Evening. I would like to call this board meeting to order. Today is Monday, 12/08/2025. We welcome and appreciate your presence at this meeting of the Grand Rapids Public School Board of Education. We respectfully request individuals silence their cell phones and refrain from clapping, cheering, or making audible comments during the meeting. If you wish to formally address the board, please fill out the comment card, which is located at the entrance, and place the completed card in the provided basket. I will ask that tonight all cards be turned in by the end of our
celebrations portion of the agenda, and I will determine the time limit at that time. It looks like it'll be three minutes. Can I please have trustee Rodriguez call our roll? Absolutely. Thank you. Trustee Melton? Present. Sorry. Trustee Moreno? Present. Trustee Rodriguez here. Trustee Williams? Present. Trustee Williamson? Present. Trustee Davis? Present. Trustee Kilpatrick? Present. VP Wade? Present. President Butchak? Here. We have a quorum. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda?
So moved. Second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. First up is our legislative presentation. We're going to invite Representative Glanville to the floor. Hello. Good to see you. How are you doing, girl? I owe you a text. Good to see you again. Thanks for being here. Hey. How are you? Good. Good. Good. Hey, Carol. Good to see you. Hey. How are you doing? It's Do I have to push the button?
Oh, no. I don't. Okay. Well, good evening, everyone. Let me see what we got here. Look at that. So, thank you so much for having me here today again. State representative Carol Glanville. For the folks in the audience I don't know. Are we we have folks at home too? Are we on? Okay. Alright. So, and I I asked, to to be able to address you this evening to just kinda go over, a high level vision of the school aid budget. And I I I know there's probably gonna be a lot of questions, and my staff is here as well. So if there's anything we can't, cover this evening, we're happy, of course, to, connect
with you offline as well and answer any questions you might have or help you work through any of the processes. So what we're gonna be looking at this evening is, you know, right what it says here, a little bit of an overview and the funding changes that we saw, some of the increases in new investments, some of the reductions in eliminations, and a little bit of the and a little bit of the boilerplate and policy changes that we are, confronting, at this time. So again, this is a very as you well know, this is a hundreds of pages document.
And I tried to pick, you know, the top lines for you. So, let me see. So, first of all, overview and funding changes. So, the school aid budget makes appropriations for the, just in general to the state's 537 local school districts, 285 public school academies, which are our charter schools, of course, and the 56 intermediate school districts for a total of roughly $24,100,000,000 And, what we
saw this year, in the budget that I think everybody was very excited about was the foundation allowance increase. There was an increase, a gross increase of, 59.3 or $593,500,000, which averages out across the districts to roughly $442 per pupil, which was the increase in the per in the foundation allowance. I know you all are very familiar with this because you've just been through your budget or your contract negotiations. And we'll talk a little bit more about that foundation allowance when we get to
the boilerplate changes and some of the other things. But on paper and dollar wise is what it looks like. We went from, 9,608 to 10,050 per pupil. And that, amount also went with cyber schools, which in the past have not received the same amount, also, our PSAs. So, we increased there was quite a significant increase for some of our, other schools. And then the MPSERS funding reduction and this is what, kind of plays into this foundation allowance piece. We reduced the state support for MPSERS by 659,300,000.
So, that weighed against the foundation allowance. Like I said, we'll talk about that a little bit more, later on. Another key piece to funding for our schools this year was the transportation, a. K. A. Road funding package. And, so the way that that worked out roughly for our schools is, the school aid fund took a $414,000,000 hit overall. The general fund, which funds the whole rest of the state, took a $458,000,000 hit,
and transportation, money got then moved into the transportation or road funding package to the tune of 1.18 1,100,000,000.0, almost $1,200,000,000 and for folks at home who aren't used to these kinds of numbers, it's really significant, but also notable that the 1,200,000,000.0 for roads is not the amount that we need. We are still a couple of billion, with a b, short on what we need to fund our roads adequately or for the long haul.
No pun intended. So, some increases in new investments that we saw, of note. Overall, there was a $7,300,000 estimated increase to funding, for GRPS, 203,000 for special education, 684 for bilingual ed, and 500, about $5.10 for mental health and school safety programs. And that's kind of what breaks down specifically for GRPS. Additional funding coming into our schools in general, universal school meals, we were able to,
to hold on to that program, which I'm very pleased about. I think we all know the importance of meals for our kiddos, for their ability to learn, for behavior issues, you know, all of all of those good things. It also helps with absenteeism. So, we know the value of school meals and I'm pleased that we were able to continue funding universal school meals. And we did expand those out to our non non public schools at all as well. But I just want to note here that the non public school portion of that does not come from school aid, because school aid dollars can only be used on
our public schools. Mental health and safety grants, 321,000,000, and I will talk about that again in a minute when we talk about some of the boilerplate stuff. And this can go towards mental health, school safety resource officers, and staff over four years. And again, non public schools are invited to participate in this program. They have to follow all the same, requirements for the grant funding and things that our public schools do. But again, they will have access to the same type of funding. And then, we did continue with the infrastructure and consolidation funding, which again will be
competitive grants. So I encourage the board to, work with if we can work with you as a legislative team across, all of the representatives and senators that we have in the area to make sure that GRPS, can get their ask in early, and we get all the supporting documents we need to, facilitate some kind of funding for consolidation because I know that is top of mind for you all. Additionally, we did have, some money spread out for, CTE programs in underserved areas, grow
your own educator programs. There's been, incentives to reduce K3 class sizes, particularly in urban areas and, some data integration money. So I moved some things around there. Under reductions and eliminations, there were reductions to MPSERS and the one time reserve fund. So, again, we dropped, the cost state support by 659,000,000 in SAF this year. The UAAL contribution cap for districts and other entities, was lowered from 21 to 15,
and we're doing some more regulatory work around that. And then we eliminated some one time funds that were included. So this is where we saw a lot of the roll ups, just to kinda shorten that. And so, again, for folks at home, we have certain categories within the state budget that go towards specific funding, allocations. And there's a large group of funding that falls under something called section 99, and those tend to be things like, funding for, math nation and different types of programs
like those where we get statewide licensing so that schools can buy into those at a much cheaper, if not free rate. A lot of those were rolled up instead of naming individual groups or individual programs that are being paid for. There's now just a bucket of money, that can be used as folks may or may not as folks may see fit or may request it to be used. So it's not automatically going to a specific vendor, but rather money might be available to, get into a competitive grant.
And so we can, again, discussion around that if that's something that you all need to understand better, investigate more for how we can how that benefits GRPS. We can dive into that, maybe not tonight, but as we get into those conversations. What was the name of that? That is hang on. It's just one time it's section 99. Section. Yeah. So, section 99 for the most part, there are other areas where we rolled up some funding. But for the most part, it's section 99 that carves out for all of those independent types of programs.
Some of them are through vendors, some of them are just, maybe some nonprofit partnerships and things like that that are specific to different areas in the state. It's what we might commonly refer to as an earmark. So so those were the ones that, for the most part, got rolled up and eliminated. There were some other really, in my opinion, valuable programs that got rolled up or removed from the budget, and we'll get to those in just a minute. And here they are. So, dropout recovery programs were cut by $1,800,000 College and career preparation for MCAN, which
is a college access network, lost a million dollars our Michigan STEM grants were completely wiped out, dollars 7,600,000.0, which is really, really, difficult because those that money was pulling down other money. And so, I believe it doubled or more in the loss of funding for STEM education. Locally grown produce program was cut completely. So $4,500,000 which was another loss that I thought was difficult, given the, you know, the push for healthier foods for our kids.
And then also hoping to lift the, education of agriculture and how it impacts us. And, of course, the partnerships we had with local farms, all of our schools statewide. So that partnership, you know, for the moment, is no longer. The West Michigan Teacher Collaborative and the Michigan Education Corps were both cut, 7,000,000, 5,000,000. I know that's a place that, folks here on the West Side of the state, and particularly in our urban school areas, so GRPS, you know, you're losing access to teacher pipeline, and folks who are being specifically trained to work in urban education areas.
So, again, a loss that we're hoping to, regain in the next, cycle. So, some boilerplate and, I don't see. Yeah. This wasn't the updated version. Okay. I missed a slide for you all. So I'll I'll I'll, make sure that you get it and explain it out. But a couple of things I wanted to cover, and then I'm gonna circle back and talk about 31 double a. So one sixty four k, this is a really important area to pay attention to when we look at funding for our schools because you see that it says MDE will withhold 5% of the recipient's stated payment, so that's the district, for noncompliance in
any of the following requirements. And those are federal requirements regarding school meals. So anything that comes down from the feds, if you're not, participating in that, it could jeopardize your state school aid. Requirement that all students complete the federal application for free and reduced price meals. I'm not sure that's a problem here in Grand Rapids, but in many districts, we have parents who are uncomfortable filling that out, for, you know, privacy reasons and governmental information reasons and things like this. And so that is, something I would caution you about.
Be aware of that piece. There's a prohibition against student financial incentives for attending on count day, so you can't, you know, pay kids to come to school on count day, which I know some schools have piloted to, a relative success. A requirement that student survey questions be public. And then the requirement that districts not using MDE designated evidence based curriculum must notify parents. Don't worry about this one. There is no such thing as MDE designated evidence based curriculum.
So so I think you're in compliance on that piece. Representative Glanville, do you mind going back to the, requirement related to the federal applications? And Yeah. So to your your point, I know that that has been an issue. And then with kind of the other Mhmm. Undercurrent of Yep. Things that are taking place across our nation and people supplying information. Yes. Can you unpack that a little bit and even suggestions what that means for schools that they don't is there a requirement of 100%, 85%?
What does that look like? Yeah. I'm from from what I understand, that is a 100% requirement. However, I know that there are a number of districts that have concerns about that. Like you said, I mean, there's there's always a group of parents who are uncomfortable sharing information with the government, for whatever reason. And, you know, regardless of the climate of the country, and we've seen that, you know, increase recently, but there, you know or there are parents who say, well, I don't need it, so I don't need to fill that out.
The government doesn't need my information because I'm not even participating in the program and things like this. So there's been a lot of pushback, across the state, so I am not a 100% sure where that has landed. To my knowledge, there's no active litigation, but I'm not, it's not clear for me. I'm not sure that the rules have actually been written through MDE yet. So, I that's something I can definitely follow-up on. Thank you. Yeah. I mean and and as a reminder, we just, you know, completed this budget in the last couple of months. So, some of these pieces are still rolling out, but I know there have been
certainly have been questions, and I'll be happy to come back with a little bit more information around that for you all, and how that how you can handle that. Okay. The new compensation requirement. So, this is another interesting one. It provides that provides intent, and I'm not sure what that means, but provides intent that districts make permanent increases to educator and staff compensation with prioritization for starting salaries in any year where their foundation allowance is increased. So, again, I know you just went through your contract negotiations.
And I know in a year like this where it looked like dollars on the budget were a significant increase to foundation allowance, but when you dive into the boilerplate, you realize increase to foundation allowance. But when you dive into the boiler plate, you realize that's not the case because there were also, mandatory expenditures attached to that foundation allowance. So it came down to roughly $50 per student, not 400. And how can you give a raise on $50 per student? You know, particularly when you have other expenditures that you're trying to cover with your
pupil foundation allowance. So this this, again, is a space that I think we're gonna need some clarification on. I know we need clarification on. And, one sixty four l is the new way to to request these earmark funds. So if there is something in that 99 category that I mentioned earlier that GRPS has counted on in the past and would like to continue to see, we need to get those requests. We need to start working on requests for those as soon as possible.
So just be aware of that that we can get those done early this spring and have them in on time. And on time, I believe, is forty five days prior to the budget deadline. So that would be what would that be? April? Late April, early May? Yeah. Because June 30 is our budget deadline. So just making sure if there's anything, in there that we, like I said, again, have that requested. Not a guarantee, of course, but that we have everything lined up and we have, all the paperwork we need for that.
And then the last one, and I'm sorry I added this slide a little bit late in the game, but I wanted to talk about 31 a just a little bit here. So let me, let me get to that one. That's what happens when you do your homework at the last minute. Hang on a sec. Do you have 50? Do you have the $31 the slide? Alright. I said, I'll make sure I send this over too so you have it all. The 31 double a, that is the, school safety dollars that were, kind of a new category this year.
And so, currently, those are in litigation. Right? And the most recent, the most recent decision on that was that schools would have until December 4. They extended the deadline from the November to, December 4, which, of course, was last week. My understanding is that all schools are currently opted in and that the court, will be making a decision by December 19 and in the event that their decision you
may rescind your opt in if you so choose after the decision on the nineteenth. And just to make sure everybody understands, the concerns here are that in the in the language for the boiler plate for 31 double a, It forces the schools to waive, quote, any privilege that may otherwise protect information from disclosure in the event of a mass casualty event. And the intent, of course, is to, I mean, and what they mean really by
mass casualty event is some kind of, school shooting or event such as that. But because there's no actual definition for mass casualty event, but because there's no actual definition for MASH casualty event, it could also encompass routine but serious incidents. For example, if there are multiple injuries at an athletic event, let's say a portion of bleachers were to collapse, or which would never happen at our new field. But, or if there were a bus accident or something like this. Right? And then it also jeopardizes, the compliance that schools are supposed to follow in terms
of things like FERPA, FOIA, and the Open Meetings Act because you're being forced to provide all of this information that would normally be protected under these federal laws. In addition, with the Open Meetings Act, anything that you were trying to do in a closed door meeting, if you were responding to some sort of emergency event, that you may not want to share the details with the general public until you have the details, that would not be you would not be able to do that. So, there are some significant concerns from our school district leaders, our ISDs, around, this,
and they are currently, working through the court system to have that clarified. But again, it could it it could result in a very difficult decision for you all as as board members because if the, ruling does not come down in the favor of our school districts, then schools are in a position where they will have to decide to either give up the privacy rights or lose millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars, for school safety and mental health.
So, that's the situation today. Hopefully, before we break for Christmas, we'll have some resolution on that, and things will be a little bit clearer. So, that's kind of the overview I wanted to give. I'm happy to, answer any questions or attempt to answer any questions you might have, explain things a little bit more if you want even some questions about the process. I'm happy to dive into that a little bit. I do serve as a minority vice chair in the school aid committee and MDE. I was also on what they call conference committee this year as part of the
appropriations committee. So I was part of the team that passed the final budgets onto the floor for a vote. So a little bit more in the mix, maybe than some others. So if you have any questions. I don't know that it's a question, but, we've talked before about wanting some clarity as well on what a survey entails for that portion of I think it's in January. Yeah. Okay. I will get on that. Like, how do we define student survey? Yeah. That's a great question.
And I really appreciate the surveys that we do here, around the school, around mental health for our students, and what makes them successful. So, I would hope that we can continue that with some privacy. Right? Anonymity, maybe, is a better word. Well, thank you for this presentation. It's always good to know more about the the budget and what we have to work with and have to contend with as well. So you mentioned that we're about $2,000,000,000 underfunded for our roads. Uh-huh. And Michigan Education Justice Coalition, and maybe you also agree that we're underfunded by about
4 and a half billion for our schools. Yep. So when we talk about things that are underfunded, right, are we talking about prioritizing the wrong thing? Are we talking about not enough money in our Michigan state budget? Are you talking about both? Can you clarify that for me? So, I mean, you have to understand for us as a state legislature, we're responsible for all the things. Right. Right? So, we are responsible for making sure we have, adequate infrastructure, adequate schools, adequate health
care, adequate environmental protections that our farmers and our veterans and our state police and our corrections, like, we have to so, when we talk about priorities Mhmm. I would say we have to really approach it from the sense that all of those things are our priorities. That is the job that we are elected to do. And then what we need to figure out is how we do that, and what, you know, so then and I and I don't wanna necessarily say it's a priority, but what we what the collective has the willingness to do.
And as you all know, I am a I am, a fervent supporter of education and funding for education, and I am not afraid to say that you can never spend there's no such thing as spending too much money on education. So I would be the first to line up and say, let's do it. But it's not about my willingness. It's the collective willingness. And so, you know, where there's a will, there's a way. If we wanted to fund our schools, we could do that. But it would be mean making cuts in other places. Or it would mean raising revenue, which is raising taxes.
So, it's not just our willingness, but also the willingness of the people in the state of Michigan to chip in or to buy in to that system. So, that's where the difficulties lie is in pulling 10,000,000 people together Right. And get us all rowing the boat in the same direction. So I appreciate the work that you all do in your advocacy. And, you know, the more that you can continue to, collaborate with us, share with us, that constituents can reach out, you know, regardless of whether you agree or disagree
with what's being done. We need all of those voices in order to help make the help make good decisions that people will, you know, for the most part. If they don't agree with them or they're not happy, at least they understand why. I think that's at the heart of it. So yes. And the 4,500,000,000.0, yes. We are underfunded annually. That's part of the school finance research collaborative. So if you haven't dug into the SFRC, that's a good place to get some information about, funding for schools across the state of Michigan, where we're deficient, some ideas for where we can move some money, you know, things like that.
The impacts of prop a, how inflation has impacted our school dollars, all of those things are included there. Thank you. Mhmm. Any other questions? I just wanna say, representative, thank you so much. This budget, had its challenges, but thank you for being a strong advocate, for public education and GRPS in particular. So thanks for coming and presenting to us and all the work you're doing. Yes. And I appreciate your diplomacy there. Yeah. But certainly, like I said, do not be shy in speaking up. One thing that I would love, you know, you may have heard that there's been I don't know if you've heard. There's been some talk about a supplemental.
So supplemental is when we come back and we add or change the appropriations bill and some so we're kinda tweaking it on the back end. It can involve additional investments. It can involve changes to boilerplate. I don't know that we have extra money this year that we wouldn't necessarily be moving money in, especially as we're looking at what's coming down from the feds. We need to protect, you know, we don't know what's coming. So holding on to whatever money, you know, and we do. We have money in our rainy day fund. The state's not broke. But, you know, maintaining that. But what I mean to say is I think there is a lot of opportunity
to clean up the boilerplate language in this budget, not just in the education budget, but across the board. So I I I would hope that we are going to do that, but I have not, I don't I have not had word that that is going to happen. So again, if that's something that you, think is important, that we clarify some of the things here, please reach out to representatives, to folks who can advocate for you in Lansing outside of just your elected officials, to push forward that, you know, that
desire if that is something that you would like to do as a board or as constituents here in the district. All. I appreciate your time this evening. I really appreciate what you do. I know it's not easy being an elected official, so thank you for your service. You're welcome. Thank you. Okay. We are moving into negotiations team update. Yep. So trustee Rodriguez, you could read us in. Yes. Yep. So, I move that the board go into closed session for the purpose of a strategy and negotiation session connected with negotiations of various collective bargaining groups at the request of the superintendent as permitted by Open Meetings Act section eight one c.
Now Now we'll do a roll call vote starting with Trustee Melton. Yes. Trustee Moreno. Yes. Trustee Rodriguez. Yes. Trustee Williams. Yes. Do we need a second for the motion? Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll second the motion and now I'm ready. Thank you. I appreciate you. Trustee Williamson? Yes. Trustee Davis? Yes. Trustee Kilpatrick? Yes. VP Wade? Yes. President Puchek? Yes. Yes. That motion passed. I was just so excited to get into this conversation. Thank you. Okay. We will move into close. Okay. We are going to move into the celebration portion of our agenda.
Just a reminder that public comment cards need to be turned in by the end of this portion of the agenda, please. Thank you. Doctor Roby? If I can have missus Kelly Green and mister Dan Van Till come forward to talk about the holiday card. Good evening. Doctor Roby and president BlueJek and esteemed school board members, I am Kelly Green, and I am the chief area instructional leader for the Northwest as well as the fine arts, health and PE departments.
And this evening, it's my pleasure to introduce our director of the fine arts and health and PE departments, mister Dan Van Till. And mister Van Till is going to present the school board and superintendent's holiday e card. Someone turn it over to Mr. Van Till. Hello Doctor. Roby, President Butchek, other members of the board. It's my, pleasure to present the holiday card. This year we had, 21 different GRPS schools submitted works of art to this year's card. 46 works of art were selected out of 93 submissions.
This year our soundtrack was laid down by the Ottawa Hills Advanced Choir. They performed the song I love the winter weather under the direction and production of GRPS choir music production teacher, Mr. Eric Love. GRPS communications department visual content manager Evan Leonard who is our district media ninja, put together this incredible video, for us that we're really proud of. The, communications team will put this live on our socials beginning at 07:30PM this evening
after the board of ed meeting and after our opportunity to get presented to you. So without further ado and I'm gonna see if I have to click this one more time. It is. Happy holidays. Alright. Thank thank you all for your continued support of this, annual tradition.
We appreciate you. Thank you. That was fun. Thank you. Thank you. Our next celebration will be with respect to our fall sports. And so if I can invite invite mister Larry Johnson forward and also our athletic directors, from both Union and Ottawa Hills high schools. And I guess I should have said their names. I'm sorry. Mister Justin Walker and mister Marcus Harris. Good evening, president Butchek, doctor Roby, superintendent, and other board trustees. I think these two gentlemen don't really need an introduction.
Marcus Harris, the AD here at the Ottawa Hills High School, and, Justin Walker, the athletic director at Union High School. They're here tonight to give an overview of our fall sports and some of the accomplishments of some of our scholar athletes. Good evening, superintendent, Doctor. Roby and school board members. Thank you. I'm honored to be able to be here and present a brief athletic report which reflects not only the accomplishments that our scholar athletes had, in the field of competition, but also the impact they were able to make, in the classroom as well in
their community. This fall season, we had 10 all conference athletes and five honorable mention athletes. In soccer, we had over had five, academic all all district student, scholar athletes. And then four first team all district, scholar athletes. In volleyball, we had one one honorable mention. And then in tennis, we had two conference, all all conference scholar athletes as well as an all region, team selection. The tennis team also was named to the MHSA academic all state.
This year they were second place out of 327 teams. We are number two academically across the state of Michigan for division one schools. So that is a huge accomplishment. For cross country, we had a honorable mention, as well. Football, we had, two all conference athletes and one honorable mention. In swim and dive, we had one conference, conference athlete, nine conference finalists and Tania Ott who was a state qualifier for dive for the Red Hawks this year. The Red Hawks, Lady Red Hawks also set 25 personal best records this year, in
the in their competition. Lastly, before I turn over mister Harris, this fall, the Union scholar athletes have compiled over four hundred hours of community service amongst our student athletes. So that is a great accomplishment to the work that they are doing both again in the classroom and competition and in the community. Mr Harris. Thank you. Good evening, superintendent, doctor Roby, president, but check board members. Thank you for having me here today to talk about the Ottawa Hills Bengals and some of the highlights from the fall this past fall season.
During the fall season, we're in a Okay White conference. We had 13 all conference selections and two honorable mention. Cross country coached by Dan Ebright had another successful season in which they had four student athletes that earned all conference. We had a, a state qualifier, Madeline, who had for the state finals. She ran a personal best and finished, much higher than her, than she was ranked, this year. This was Madeline's second trip, to the state finals, and, this marks the eleventh year
in a row that Ottawa Hills cross country program has had someone compete at the state finals. So Danny Bryce has done a a wonderful job. Volleyball, we have one honorable mention athlete. Also, our volleyball program coached by Melina Strelo. This is her fifth year running the, GRPS youth volleyball program. Third grades, third, fourth, and fifth. Also the middle school program. And this year, we had 75 girls that came out for volleyball program. So we competed at tough conference in Okay White where there's state ranked teams all
across, but our girls, competed very well, this year. In girls swimming, we had five all conference athletes, in girls swimming, and we sent, nine swimmers to the state finals, this year, and they competed very, very well. Also, we had one soccer player made all conference, one tennis player, and two football players, made all conference and won our honorable mention. Also, Katie Kerr, also broke two school records, at the state finals in the 50
free and the 100 free. And the Ottawa Hills women's team finished, twentieth in the in the division one state finals, tying their highest ever in, school history. So I thank you for having us here today, and we're off and running with winter sports now. Got basketball games, what, today and tomorrow. And so, hopefully, we see you guys out. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? Do you wanna talk about, the upcoming union height Union Ottawa Hills game over the
winter break? Yes. December 23 at Van Andor Arena. The the Union Red Hawks and Ottawa Hills Bengals will be competing against each other at the Van Andor Arena. This is the first time they play each other at the, arena. And so we're just encouraging all of our families and friends and staff to come out over the holiday break, to watch that game. I believe it's you guys are up at five? Varsity girls, 05:00. The varsity boys at Apollo that twenty twenty minutes after that completion. Good luck. So it's a great opportunity to get our kids some great exposure playing on that
on that particular court. Where do you get tickets for that? Tickets can be purchased from the, Van Andel Arena. I believe you can go online as well and purchase. Yeah. You can, purchase them at Van Andel, but we're also working with our communications office who's getting has a flyer with the link for ticket sales as well. Cool. Yeah. They will not accept any of our passes, for this particular event, but tickets are only $5. So Mhmm. We'll make those, available. That's fun. Congratulations. Congratulations on all the success of the players. These are questions I want to ask today, but, I'm I'm interested in athletics, of
course, but I think that, for a lot of reasons, I think athletics are some something that can drive people to our district. And so some of the things as a board member, I wonder when I go to the games one of the things I always wonder is, like, how many like, what schools are represented on this team? And so that's some things that interest me as a board member are, like, when like, what schools are playing where, what what students are, I guess, choosing and how they choose a school to play for, how it's offered to them.
Is it because they go live on this side of town or go to school on this side? And also, I guess I'd like to hear about successes outside of the the court per se or the field. But things that our, athletics is doing that I hear about is a major fundraising success. I watched on Facebook where a, a group of people did a a huge fundraiser for Ottawa's Basketball Team, their girls basketball team. I thought that was really good. I guess I'm reporting out.
And then, but just hearing about about community support around our athletics and how community can be, more supportive of athletic teams, specifically or as a whole for the school. And then, like, a different fundraising initiatives. I guess, whether it's a email or something like that, but that's something that I I think I would like to hear. I'm not sure about everybody, but, it interests me because it's a way that we can support and better know about athletics that's going on. Yeah. That's a fair question.
I think that, tonight, they were prepared to talk about the celebrations. Mhmm. And we can put together a comprehensive, a list of, activities that the teams all teams been involved in and some of the things they're gonna be involved in in the future. And I was and I was glad to hear about the community service. Love to hear more about that too. Yeah. I I loved hearing about the, elementary volleyball program and the numbers that we get from things like that. And I agree with miss Wade. Some celebrations aren't just about scores or who's making it to all conference.
I think I see the program growing in a lot of ways through my kids participating, throughout the years, and, I'm just proud of things like the elementary volleyball. I think that that gets a lot of kids involved, and it sounds like it's growing our, secondary teams. So those are huge celebrations in my mind. I do wanna add that. I I love love that the band is coming to the football games. It's bringing out a big crowd. I noticed I don't remember last year if they were playing at all the games,
but the games the football games that I've come to, the band was there playing. I think that really added a a great spark to our our football games and getting people out. So congratulations on a nicer crowd at your football games. Good job, guys. The other thing I will add, and this is sports adjacent. So I'm saying it's sports adjacent. We had, on Thursday of last week, GR Montessori Elementary Middle High Choir got to sing the national anthem for the GR Gold, and they were super excited to be
on the floor of the Van Andel and, and watch kind of the beginnings of the the warm up drills. And I just wanted to kind of lift that up for how, we're seeing lots of different things that are, again, related to athletics, but not necessarily a direct correlation. Nice. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Our final celebration is with respect to, travel and allowing our our staff to experience other cultures and communities.
And so I will bring forward doctor Lovelady Mitchell. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening, Doctor. Roby, president Butchak, distinguished board members. I have the distinct honor of amplifying our Nellie h Stevens award. It is usually awarded once a year. It is through partnership with the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, where we award an educator who has the intention of traveling abroad, usually during the summer months, who has the intention of bringing back the learning and exposing their students to the wide, vast world.
And, what's even sweeter is that sitting beside me, I have a 29 year old seasoned teacher. All Grand Rapids Public Schools. I think that alone deserves a round of applause. Twenty nine years. I'm not 29, though. We didn't know. So twenty nine years of teaching a Kent County native, just to clarify. She teaches some of our youngest scholars. Grandma was prophetic and sane. I think you should go into education. Grandma was right twenty nine years later.
We have miss Chris missus Christy Raymond in front of us, and, she's even, giving birth to another generation of educators and her children, or at least her daughter. And so without further ado, I'm going to ask her to talk a little bit about some of the things that she's thought about related to how she's bringing back her travels, share a little bit about where you went, and the award if I was not, clear about that $1,500 in reimbursement for the trip that she took this
past summer. So what might you want to share? So I do work at Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue. And this summer, my husband and I traveled, on a cruise. But we did leave from Venice, Italy, and then we went to Athens, Greece, and Santorini, Greece. We also went to Croatia. We went to Dubrovnik Croatia and Zadar Croatia. And, yes, I do work with some very young children, but they love to learn about the world. They love to learn about faraway places and flags and maps and one of our standards is actually to learn about the American flag, but I can take it a
step further and we can learn about different flags of the places that I've been. And because we are a language school, we can turn tie it into the languages that they speak in those different countries and about empathy for different cultures and the different foods that I enjoyed while we were and my husband enjoyed on the cruise. One thing that was kind of fun that we did, we learned about different traditions, different cultures, and I'm starting a photo book. I'm almost done with it. I've I've been through about three cities. It's taking a while because it takes so many pictures, but I'm planning on bringing
that in, showing it to the kids, almost like a little video presentation, to, you know, take them on a trip with me because I can't take them with me there, but the photo book will bring that to life for them. So I'm excited to do that. So thank you. So, we do this annually. And while I can't pinpoint how long it's been happening, I, have seen some things that would suggest at least for a decade. And so we hope to do it again, this upcoming year, and we've talked a little bit about how we ensure we get even more folks, eager to do this
very thing. What questions might you have, if any? I don't have a question, but I knew I remembered your name. And I don't think you had my kids at Southwest, but one of my kids really wanted to be in your class. Oh. I don't know what grade it was, but I'm like, miss Wayman, I know that name. But so you must be a really cool teacher because she's like, I wanted miss Wayman. Aw. It was so cute. That's great. Thank you. Again, I think that the fact that she's been in education twenty nine years, Grand Rapids Public Schools is representative's report.
So we have RJ representatives report. So we have RJ Beasley with us. RJ, do you have anything you wanna share? The only thing I got to share is the superintendent, scholar advisory council will be at Kids Food Basket this Wednesday. And I'm happy to announce that I won the Junior Giants Awards. Thank you. Hey. Moving on to our report outs. Secretary's report, doesn't look like we have one tonight. Nope. City board liaison, that's me. So, thank you.
Things from our meeting a couple of weeks ago hold on. I gotta okay. Alex Smart gave an update on the work that we are doing with JLL and shared that with those representatives from the city who were there as well. The work on Alexander and stacking, specifically, right now, staff's going through, all the interested parties thus far, and JL has broker opinions of value for those buildings.
A draft RFP is in review, and he shared the progress. We're making with community engagement process. January coming up in about a month, there will be community meetings for each building where people can come in and inquire. I believe Stocking will be held at Stocking, but Alexander will be held at MLK, or at Franklin Campus. I don't recall the location, but we'll make sure that yeah. Let me share that. Because that building, isn't outstanding for community meeting.
And then RFP submissions will be due in early April. We also had an update on the turkey trot, but that was prior to the turkey trot. I heard it was very successful. It was. And, the city gave just some details about their strategic plan efforts, just an overview of their values, and their new community master plan. They emphasized the equity lens that they're taking into all city operations, the land use
collaboration with the schools, emphasizing housing affordability initiatives, and strengthening their communication and engagement. There was some discussion be with all of us at the table on concerns, within the immigrant community regarding ICE and how we can acknowledge the valid fears in the community without causing unnecessary alarm. And so just affirmed the commitment to each other to keep information timely, to be
sharing what we know, and, coordinating responses when things do come up. And then we also got, our community's children report, and there was a video shown on the GROW 1,000 program. There is much more details in the minutes if anybody's interested. Okay. Finance committee update, miss Williams. Alrighty. Alrighty. For finance committee, few of these items are coming before the board tonight, such as the purchasing agenda and understanding of the bond refunding resolution is also part of the,
our discussion from our finance committee. We also talked about, donations again, from different, entities that I believe are coming up on our, agenda later. And then, lastly, it was fairly short and brief, which is, we didn't have a whole lot, but, we also talked about our October 2025 financial statements. At that, meeting, Ms. Cribbs noted that the October memorandum had been added to, a chart for increased, I
wanna make sure, readability for us. So, that is basically, the work that we did in our finance committee. So those items are coming forward today. Thank you. And facilities committee update? Okay. I know you just had that meeting. We did just have that meeting. So in that meeting, we had a presentation from both, plant Moran Cressa and, JLL. We, in our facilities master plan, we received some updates with regards to our bond use dollars, activities that are completed, as well as activities that are still ongoing and
underway. And then, there was, a presentation from JLL, which talked about, kind of, our buildings that are functionally obsolete, which basically means that they are just buildings that, we just really can't do what we would like to do with them. And so, the property can't really be changed or updated, too much. And so that's a part of, our reduction. We also talked about, eight particular schools that this, board has kinda laid out there
there that we can do and proceed with, utilizing, this process that we are working through to try to look at for all eight of those properties. We, are not set on what a timeline looks like on how we'll continue to bring properties forward, but we know for sure that we're starting with, stacking in Alexander. We also talked about, updates on leases. So we know that of some of those buildings, those eight buildings, we do have
tenants in those buildings. And so there, are conversations that are being had with those tenants as to, what we will be use utilizing the properties for in the future, and there won't be clauses added to any updated leases that will give us an out if we need to move forward faster with those properties. And then lastly, and I think really important, we did receive, some thoughts with regards as to how to proceed with river, the Montessori. And, so there, is a proposal and there'll be some communication with to try to
get some feedback from families, around, what we will do with the Montessori program, specifically, Riverside, and whether or not we will, kind of, keep the elementary separate and then do a high school situation. So it is some, initial wanderings underway, and We're trying to receive some feedback, but there's no decisions that have been firmly made in that regard. So I I do wanna be clear about that, but there is, going to be
some, letters going out to try to seek some, feedback around this initial kind of thought about what we could do to make sure that we provide our Montessori families with a separate space, that will allow them to grow as well as allow Innovation Central to grow. Thank you. Thank you. I also have on here an opportunity for you, missus Williams, and then also miss Melton to share any of the learnings you gathered at the MASB leadership conference.
Well, go ahead, miss Williams. Oh. I went in. That'll have notes. But I'll try to keep it brief and concise. I found this to be a very much a a learning conference with regards to classes. They were very this was my, first time attending this particular conference. So it was a lot of, of classes that I have signed up for. So this is a great conference for, board colleagues to really get the educational, background
and and, great networking conference. You are in this conference and in these classes with, school board members from all over the state. And then there are different, things that are shared about the conference. But my quick takeaway was that, this is an annual statewide conference that provided us access to training opportunities that benefit the individual board member as well as the district from us get gathering that learning. The conference topics included how we operate as a united team with the super intended,
understanding data, prioritizing, team development and, knowledge building about boards overall and our governance. The conference was also, an excellent opportunity to learn from fellow board members, take time to build personal relationships and share lessons learned and best practices. Two of the classes that I attended quickly were conflict resolution and, community relationships. I was also a delegate, and I wanted to share that the delegate assembly went
well. There were, some small proposals that failed, but all of those proposals were around equity and access to, marginalized communities. And, they just they've they failed. There was a lot of discussion, from multiple different people, but in the end, they all of those failed and we decided, to move forward with the bylaws language as it is currently written. And then again, lastly, this was a conference that provided great tools for public education
for us to be able to utilize here in Grand Rapids, and then also have a voice at the state level through MASB. Yeah. So I I wanted to just be able to add on, from the details and the context of the of the, leadership conference was really positive. Like Trustee Williams just said, there was some dissent among some of the little individual components we were there to vote on. But as a whole, the the the, all of the different sessions you could choose from and, of course, all the keynotes were really positive, talking a lot about, where we are today in education.
So it was really helpful to kind of think within the context of this really difficult budget that had just been passed when we were there, and to still know that we have a vision to accomplish within school systems. And they talked a lot about, well, especially one speaker spoke a lot about the idea of betterments, that we're all here for the betterment of kids, but that when we really hone in on what does betterment look like and how do we get there together, it's kind of taking all these arrows that are all going generally forward and honing them into a specific direction. And I just as you know, that resonates with me.
And, and another one one of the things that stuck out was that idea that we all know why we're doing education, but the specifics about how are what we're working out together. And what an encouragement that we're in a space where we all know why we're here, and that's not true of most organizations, that we're all here, for the betterment of students and their future lives. So, yeah, it was really exciting to be a part of, to both learn the real specifics of some of the board work we do, to vote on the big picture things that happen in the state, and then to be inspired along the way.
That's fine. Thank you. Okay. Superintendent's report. No report. Okay. Public comment. Up first, we have oh. I'll read this in. Yes. Alright. Hey, everyone. Today, there's one public comment section on the meeting agenda, which accommodates both agenda and non agenda items. Each comment period is limited to a maximum of three minutes, unless otherwise directed by the board president. But today, it will be three minutes. We ask the speakers refrain from making abusive or disrespectful statements about board members, employees, volunteers, or contractors. Should you have a complaint regarding a specific board member, employee, volunteer, or contractor, please
utilize the appropriate process outlined in board policy ninety four fifty. Speakers will be invited to address the board one at a time. Before beginning your comment, please clearly state your full name for the official minutes. I will monitor your time with this beautiful timer that we have here, ensuring each speaker adheres to the allotted time of three minutes. You'll be asked to conclude your comments promptly when your time has expired. Board members do not respond during public comment. All concerns will be forwarded to the appropriate staff for consideration. We value your input, and thank you for sharing with us tonight. Okay.
Up first, we have Kamir Brown, followed by Federica Brown. Hello. My name is Camille. I go to Yes. Thank you. Loud and clear.
No. I am in the third grade, and my brother, my children, the fourth grade. We have to play in the tail and the pro and blue and white zones. These are are not fun as the rainbow zone. We are asking the the school district to help us make our school a better place to play in when we have have a big field that we would like
to use. We would like to have a soccer foot and soccer equipment. We would like to have a place where we could play tug award because Bubba wants jump ropes and chalk. We will also like to have equipment inside and recesses days and have a Bubba club and a shop where our parents can buy things after school.
This is how we would like to change our environment. My brother and I would would like to have our school be in a better place. Thank you. Thank you. Kamir, can we have your note? Because some of us, it was a little hard to understand. And if you can give it to missus Anderson, she'll wave her hand so that we can and we'll make sure that you get your note back. I just wanted to make sure that we caught everything. Is that okay? She's right there. Thank you.
What's your Frederica Brown? Followed by Yolanda Howe? Good evening, madam, superintendent, board chairs, and trustees. My name is Frederica Brown. I'd like to speak to you this evening as a parent from the Shawmut Hills And St. Frost Middle High School, a parent family organizer, and a parent who knows what it feels to face anti black culture in our district. I first want to describe my experience and concerns as a parent at Shawmut. As you may know, the drawn out contract negotiations have caused many of our educators
and principals to leave our district. Our principal, unfortunately, was one of those principals, which left us without a principal at the beginning of the school year. We were appointed two substitute principals who were there no more than a month and a half after school resumed. We then got appointed an interim principal that is now currently at our school. Parents did not have any input on the selection process. When this is done and parents do not have a chance to have a voice, it can lead to an Anarchial Culture where policies and practices are put into place
that are the sole decision of an administrator or of an interim principal. In October, the interim principal at our school implemented a policy that required parents and caregivers to walk their child in if they are tardy. The parent organizer in me voiced my opinion that parents were not included in the implementation of this new policy. But being that I actually agree that this is a great way to implement not only safety, but also accountability for lay students, I did not argue against it. It was the day that this policy came into pow into effect that I knew
white parent voice should have been included. I pulled up to my children's school on the first day of this new policy, and the interim principal decided to take it upon himself to open my car door and commenced to tell me I must walk my children into school because they were a woman and late. I was first appalled that he would have the audacity to even open my car door. Also, the fact that I was not greeted with any kind of humility made me made me to walk had me walk in my children's school in pajama shorts and a t shirt was also embarrassing and intriguing for me.
I am urging the school board to consider an addendum to our school board school board rules and policies to not only incorporate a parent's builder parent's caregiver's builder rights, but to also make it practice and mandatory for the parents and caregivers and staff to have an equal amount of voice when key administrative staff such as principals and executive directors are considered for our schools. Now I would like to speak from my position as a parent organizer. I feel the information and communication are only accessible so parents, caregivers like myself who
look for information. It would be nice to hear robocalls reminding us to attend school board meetings and how to give public comment and inviting parents and caregivers to come out. Thank you. Yolanda Howe followed by Eliza Moody. Hello. I'm Jolanda Howe. Children. Jolanda Howe. Parent of two, GRPS students. To Doctor. Roby and school board members, thank you for bringing us closer to a new contract agreement so teachers can count on health insurance and a modest annual raise in salary.
The recent GRPS news reported this proposal as a historic investment in educators. But according to the salary chart, the majority of our GR PACE teachers will still be paid at the lowest level in Kent County. Doctor. Roby said, We are confident this agreement will help retain our exceptional teachers and staff while also attracting new educators to our district. Unfortunately, retain or recruit great teachers when surrounding districts like Northview, Comstock Park, Kentwood, Sparta, Wyoming, Lowell, Godfrey Lee and others continue to offer higher pay?
It's worth asking how we fell so far behind in teacher pay that we must dip into the fund balance to cover raises that still won't give our teachers - our district - a competitive advantage over others. The answer has been consistently voiced by teachers during public comment time and was called out in the Eureka Report. We are overspending on executive level positions. Money spent on redundant executive and administrative level positions might be the missing piece that would allow our district to robustly invest in staff salaries and classroom support, including more
interventionists. I urge you to carefully evaluate the roles of central office staff and ask, Is this already being handled at the local school level? I'll highlight some examples. Our schools already have principals and administrative teams. Why do we also employ executive directors? These roles were specifically called out by the exec Eureka Report as lacking clear purpose and value. Similarly, family engagement is already handled by principals, teachers and PTOs through regular newsletters, family nights and coffee with the principal. There are some central roles that are essential, like supporting English learners and ensuring access
to transportation for students with unstable housing. Roles that increase equity and directly support students should absolutely remain. But it is unacceptable that we rank at the bottom in teacher salaries and vacancies while also ranking at the top of administrative and executive staff compared to nearby districts. That is a problem you need to solve. The board is responsible for thoroughly evaluating the budget and making necessary cuts. Please make it your top priority this year, in the coming year, to identify and eliminate redundancies in administrative and executive positions so salary increases can continue in sustainable ways
without relying on fund balance. I do not take this request lightly, but I see teachers stand before you consistently saying they lack not only salaries, but also resources for classroom support to help students, our kids, thrive. Please do the hard work of determining which worlds are essential and which need to go so we can invest in our students. Thanks. ELIZA MUDI. Hello. My name is Elisa Moody. I am coming here because I had a concern about the staff of the athletic
department, and it's specifically coach Shannon and how he tore my son down. I work hard to make sure my son is respectable and listening to his teachers making good grades. He attends City High Middle School, but he did play sports here at Ottawa. Coach Shannon is I really feel like he should not be leading our children for the simple fact that instead of lifting them up and doing what coaches do, helping them where they are weak at strengthening their skills, he's tearing them down, telling them
that they're not good enough. And if I'm that's contradicting to what I'm building in my son for him as a black young man, for him to come to a school to play sports and a man is telling him he's not good enough, yelling at him, humiliating him when he hasn't done anything disrespectful to that man or said anything. So that was just my main concern. I don't know if I address you all correctly. This is my first time coming here. But, yeah, I just wanted to put that out there that I really don't feel
like coach Shannon needs to be leading our Children if he don't know how to properly coach. When I spoke to him about the situation, he told me that the the reason he yelled at my son is because my son asked him a question twice. He, I asked him to apologize, and he told me that there is no need for him to apologize because that's what coaches do. So when I told him that's not what coaches do, I have dealt with plenty of coaches that my son does track, football, basketball, and I've never heard of any
of them tearing him down or telling him he's not good enough. Wherever he was weak with the skills of the sport, the coach, you know, helped him to come better or strengthen him to come better in the position that he played. I just really don't feel like he's a good fit to be leading other children because if he did that to my son, I'm sure there's multiple other children or scholars that he has done this too. And that's it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. That completes our public comment for tonight.
We will move on to action items. First up is the acceptance of the EOP. I do know that we got some emails regarding this, throughout the week, and I just wanted to highlight that, we as a board did get quite a detailed, information session presentation on this during a closed session. It was held in closed session because of the sensitive nature of the sensitive nature of the emergency operation plans.
There are details in that that we don't want, all of the public to be privy to in order to keep our staff and students safe. If this is accepted by the board tonight, I know the district will be moving forward with, getting information on the emergency, is it the EMP? EM, emergency management plan. And then also there, is so the EOP to to designate for people includes everything,
for across our district where safety valves are, where all the, cantaloupe. Sorry? I think they said something about boilers and all the Yeah. Boilers, all those things. And that's not something that the layperson would need to have information for that. And we also keep that very close with our local police department and sheriff's department. So if there's some emergency, they know all of the different entrances and pathways that might be used.
The emergency the EMP, emergency management plan, is specifically at the building level so that building leaders know the things that are specific to their buildings and that they have that access. And then for our, staff, they have what would be, an emergency, a flip chart, so to speak. And that allows for quick reference to the type of emergencies that, they might likely deal with if someone is, harmed or if someone goes into cardiac arrest or any
of those kinds of things because we wanna make sure that people have a quick reference guide for that. And so that's the difference Mhmm. Between the the various levels. So tonight, we're voting on the acceptance of the EOP, which will then begin the rollout for trainings and the emergency, management, plan as well. Do I have a or first of all, do we have any conversation that needs to be had or questions prior to voting? Just clarity around, like, a mandate for everyone.
I I I thought that was one of the things we had to, like, add in before we voted. This I don't know. We can ask mister Johnson to come back for that clarity or doctor Roby if you know. A mandate To make sure that everyone gets trained on it? So As far as The different the various levels, of course. And so for building levels, that would be, the responsibility of building principals to make sure that the their staff know how to use the the flip chart and making sure that they are practicing some of those things.
And you'll see that throughout the course of a school year with safety drills, fire drills, shelter in place drills and experiences. For the more advanced trainings, there's some offerings through professional learning and then after school, opportunities that we are going to continue to explore and then also try to expand some of those things. But that would be, based on interest. With our building level leaders, everyone has to go through that level of training because that is usually about an eight hour training, six to eight course.
I I'd be interested for my colleagues to the like, what it would take to get everyone to that level. I understand I hear you that it's six to eight hours, but I think everyone being able to access something that's so like, we we made that investment, and it's I think it's really great. I I haven't read it, but, I I really appreciated the presentation and the work towards it. So And it is so it is open to people opt in. And so what that would require because, also, we have bargaining here's where it gets
kind of Mhmm. We late. Because, based around our CBAs, we can contractually say that our staff do x number of trainings. And then and we could certainly do it, then we will be giving up some other kind of curricular types of trainings. I understand. Okay. Thank you. To mandate. I mean, to mandate that. Yes. Okay. That's helpful. Thank you. Anything else? Okay. Do I have a motion to accept the EOP? So moved.
Second. Chairman. Bruce Kilpatrick? It was Kim. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Purchasing agenda. Any questions, comments? I'll be recusing myself as a member or as an employee of Kent School Services Network that is on the agenda purchasing agenda. Okay. Thanks, Jose. You're recruit Recruiting. Okay. Alright. Do I have a motion to accept the purchasing agenda? So moved. Support. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. The purchasing agenda addendum. Motion to approve the purchasing agenda addendum.
So moved. Support. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. The resolution reaffirming 31 double a opt in for just for clarification again, we decided at our work session that we are opting into this with the caveat that when they come back from legal, we will have the opportunity to take that back, for lack of better words. It based on the guidance that comes back from the court, the lawsuits, if it's
not favorable, we can still opt out. If it's not favorable to the school district, we'll resend it. Resend it. Thank you. Support. Second. I second. Support. Okay. Thank you. Okay. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Bond refunding resolution. Any questions, comments on this? No. Do I have a motion? Sorry. Just to clarify, for my colleagues understood well, actually, forgive me. Is this second reading then? We've already discussed this. Yes? Okay. Thank you. So, yeah, this is just, you know, returning money to, getting a better rate on
our our bonds. So Yes. I wasn't sure if that was cleared, everyone. Thank you. I cannot even hear I can't hear him. Do I have a motion to approve the bond refunding resolution? So moved. Support. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Do I have any comments or questions on the annual summer property tax levy resolution? Do I have a motion to approve the annual summer property tax levy resolution? So moved. Support. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. And any questions, comments on the annual banking and investment resolution?
K. Do I have a motion to approve the annual banking and investment resolution? Items. Moving on to consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. Support. Thanks. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Motion carries. Tonight, I do not have any dis well, I will put out there that there has been some talk between board members individually in regards to next year's executive, board
member positions. And so I would encourage you to continue having those conversations with colleagues. And, the way that it works is that we will need to submit, any recommendations to Julie, in the next couple of weeks. So if you do want to move to have somebody in one of those positions, please reach out to Julie. If you have questions on that and you're a newer member, please reach out to those of us who have been through it. We can answer any of those questions.
I have had a couple board members ask that that gets put on our work session for next Monday, just, kind of an overview of what each of those positions entails so that we're all very clear about what the rules are for president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary so we can have that discussion as an agenda item at our work session on Monday. So please feel free to send me any questions specifically that you have or bring
those to the meeting, and we can talk through that. I also put on the back burner our policy on reviewing policy because I think I only got information from trustee Moreno. I apologize if someone else gave me information. But, if you think of it, please, send me what your hopes are for that policy so that we can, make sure that we're staying true to our goals as
a board. I wanna make sure that we keep working on those and that they don't get put off until the end of the year. And that's all I have for tonight. Superintendent comments. Good evening once again, everyone. With respect to the, roles for president, VP, secretary, and treasurer, my ask will be after the fifteenth is that, names are submitted by the nineteenth because staff is going to be gone over the winter break and to allow time for that information, if
that's if that's fair. Secondly, with respect to policies on policy, we do have somewhat of a an idea and recommendation to kind of simplify that. So we're taking less, work from the for the board, and that might include looking at either, Troon or Neola as our policy entity, that might help support that.
And, finally, just a reminder that our district office, again, is, has limited hours during the winter and the holiday breaks. We are going to make sure that we send information to our families over the breaks related to, food supports and other supports because we do recognize that sometimes this is a time the holiday season is not always a a celebration time for many families, and we wanna make sure that we are connecting families to different resources in
our community. So thank you. Thank you. Okay. Board member comments. I will start with trustee Melton. I'm just, glad to see again that we'll be lifting this conversation around, accessibility of our board meetings in in a variety of different ways. One of the things I'd like to lift up today is, the sound and just how, this space maybe how we can offer a little bit more accessibility with sound and the microphone if students or someone who, you know, needed some help with walking, it would be very difficult. So that would be important for me.
In terms of policy review, I wanna just lift up publicly again that we have some sort of feedback loop for those that are using the policy. That would be anyone using the policy. And then that those impacted staff parties be represented in the process. So those are the two things I just wanna keep lifting up with policy review. Yeah. Thanks. Okay. Trustee Moreno? VP Wade and I, would like to invite you all as board members and colleagues to go to the basketball game at the Van Andel. So be on the lookout for an email so we can all hang out and
cheer for both of our teams, all of our teams, all four teams. Okay. And then just, again, wanting to uplift our discussion from our last meeting around the resolution around the invest in my kids. I'm looking forward to seeing that hopefully in next week or next session. Awesome. Thank you. Trustee Rodriguez? No comment. Trustee Wade? Or VP Wade? So I'm embarrassed to say I had my first turkey trot and I Embarrassed. Totally underestimated the vibe. That was, like, one of the most fun things I've done. And I was, like, wow, I should have been coming to this.
Even though I didn't run or walk, just being there was really fun and exciting. And I think the biggest takeaway was, like, all these people are running for our kids, and they could be doing they could be watching the Macy's parade. They can be doing all types of things, but they I mean, they probably love to run. So it's probably, you know, just what they do, but it was for our children and our athletics. And I thought that was really dope that they decided to do that, and I was so happy to be there.
And, going to the basketball game, Eleanor took my comment. So that's all I have. K. Trustee Williams? I would just like to congratulate RJ on his Giants Award. He served. We are so proud of you. Keep up the awesome work, and, all of the things that you're doing in the community. We just look forward to how you will impact, Grand Rapids as you become a full fledged adult when you leave, the Grand Rapids Public Schools.
We are just immensely proud, sir. Absolutely. Thank you for highlighting that. Trustee Williamson? I just wanna thank those who came to the, coffee with the board. See, I'm getting all my dates mixed up. Was that last one? So thanks for to those that came. I had some great conversations. Two people asked me, like, you know, we give cup public comment. When are we gonna hear from the board? This is the time when you get to hear from us. So, thanks to those who who came to that. I've also again been reflecting a lot on, you know, coming up on a year on the board, all the work that we really have done. And I hope all nine of well, all 10 of us feel proud of, what
we've been able to accomplish and and eager and excited for this stuff to come ahead. You know, exciting with the tentative agreement and approaching an agreement with the union and then also some of the, you know, work we're gonna have to do on this budget and the amendment coming up and, you know, with our facilities and all these other things. And I've been reflecting a lot on it, and we've done some good work, and we have a lot more to do ahead. So So thank you all, for everybody on the board and everybody in the community working towards it. Mhmm. Trustee Davis? Yeah. Definitely wanna bid on that. Thanks. But also just wanted to acknowledge a quick appreciation of having the times on the
agenda. I appreciated that addition, and I think it helped us stay on track and communicate that. Thank you, Julie. Trustee Kilpatrick. I also wanted to uplift coffee with the board. Thanks to those who came out. Thanks to those who had so many great ideas, questions, concerns, and I've I've sent those forward, and so hopefully, responses will be coming soon. Also, uplifting our our scholar artists and scholar athletes and RJ and, also just wanted to uplift this mother who came for the first time and had to had to
share something that was so important about her experience in our public schools and, what an example she's being for her son and for for mothers and to to show individuals that maybe you don't have all the steps in front of you for how to what to say, and it's, and and maybe that's our fault. Maybe we have to make it easier for folks to know how to get here and say what they need to say. So bravo to that mom. I don't know if she's still here, and I hope that we can follow-up with her expediently. Okay. That completes our board member comments.
So this meeting is adjourned. Have a good night.