John uh about the other buildings has there been an assessment of where we're at with those >> other equipment >> yeah the potential for that to happen again have we looked at that fully or not yet >> yeah in terms of assessing all the equipment last pieces being run down now we're actually waiting for strong uh the organization let's assing a summary of what they did what we looked at. So, >> Mhm. >> But you have a good idea just from our internal reviews cross reference, but yeah, we've got that kind of one of these things in the building, the 10ear plan. >> Got it. Thank you. So, important to remember that there could be additional items, right? Thank you. >> Yes.
030And thank you, John. And again, that 10-year plan we're hoping will be on the website in the next couple days. Okay. So, what else are we educating the community on in regards to the millages? One example is on our web page, we have a syncing fund calculator. So, you know, I live in Oxford. I want to know how is this going to impact my taxes. And so, we put a calculator on the website. And so, for example, you're going to be able to type in your market value. Okay? Market value, not taxable value. market value, what you think your home is worth, and then push the button calculate, and you're going to get right there in green what your estimated cost is going to be annually. So, if you have a $400,000 home, that's your
031estimated market value. It would be an increase of $200 annually in taxes. Okay? And that's going to be again, I'll show you that in a moment on our website. We also have a ask questions here as well. And we also have frequently asked questions. And so when you click on that button to ask questions, we do answer those and then we put those questions and responses on the website. And that's this frequently asked questions. So when you go to our website, first thing you're going to see is a popup. That's just this right here. Your schools, your community, your vote. It pops right up as soon as you go to the site. and we're actually going to go in and take a look at it. Okay, so now we're actually on the website and let's
032go ahead and scroll down. Over here on the right side is the have questions asked. Here we do answer those in a timely manner. Again, what's on the ballot? On the left side, you see that operating millage. On the right side, you see syncing fund millillage. what it is used for, what's the impact. Here is the calculator that I just gave the example of. Let's go ahead and type in 400. No, never mind. We won't do that. And then we have more resources. So, we're going to continue to grow these re resources, continue to add more videos, some nanoarning in terms of helping our community. Underneath that, you're going to see a millillage flyer on the left. non-homestead operating mill flyer in the middle, syncing fund flyer on the right side. Then underneath you will
033see those frequently asked questions. Those are broken into general information. What is a mill? We might not know what that actually is. So you can go ahead and hover your cursor over that, click on it, and there's your explanation of what a mill is. Can you vote absentee ballot? A lot of people want to know about what absentee ballot is, especially postcoid. And so you can click on that. It gives you all the dates for absentee ballots. And there's also a live link to go ahead and register for an absentee ballot as well. And as we continue to go down, you're going to see more information about those November 4th ballots. What do the proposals look like on the ballot? The exact verbiage. what is an operating millillage, what is a syncing fund millillage, etc.
034Now, one thing I did want to show is um some questions that we've heard are how many districts in Michigan have a syncing fund? And it's it's roughly about half. So, about half of the districts in Michigan have a syncing fund. But you can see other questions there. What's the difference between a syncing fund and a bond? Syncing fund millage, how is it different from operating millillage? And then at the bottom you can see all submitted questions and that relates back to that top um up at the very top. Okay. Any questions so far? Okay. >> For the all submitted questions, when do you anticipate the answers to be on the website? >> They're pretty we're pretty quick turnaround. I would say within a week. And does that go directly to the person that submitted
035or does it is it public facing? >> Um they have the option to put in their contact. >> Yes. >> And if they do respond directly but >> yeah they can put in their name or their email and so they could get a direct response but it'll also be on the website. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Okay. So, what about research? What does research say about investment in schools? We've got two millages coming up on November 4th and it is really important um to learn more about the impact that investment in schools has on students on student learning on our staff on real estate value your home value. So as school goes, your real estate goes as well. And so there's a lot of research out there and I'm just going to touch on a few
036things here, but capital investments significantly improve test scores. So heating, ventilation, air conditioning, um you know, having non-leaky roofs, etc. has a direct impact on student learning, improve facilities, improve student attendance. So again, that HVAC, if students have have allergies, etc. Uh, and our air handlers um are as expected, that's going to improve student attendance. A $162 return for every dollar invested increase, okay, in our facilities. School quality affects resale value regardless of having children. That's going to increase all of our property values. A 5% improvement in test scores correlates with a 2.5% increase in home values. So, a lot of research out there about investing in our schools and the positive nature of that. So, any questions on the millillage update? Okay, on to the dashboard. We've talked about this a little bit and
037we're still uploading data, but want to give you just a quick update on the dashboard and then I think we'll have a little discussion after that. So, when you are actually in the dashboard, you'll see some um some uh uh photos here, but you can hover your cursor over it. You're going to have data that's going to pop out. You're going to be able to click and drill down deeper. There's also a button called key resources. And so on our website, you can find the strategic plan. You can find the TRSIA document. You can find other things. But you can also now find it on the dashboard, the data dashboard. So instead of having to go somewhere else to go find it, it's also going to be in key resources over on the right side.
038So we are going to go ahead and take a look at this as well. And I apologize for these delays. So again, just helping with navigating the dashboard. That's what we're doing tonight. Here's our main dashboard and again our four goals. And on the right side, you're going to see metrics. So four out of eight, hypothetically, if we had eight metrics that we were looking at in goal one, how many are we meeting? Four out of eight would be the example so far with the fake data. And you're going to be able to click on view dashboard here. And then across the top you'll see goal one, goal two, goal three, and then goal four. And then again, like I said, you'll be able to hover your cursor over those. That data is going to
039pop out. You're also going to be able to click and then drill down deeper and be able to look at what baseline data is, current data, and then what is that target? So, any questions on the dashboard? Okay. Is this a time where we want to go into discussion or because I think that was the next topic on the agenda. Yeah, that's perfect. That's essentially what we had planned. Give everyone a minute to make sure you're you're able to get into the dashboard. Um Justin had sent out a link last week and also linked back to the the overall data dashboard that that talked about the metrics and the aligned actions. And then within that, Gary has also linked the specific there were four specific ones that spoke to KPIs. And so you can further
040go from there to see exactly what those KPIs are for the four items. It was 1.1 4.1 2.1 2.4 and 4.2. >> Thank you. So I'll let you all get in to make sure that you're able to view what I'm viewing and the dashboard. while you're doing that. Um, I hope everyone had a chance over the weekend to to dig in and play around with it a bit. I am very impressed. I am very excited for this. I think this is something that is going to be incredibly useful for our community. And it is an interactive way to be a part of it and really bring our community into the fold of it. and just going over I know all of the data is not in there yet but just in the the sandbox per
041se it's it's it's very exciting. So thank you for all of your work on that. Is everybody in and able to navigate? Okay. anything that stands out in particular to anybody, the usability, the metrics, James. >> Um, I'm looking at his screen. I was looking across the bottom for the years. Like on my screen, it's a little bit smaller and it's all kind of condensed together and squished. I didn't know if it would from a formatting from that first stuff if it would be better just to put the last two digits of the year. So 20 21 22 23 24 depending on how people are looking at it. >> So the bigger screen it stretches out but smaller screens it kind of squeezes it together. >> So what you're saying is down here >> down
042here maybe have fewer years. >> Go back close that tab. >> So on that window there on those little blue bar graphs on the bottom. So you got spaces between there. But like when I'm looking at it on my side, they're all together and it looks like one long string. So from a from an appearance and formatting. >> Okay. >> See what I'm talking about. >> So you mean like a 21 22 23 instead of a 20? >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> What one are you on? You're on two. Let me just see if it's >> Yeah. Looks like it might be computer based show up differently. >> Okay. >> Cuz mine is showing up like yours. >> Okay. >> It's a fiveyear plan. So I think we're trying to do five years. Um >>
043Well, if I zoom in my screen to make it larger print, it does it. But if it's at 100%. Yeah. >> So it's just >> Okay. >> Well, it's really weird cuz like 100% of the screen is all together. But if I go down to 90, >> it's going the same as your dashboard. >> Okay. >> I'll show you afterwards. And you I just >> It's feedback, right? >> Yes, please. You know, just >> Yes. >> That way if someone's looking at an iPad, I don't know what it would look like versus a mobile device, >> right? On a phone. >> Yeah. Right. And I do want to echo that the key resources tab is very helpful to have right there and you can refer back to the strategic plan and and anything to help
044you understand the data. And with that being said under each will you also have on the screen that's up right now uh you know what the target is for each year or is that simply going to live in key resources? Uh the target probably won't be right here, but when you click on this, >> the target will be here. >> Okay. So, >> and so you're going to see >> current. >> Yep. >> Baseline target >> and that will be specific to each year that we're in. For example, if we're looking at this next year, you'll already have it updated into the year two target. Wonderful. >> Yes. Any other comments, questions? I guess you and I won't sit up here and talk all night about it, but great job. I like it a lot.
045I think it's going to be incredibly helpful. I can't say that enough. and um our community I think is going to receive it very well. So, thanks again. >> Yes, you're welcome. And again, uh we're hoping that this goes live uh with our data midocctober uh for the October 21st board of ed meeting. So, we're hoping it goes live by then. So, that's tenative. Any other questions? >> Okay. Thanks again. >> Okay. Thank you. >> All right. We had decided to add governance right here. James, would you like to give us an update? You had a meeting today. >> Yeah, we we did. We met at 4:00. Thank you. >> Excuse me, 4:30. We started uh till 600. Um went through Give me a second. Grab my notes. [Applause] We went through the um the
046standard operating procedure manual, the board manual. Um there's some changes and stuff that we made there looking to update it. Um wrong. I got it here. I was just like thinking where exactly I put it. Um so we went through there's some grammical stuff that we changed some wording uh through there. Um, we've uh Why am I drawing a blank here? We we also talked about um like the new one has the date of like August 25th, so we can watch to see when we're updating it, when it's last updated to go through there. Um, in the new one, and it's actually live on the website. I'll show it to you guys here, but our strategic plan along with our goals have been added into there. Um, there's a new map towards the end of
047it. It's our district map, but this came from we're thinking transportation, but it's kind of hard to read. So, we're looking at changing that around a bit so it's a little bit easier to read and such. Um, >> will you be bringing the red line version per se to the board for approval as we did when we introduced the operating procedures? So some of the things that are being updated like the strategic plan and stuff is already live, right? Because we got the the other stuff was taken out for the old strategic plan that's no longer there because the board already approved that. So we just updated that content to match what the current strategic plan is along with the goals. >> So that's the only thing that has been updated within the operating procedures.
048>> Um that and then we were adding policy numbers to where the items weren't in there if it was referencing back to a policy number. for one instance um talking about um unscheduled comments to the the board or unscheduled uh public participation. Our um policy is at 0.01 and it had ited as just the regular one. So we updated that and stuff. So again minor changes for that but overall from a a a content perspective if there's massive changes yeah we'd bring it to the board to make them aware of it. >> Uh would you mind sending the updates to the board? I I just want everyone to be aware of what's changing. >> Yeah. Um and then we talked about um as we we went through so inside of the the operating procedure, let
049me get to the right page here. Talked about the monthly calendar or the monthly agenda proposed in here. So with this, this is important that we know as board members what exactly is planned out for each quarter. So for instance, if there's something that that a board member would want, they would uh looking for a presentation. Hopefully they would reach out to the board president to the superintendent same time and stuff, but the superintendent might go back and say, well, you know what, it's September. We're going to deliver that in November. And is there really a reason to warrant to bring it up, you know, sooner? Obviously, if there's something that happened within the district that warrants that, we're flexible with that. But also being mindful that this is the same calendar that the ad
050teams and the the department heads are looking at. So, they have enough time to prepare a detailed report and presentation for and it's not something that that has sprung on them really quick where they don't have enough time to put it all together. [Applause] Am I forgetting anything? Sorry, Beth Ann. Um that new member chest list we were talking about coming back with. >> Yeah. Who when you guys did that where uh for the new member the appendix appendices >> where'd that come from? >> That was a multitude of areas. We referenced MASB the courses there. >> Um and that there was a lot of you know to be honest looking at other districts and best practice. And so I if I remember correctly Lake Oran was the closest that we used. We made it
051our own. >> Okay. >> Um, but it included a packet that should be given to, you know, the links for MASB classes and videos to watch and Robert's rules and and all of those different things. >> So, when we looked at this and and don't we we saw it, but we we were looking at ways to embed those links into this that way it's it's easily there and stuff. I mean, that we we know the document that you get because Sarah Beth talked about it when she did her stuff. Um but just trying to um take what we did, build upon it, make it better. The other thing that came up out of an MASB um seminar was the CBA 101. Um we currently have it listed as taking after you take your oath, but
052they recommended to having people as they come on to the board uh especially around election cycle to having that uh class done before their first meeting would give them a good foundational work or an understanding of what it means for a board member. >> Interesting. Was that in our operating procedures that it recommended not until after oath? >> Yes. After taking office. Yeah. >> Yeah. Because many of us I know I know I took all my 100 before January before I know both of you guys had started taking classes before we were >> so >> our first meeting. So okay that must have been an oversight. >> Thank you. >> I was trying to remember if we took it did we take it before or just after >> because I thought there was because I
053asked about taking certain things before and it was well you're not haven't officially taken your oath of office yet and stuff but >> Oh no I definitely pushed hard on that. I took all my one I remember because I had COVID in December and I I took all of my online classes during that time. >> Yeah. So in in the operating proced but again as we go through this I mean this is a living document that we're we're only going to make better as we go on and we learn from it and and get feedback from new board members from existing board members and then as new data and information comes out. Um but yeah, I I will do an email recap to the board, especially since Mike Aldrid is in here and so um
054that way he's aware of what what we did and stuff. Um >> and and put inside there. >> Okay, >> ladies. Thanks so much. Any questions for governance committee? >> Okay. >> All right. Appreciate it. >> Yep. Thanks. >> Item B, we have field trip approvals. Uh, you had all seen these at the last meeting. Would anybody like to make a motion? Sarah Beth. Thank you. I move to approve the field trips for OHS BPA states, OS BPA Nationals, OS dance, speech, and choir. >> Support. James. Thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor? I I >> Any opposed? >> Motion carries. All right. Item C. Again, you had this on first reading last meeting. Would anybody like to make this motion? James. Thank you. Move to approve policies 3121, 3211, 3301A, 3307, 342, 5202,
0555307, 5406, 541, 5420, 5603, 571, 5707, and 5712 as presented. >> Support and thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Item D, motion for school of choice. James, keep it rolling. >> We'll keep rolling with it. So, move to approve the school of choice reading for the 2025 2026 school year second semester as presented. >> Support Shane. Thank you. Discussion. All those in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Nay. >> Sarah Beth. Thank you. Motion carries. Okay. Item E, we have three FOYA appeals. And just to make sure everybody's on the same page and Justin, make sure I'm correct. Our first one regard is in regards to communication with legislators. Yes. >> Senator Slack. Senator Slatkin specifically. Our second one, we had a legal opinion that was given to the
056board and everyone should be familiar with regarding Daisy. And our third one was for the finance RFPs. And this was also responded to in an email. So, just want to make sure everyone is clear on on what we're discussing if there's any questions beforehand or if we'd like to move into any specific motions. >> Okay. >> So, for the first one, move to uphold the fees being applied regarding the Danielle Croak FIA >> support and Okay. And discussion. The way that motion was read is that the fee would be upheld. [Applause] Shane, >> yeah. So, I again, I guess I'll just reiterate my same thoughts that I I want the information out there um as best we can get it. I understand resources, cost, I get it. Um, I just think that again we're kind
057of treading into territory where whether intentional or unintentional, this is a barrier. And so, uh, again, just expressing my uncomfortability with that. >> Thank you. I tend to agree on this specific one. I think communication to any of our legislators that that could be public and should be public and I don't see um a reason to not disclose that or at least you know provide the barrier of a fee with that. I think it's a good thing personally. Um, so not that I I always agree with because, you know, we'll keep going here, but with this specific one, um, I would be more in favor of waving this fee. >> But this is just an appeal to the estimate, correct? This is not the final fee if I read that correctly. Right. So, she's already
058appealing the estimate and it could be less than what what the estimate is. Correct. >> Was there a deposit given at all or is this right out the gate >> denying or appealing? >> Correct. Deposit was not received. >> Okay. So, it's not again it's not that we're not trying to be transparent, but looking through the time and effort and stuff and continuing to get these foyers, especially from Danielle who puts a significant number of foyers in for us on the district. We're taking valuable time away from our administration, our ad team that in turn takes away from the overall programming for our students and for our community. And so I hear what you're saying about it being potentially a barrier, but to what detriment are you willing to continue to wave fees and it
059starts going into our programming for our students or taking away from the jobs that they're supposed to be doing? Uh, I guess I'm confused because I'm not sure if you're your comments are aimed at specifically like our results of the MSTEPs or or the the concern within the community of our low test scores. Is that what you're specifically speaking to? >> No, I'm I'm talking about >> we continue to look at these and and frankly for this particular person, Danielle >> continues to appeal them. >> Sure. >> And yourself and others continue to give in and wave it for her. But then others have come up and you guys are dead against waving the fees. And so for my point and my perspective, you guys are cherrypicking certain things for certain people in the community.
060And yet when we go back and we look at the work that needs to be handled to to procure this stuff and again going back, this is an estimate, not the final bill. And she's already requesting an appeal and a wave of the fees. So that the final could be less. and I might be more apt to listen to it when the final bill or final, you know, due amount comes out, but we haven't even gotten to that part right out the gate. I don't consider this to be cherry-picking because, as you call them, frequent flyers, there have been times that we have upheld fees and times that we've waved fees for the people that you are speaking to. I don't believe that this is a cherry-picking issue at all. I do believe that this
061is what the board's responsibility is is to look at it as to whether it's in the best interest of our community and that's the lens that I have always taken through these decisions. I I I I don't see it that way just from past voting and stuff, especially with with Danielle and she seems to email and you guys respond and then all of a sudden things are getting waved or making a motion to wave. >> Well, you keep saying you guys. Who are you speaking directly? >> Well, she doesn't email me. >> Mhm. >> She emails you, Mike. Mike Aldridge and Amanda. and she explicitly excludes me and sometimes Sarah's on there, sometimes she's not. Okay, so that's where I'm going with this this that but in this particular case on this motion, I think
062we uphold the fees, wait for the final stuff to get done, and then we revisit it. And that's why I made the motion to uphold the fees because again it's just an estimate that she's appealing and not the final due. >> We don't anticipate the estimate to be wildly different than >> it could be higher, it could be lower, but we don't have the final. >> Okay. Any other comments on this? Um, after reviewing the recommendation from Collins and Blaha, was everyone able to review that >> from the law firm that we pay to assess this for us? Okay. Um, I I don't understand why we would why we would go against what they're recommending, which is to uphold the fees. um her fee estimate didn't meet the statutory requirements for a fee appeal. That's
063what I'm reading. Please correct me if you read something different. Waving the fee requires the district to incur the undue burden and expense of responding to the foyer request without reimbursement. Once again, I I'll make the same point I'd made before that I listen to the experts that we have at our disposal. So, if anyone has differing expert opinion, I welcome that, but I haven't heard it. We did have with within policy, we did have them present to us as to where our ability to wave fees comes from, and it's right within the law. did advise us that as long as we are within the realm of whether we think it's in the best interest of the public to have the information, we have every right to wave or uphold the fee. That was a
064a specific presentation and I believe it was available to everybody after policy. >> All right, that is available to us. Yes, that that was explained as being an available option to the board. But as for the recommendation from the experts regarding this particular FOYA, I haven't heard any other expert expert opinion differing from this. Okay. Anyone else? So, the motion right now is that the fee is upheld. >> Should we just do roll call to make it easier? >> We don't. >> All those in favor? >> I >> opposed. Nay. >> Okay, >> that did not pass. So would anybody like to make another motion on that? I can move to wave the fee being appealed regarding the Danielle Crosak Foya support Shane. Thank you. All those in favor? >> Hold on. We have to
065have discussion. >> Discussion. I'm sorry. I thought we had a lot in the last one. So my bad. Yes, please. Further discussion. I I just I mean echoing what Ann said and and make it very clear. So we we reached out. We paid for the lawyers to get a legal opinion on this. They gave it to us to uphold and that was the recommendation and you guys are fine with paying that fee to the lawyers and then waving this one. Uh, I guess I just don't subscribe to the theory of blindly following expert opinion. I think that we have the option to wave fees if we feel it's in the best interest of the community and if we feel that is this situation, then it's our right to exercise that. >> Could you speak more
066to the benefit to the community on this particular one? Well, I think given the fact that they're asking specifically uh or I should say her um foya is around the K9 detection dog and she >> this one is about the slacken. >> I'm so sorry. >> That's okay. Yeah, I had to mess around the second one. >> Um this is specifically to slacken and communication with our legislators. So, I guess where would the benefit be to not open that information up to the community? I guess I would reverse that. >> We're not we're not denying the the opening and giving that information. We're giving an estimate of what it would take for the search parameters to go through and to correlate and bring all that data together to then turn it over. And that is
067what is being appealed is that cost for the work that our staff administration team is doing to gather all those emails to put them together to make sure that they go through that there's no furpa, no HIPPA, no, you know, the the stuff that is not discoverable through FOYA. >> Mhm. >> And I think you were directing it at Shane, but I'd like to also weigh in on why I think that it's important. I think that what this FOYA is ultimately going to show is a good thing. I believe that the district communicating with Slackin, bringing her into our staff appreciation. I think that what will be found within this FOYA is actually positive and um that's what our community has been asking for and so I'd like to see it out there without any
068financial barriers. That's my opinion. I also want to raise the very repeated and obvious theme that we're about to ask our community for additional tax levies for these millages. And so then to not be fiscally responsible with the process that we do have from the legis legislature for these FOYA appeals which is not disputing whether the information should be public. It is public but the process at which to process it which is our employees time. doesn't seem to be a prudent use of those funds of which we are about to ask our community for more. So that's there's there's a lot of reasons wrapped up into this of the mechanisms for what which the district is charged with protecting these funds, this being one of them. I I don't disagree. I think everybody at this
069table has valid reasons and points. I I do not say that I wholeheartedly disagree with you. Um and my my opinions on the next two I think will will show that as well. But I do think that it is a case- by case basis which we have been talking quite a bit about and and I do not take it lightly that it is our employees time and I think that everybody has raised very valid points when it comes to this and I'm and I'm glad that we can have the discussion surrounding it. In light of the fact that it's a particular person, would you guys have different opinion if it was a different person from our community asking for this information? >> No, I've been pretty I would still uphold the fees. There there has
070been some that I've agreed with that were >> that that I voted to to with the consensus of the group, the rest of the group of waving, >> but that might have been only one or two, but for the most part for everybody, >> you know, there's nothing that we've had in any of our our other stuff that has been exorbitant or excessive, >> okay, >> and stuff. >> Okay. Um, >> is that question for everyone? Is everyone gonna answer it? >> I already answered. I said no. It does not matter who what name is on it. >> Okay. >> And I think it shouldn't. I mean, it shouldn't matter at all. >> No, I'm saying but >> it shouldn't matter if it's their first or >> I want to make sure this isn't just
071because it's her. >> It's not because it's her, but she is a she is one individual and in this case it's her appeal to the fees, but she has raised this appeal on different foyers. >> Okay. >> A few times. the we have a compromise here with a reduce, >> but that's not the motion at the table right now. >> Yeah. Right now, the motion on the table is to wave. >> So, to to that point, if this doesn't pass, then if you wanted to make a motion to reduce Yes. >> All right. Just >> Yeah. Yeah. Does that help you out? >> I'm jumping ahead. >> No, no, that's fine. >> Sorry. >> Okay. Any further discussion on waving the fee? All those in favor? I >> opposed. Nay. >> Did you vote? I
072didn't hear anything. >> I I agree to wipe. Agree. Okay. Thank you. Okay, that motion carries. Moving on to our second, this specific one. Again, you can reference the legal opinion. This is regarding the Daisy Foya. Would anybody like to start with a motion before we go into discussion? >> I'll make a motion. >> Okay. Uh move to uphold the dial uh being appealed regarding the Corey Vander Foya. >> Support and thank you and discussion. Uh this one I would be in agreement that we need to uphold the denial. Uh this was pertaining to the specific words that were used in the FOYA which resulted in what came back and the person who is appealing um did not in my opinion satisfy and of course our legal opinion um the additional information that she's seeking
073simply because it it it's not part of the scope that she submitted. if she is going to go ahead and submit a different FOYA request and encapsulate the information she was looking for. That's a that's a whole another story. But right here, in my opinion, um I I do believe that we should uphold the denial. Anybody else like to say anything? Um, I I agree with you lending again to the people the the law firm that we reached out to and fullheartedly reading through their legal opinion on it. I agree with what they put in there. Anybody else? All those in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Our third one to give a little back history. I I know you've all been on these emails, so you've seen and we also, you
074know, have the opinion. This is to do with the RFPs related to finance and procuring another insurance company. And within that, what is being denied is that there are no records and um or appealed, excuse me, not denied. And there really aren't any records because the process hasn't gotten to that step yet. And so you have all seen this and I haven't spoken to Miss Prince since I sent her the email, but she is also updated on where we are in the process. And so I hope that that helped further clarify why there are no records within this FOYA. Um, so there's some backstory. Would anybody like to make a motion? I will move to uphold the denial being appealed regarding the Marissa Prince Foya. Support like Whitney. Thank you. Discussion. All those in favor?
075I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Item seven, got a little more light-hearted internal controls presentation. Miss Courtney, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for having me here tonight. Um, in our board finance committee meetings, um, we've discussed a lot of our business office processes and during our most recent one in August, um, we discussed that it would be nice if I came and explained some of those to you so that everybody was on the same page and you had the information to show how we are, um, we are running in the business office. Um, so this presentation will provide transparency into our procedures and show how our strategic plan guides our processes in the business office. Too fast. Okay. I want to introduce our business office team. Um, they're your trusted financial
076partners in the district operations. Uh each member is plays an essential role to ensure fiscal responsibility, compliance, and operational efficiency. Um they're committed to managing our finances with integrity and accountability. Um so we have our assistant superintendent of business and operations, John Fitzgerald. Um my myself is the finance director. Um our payroll coordinator is Meg Nicholson. Um, accounts payable specialist is Brenda Brown and our procurement and grant specialist is Michelle Anderson. Um, internal controls are systematic policies, procedures, and mechanisms designed to ensure an organization operates effectively, efficiently, and in compliance with applicable laws and uh, regulations. um they're important in every industry, but they're especially important here because we are um stewards of taxpayer dollars. So, we have to ensure that we are following all of the controls in place and making sure that we're
077doing that responsibly. Um so, as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have a legal and fiduciary responsibility to demonstrate accountability to our community while complying with complex federal, state, and local regulations. Uh having controls in place can help um help ensure financial protection and accuracy that allows us to catch those errors that may happen before they impact our financial statements. Um it protects our assets from theft or misuse and it ensures that we have reliable data for sound decisionmaking. Um strong internal controls drive operational efficiency throughout our district. uh standardize processes and procedures uh create clear expectations and create smooth workflows. Um our internal controls also help build transparency and trust. Um they demonstrate responsible management of our district resources and provide reliable information to our stakeholders. Uh internal controls can look different in many organizations.
078Um these are some of the internal controls that we have in place here at Oxford Community Schools. Um segregation of duties uh ensures that no single person can authorize, process and complete a financial transaction independently. Um we have multiple layers of review and approval. Um, every financial transaction in our district also requires dual approval from vendor payments, banking transactions, and payroll. They all are independently reviewed by by a minimum of two people before they are processed. Um, and many transactions require additional layers. Um, our budget serves as the financial roadmap for our district's strategic plan. Through budget amendments, we can adjust the roadmap as needs change and additional resources become available. Uh each year we have an independent audit conducted as independent auditors conduct a comprehensive annual review of our district's financial operations. Um this
079audit spans over several months. It begins in May with our preliminary fieldwork as our fiscal year is coming to an end and then it resumes again in September um after we've done all of our uh fiscal year-end processes and we've reviewed all of the revenues and expenditures for the full year. Um we actually just completed our audit a couple weeks ago. Um, our auditors receive unrestricted access to all our financial records and they use a sampling method to test accuracy across our operations. Our business office works with many departments to ensure complete cooperation um so they can complete the comprehensive testing in the areas of uh grant programs, payroll, dispersements, cash management, revenue recognition and asset management. Um, for the past several years, Yo and Yo has been our audit firm. Um, Jacob will be
080here next month, um, I believe it's October 21st to present the findings of our fiscal 25 audit. Uh, we have several payment methods available to um, make payments to our vendors for our goods and services. The AP process is used generally for those large purchases, um, payment to our contractors for services rendered, um, reoccurring payments, the types of payments that we offer to those vendors through the AP process. We can issue them an um, a where we send the money directly to their bank account. They can choose to receive a live check and we send it to them in the mail or we also have some vendors that choose to do direct debit or a wire transfer. Um the purchasing cards are typically used for smaller dollar amounts. They're used for um travel expenses, um
081online transactions. We do have some that are reoccurring payments and then um same for emergency purchases. Um there are several things that need to happen before purchasing transaction is complete. Um the first step is the approval is given to make the purchase. So depending on what type of purchase that could look different between the requester and the approver, um it could be a teacher asking permission from their principal to order teaching supplies or a coach from the athletic director for equipment for their team. Um depending on the payment method, those invoices are either entered into our accounting system, which is Skyward, um by the department, or if they're using a purchasing card, those transactions are loaded by the business office. Um, invoices are then routed to the appropriate approver. We use a multi-level approvals process,
082meaning that every transaction has at least two people that approve it before it's completed. For high dollar transactions, it also requires the approval of myself before it moves on to that next process. Um after all of the approval approvals have been taken, we run our accounts payable process and that is when it's actually posted to our general ledger account or the payment is issued through the AP process. Uh I want to make sure to point out that this process is the same regardless of what payment method we use. Uh purchasing card transaction goes through the same approval process as an uh invoice that's paid through the accounts payable process. So it still will go through every every level as if it was one or the other. Uh this image shows a typical path taken by
083a transaction from start to finish when a purchase needs to be made. Um as you can see the transaction touches a lot of people before it gets to that end approval. Uh there's several items that we're checking before we approve the transaction. Um, first we're making sure that the person that's requesting the purchase is authorized to do so. Um, we make sure that the required documentation is attached to the transaction in Skyward. So for every transaction that we have, we require either an invoice or detailed receipt showing what goods and services were purchased. Um, we ensure that the expenses are allowable based on the fund that's used to being paid for it. So, a good example is our syncing fund. Um, we check to make sure that whatever we're posting those to those syncing fund
084accounts are allowable in that fund because that may be different than something that's paid out of the general fund or our student activity accounts. Um, we also check and make sure that the account that we're using is posted appropriately. We follow the MDE accounting manual to determine what account structure to use. And then we also make sure that there's budget available to make the purchase. Uh I'm going to give a big shout out to our accounts payable specialist, Brenda Brown. Um she touches every transaction that comes through the district. She makes sure that she can check off all those boxes and she does an incredible job making sure that all of the information is there, it's appropriate, and she asks any questions if she's unsure before she lets it go to that final process. Um,
085the business office requires a purchase order for any transaction that's over $5,000. This adds an extra layer of approval for those high dollar purchases. Uh, board approval could also be required based on the specifics of the purchase. Our board policies are compliant with all state and federal laws. And then also, if it's a grant purchase, it may require some additional oversight as well. Uh when determining if we're going to apply for a grant, we first determine if that grant aligns with our strategic plan. There are many grants available out there and some of them either we don't qualify for or it may not be in our strategic plan and we decide to not continue the process. Um if we decide to apply, the application is completed in the appropriate platform. Part of the application process
086is to generate a detailed budget that's then reviewed and approved by the managing agency. Once the grant is awarded and the program budget is approved, we embed that budget in into our accounting system and then those awards would be reflected in our budget amendment process throughout the year based on when they're approved. uh periodic reviews are done by the business office to ensure that only allowable expenses are posted to those grant accounts and then reporting and funding requests are completed based on the specific grant requirements. Um every grant has different compliance requirements. So depending on if it's a federal, state or local grant, some of these steps may look differently. Uh the purchase of the purchasing card program is to create cost efficiency in the purchasing process. Uh it's intended to expedite transaction processing and
087eliminate the use of invoices in those low dollar amount transactions. All of our purchasing cards are issued through bank. Uh we chose this bank because it um the MSBO Michigan purchasing card consortium. That's the bank that they use. So there's a a big platform available to us to um help guide us through that process. Um all of our card holders are approved by the business office. We do issue cards in both individual names and the department depending on the needs. A purchasing card agreement is signed by the card holder acknowledging the roles and responsibilities of having a district credit card. Spending limits on all of those cards can fluctuate based on needs and to reduce exposure. Uh for example, at the beginning of the school year, we have higher spending, as teachers are coming back,
088buildings are buying things that we need, we might up those limits. But as spending calms down, I'll go in and lower those limits so that we don't have high dollar limits available on our credit cards or purchasing cards throughout the year when it's not needed. And um those are only changed in the business office. So those card holders don't have the authority to go in and make any changes to the card limits on their own. And then we also have the state required transparency reporting available on our website for all of our purchasing cards. Uh here's some notable data points for fiscal 25. Um as I mentioned earlier, Brenda touches all of these transactions. So she's a very busy lady. Um, last year we processed 7,246 accounts payable invoices, 6,833 credit card transactions, and we
089managed and reported on 40 grants. Uh, among those grants include both or all three federal, state, and local for current year funding and prior year carryover. Uh, our business office procedures directly support goal point 4.4 of our strategic plan. By creating the foundation for innovative and sustainable operations by centralizing resource management and standardizing our practices, we've created an efficient system that maximizes the educational impact of every dollar. Our financial procedures show integrity through transparent stewardship and innovation by using modern tools like Skyward for financial management and Amazon business for streamlined purchasing. Um, and I also want to recognize our business office team, our administrative team, and their support staff who work very hard to make sure our staff and students get what they need all while following all of these internal controls to ensure that
090our district remains fiscally sound. And I appreciate you having me here tonight. Does anybody have any questions? >> Questions? Um, I was given a list of like 32 shared time schools, but I don't see them in the check um register that we've how do we support them? Does that come from a different fund? Because I'm also not seeing um over lists quite a few community vendors and I'm only seeing a handful in the checkbook. So, are they getting paid differently than through the checkbook or >> So, they're paid they're paid at different times throughout the year. Correct me if I'm wrong. They get paid in October and then February. >> February. Yeah. >> Right. So, um they you should be seeing those in the check register for those two months. So, we don't pay them
091all year long for their resources. They get paid in one lump sum. Am I saying that correctly, Janet? >> Right. provide staff. >> Just to add to that, the year schools don't get paid by us. >> Get paid by us. Okay. >> No payment process to them. >> Okay. Okay. Just >> community vendors, sorry I did misspeak on that. The community vendors are the ones that we issue the payments, not the shared time schools. Thank you for saying that. >> Thanks. >> Anyone else? >> I was just going to say thank you for going over this. I know we had talked about it in in finance committee as well. So I appreciate the detail here and showing um some I mean some of the the card as far as the safeguards that are put in
092place the audit process how um kind of the items that we had talked about in the finance committee. I appreciate having this in front because I think it is important. I mean there a lot of money is spent over the year but a lot of money >> is it's necessary to spend money to to to do all of the uh activities and the resource that we have >> and I think the uh it's important to ensure that our community understands there are checks and balances of course we're not giving somebody just a credit card to go spend whatever they want. >> Right. Right. And I and I appreciate that sometimes being on the inside it's like it's second nature to us. It it was nice to be able to share that and you know show
093that we have those checks and balances in place. >> Thank you. I agree. I think that was very beneficial, very informative, not only for us but but the community. So, thank you finance committee for lifting that up and thank you so much and your team for putting this together and and showing us. I really appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Thanks again, Courtney. >> Thank you. >> All right. Item number eight. Do we have unscheduled one? Thank you. Emily Bush Okay. Um, good evening everyone. Um, in Michigan, school funding works a little differently than in many other states. Since proposal A in 1994, districts receive most of their money from the state through a per pupil foundation allowance. But there's a condition. Each district has to levy up to 18 mills on non-homestead property, businesses,
094rentals, and second homes to receive the full aotment. Homeowners, homeowners, primary residences are exempt. If a district doesn't levy the full amount, the state doesn't make up the difference. That creates an immediate shortfall in the operating budget, which covers salaries, buses, classroom programs, and student services. Alongside that operating millillage, many districts, including ours, also maintain a syncing fund. That's a restricted fund used for facilities, safety improvements, transportation, and technology. It can't pay salaries, but it protects operating dollars from being drained by unexpected building costs. Now, I want to be clear. I believe Michigan's school funding system needs reform. Proposal A is 30 years old and our state has changed dramatically since then. But until Lancing takes that on, we have to work within the framework we have now. Here's where Michigan stands. We spend about
095$16,200 to $17,500 per student, right around the middle of the pack nationally. 17 states spend more, 32 spend less. But here's the key. When you adjust for inflation, Michigan's per student funding is still below what it was in the early 2000s. In other words, we've increased the dollar amounts, but the actual purchasing power has not kept pace with rising costs. In Oxford, a large portion of what we do spend is already spoken for. About 2100 per student for administration, $2,400 for operations and food service, and nearly $900 just for debt interest. With so much tied up in fixed costs, cuts land squarely on staffing, programs, and supports. That matters because our district serves about 6,000 students, and staffing is where the safety net lives. Teachers, paras, bus drivers, custodians, and counselors. After the 2021 tragedy,
096Oxford expanded mental health supports through temporary recovery funds. Those investments meant more counselors and smaller case loads. But sustaining that safety net going forward depends on stable operating revenue. Without it, the very supports that help us recognize when a student is in crisis could be at risk. And let's remember, even though the last class of Oxford students who were in the building that graduated this spring, including my own son, our community is still navigating that trauma. Children in middle school and elementary schools across the district were locked down on November 30th, 2021. They're still here, still carrying that fear, still walking into classrooms every single day. So when we talk about millages operating or sinking, it's not just about dollars and cents. It's about whether we can keep enough adults in our schools to teach,
097to mentor, and to notice when a child is struggling. It's about whether this community can provide steady support in the face of state level budget uncertainty. and it's about whether we're willing to give Oxford kids what they need to heal, to learn, and to thrive. For those reasons, I'll be voting yes in November for the millillage. And I encourage anyone listening to join me. Also, if anyone would be interested in attending anformational sess session on how Michigan public school funding works currently, please reach out to me and I'd be happy to coordinate for the community. Thank you. >> Thank you, Emily. All right, scheduled activities. We have our next meeting count day on October 1st and coming down to our first recess in October. Any administrative clarification, Dr. Milligan? Any final board comments? Seeing none,
098it is 8:02. This meeting is adjourned.