Good evening, everyone. If I could ask everyone to take their places. Okay. Thank you. I think we will go ahead and get started. So welcome everybody to the Tuesday, 04/22/2025 Board of Education meeting. We have all seven trustees present. Looks like we have three of our four students, reps in attendance tonight as well. So if you would please rise with me and join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Thank you again, and good evening. So tonight, we are very pleased to say we have a tremendous amount of recognition to honor, both students and staff, seeing great things that are going on in the district. So I am going to turn our first item of recognition over to Doctor. Machesky. Thank you, Doctor. Philip Hart. As you indicated, when spring comes in the Troy School District, our meetings get longer, for good reasons and pleased to to say that we've got quite a bit of
recognition this evening. And I'm going to start, my pleasure and honor to start with our with the Troy School District's Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award winners. Incredible teachers who have left an indelible mark on our students, families, and colleagues this evening. Please join me in congratulating our Outstanding Teachers of the Year for 2025. In total, more than 60 Troy School District educators were nominated for this prestigious honor. Each of these individuals epitomize excellence representing the pinnacle of teaching in the Troy School
District. We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to the students and families of the of this district. Four of our nominees rose to the top due to their commitment, passion, impact, and dedication to their profession. At this time, we would like to show a short video of our administrative team surprising the winners in their classrooms. Every year, we have the distinct honor to recognize four teachers across our school district for the work that they do on behalf of our community. Miss Deb, we're very proud of you for your school district. We're very proud of the work that you do here at the preschool,
the in inclusivity that she creates in her classroom, the hands on activities that she creates as you can see across our classroom, and you can see they're not all that impressed because they're continuing to to play with these hands on, with the hands on experiences. The work has been invaluable in helping to support young youngsters like you across our school district and your teachers to help us get better at what we do so we can help you be the very best that you can be. You create a belonging in your classroom.
Everyone is welcome. Everyone is respected. Everyone feels valued, and you create learning experiences for students, to meet their needs. You meet them where they are. You bring them up. You all said that this is a place where you feel you belong, where you feel you could come and be a part of something. You could find a book that you need. And if you if if you don't know, she's gonna help you. She's gonna guide and direct you. She's gonna be that person here to support you. We will be recognizing all of our winners and our nominees at a reception on Wednesday, May 7 at Troy High School,
where our teachers will have a chance to visit with those who nominated them. All of our nominees will receive a certificate, their nomination packet, and a small token of our appreciation. We have invited our four winners here this evening to be honored and receive congratulations from the board and our audience. When I call your name, please came up to come up to the podium to say a few words, if you choose to do so. And then have your photo taken with representatives from the Board of Education. And as we're get as we're getting ready, as they're taking their spot, before I call our first outstanding, teacher of the year,
I wanna also just say thank you to, Jason Chikowitz, who was president of the Troy Education Association, whose team helps us, work to put these packets together, and we're able to and and ultimately determines who the teachers of the year will be. So, Jay, I don't know if Jason's in the audience, but, we thank Jason and the team from the TEA for their work and as well, the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence. They provide monetary awards for all of for all of our teachers of the year. We thank them for their continued commitment, to the classrooms across the Troy School District. So, to David Bozeman and the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence,
we thank you as well. So I'd like to invite I have the honor to invite our first recipient, Stephanie Everett, preschool teacher of the year from the Troy School District preschool. No. I'm ready. Hello. I'm Stephanie Everett, and I am an ECP teacher at Detroit Preschool and the preschool teacher of the year. I first wanna start off by thanking the board, the TFEE, then the TEA for the recognition that I received. I also wanna thank the teacher of the year committee because I truly just couldn't imagine how tough their job was because there's a lot of great teachers at the
preschool. I can only, I truly would not be the teacher I am today without the team at the preschool, specifically Erin Kaiser, my paraprofessionals Pat Monizaire and Vivian Eunice, my speech pathologist, Courtney Weatherwell, and my mentor, Katie Haynor. I've learned so much, and I've grown to be the teacher that I am today because of them. When I first became a teacher, I knew that I wanted to become a preschool special education teacher. Since we all know that early intervention is a huge key to success, I really wanted to make a positive impact on families and students. When I got the job in Troy where I graduated from,
I truly felt like I got my dream job. Then I started working with all the families and students and the awesome ACP team, and I continue to feel like the luckiest lady to go into work every single day and learn so much from them. And one thing that I know that my students will always do is make me smile and make me laugh because three, four, and five year olds have a wonderful ability to do that. So I also have to thank my family for always being there to support me through the years of teaching. Their support has allowed me to become the teacher that I am today and given me all the grace and support that I've always needed.
So thank you again so much for my award, and I truly appreciate it. Next, it's my honor to invite our Elementary Teacher of the Year from Leonard Elementary School, Nancy Habush. Thank you. First, I just wanna thank heavens that I did not dress for spirit day that day because I didn't thank you to TFE and all those that make this our teacher of the year possible, and a thank you to the school board for recognizing all the hard work and dedication of your four teachers tonight. I would also like to say a special thank you a special thank you to my own family that has continuously had to share me with my work family.
From the welcome back phone calls in the car to the numerous students that come to my house for summer school all summer long. This is never a job for me. It's who I am, and that also includes my family along for the ride. To my Leonard staff and community, we know that what we have at Leonard is special. It comes from hard work and dedication that is valued and appreciated. You are quite simply the best. Please do not ever take what we have at Leonard for granted. To our TEA administration and our Troy Literacy department, you fight tirelessly for our students to be able to see themselves within our classrooms
and feel valued every day. You support the professional expertise of each of our teachers to provide the best responsive instructional practices with our students. You make me proud to stand amongst you as a professional. Every district should be so fortunate to have instructors like we have. My husband and I moved to Troy for an intentional reason thirty three years ago. We knew we wanted to raise our children in a diverse community that provided them the best education possible. Our children will be the first ones to tell you the school was never easy
for them. However, they represent the faces of why most of us entered into education in the first place. They both sit here tonight with master's degrees in their respective fields as successful adult citizens. Their Troy education has provided them the solid foundation and work ethic to succeed. Is that now not what we all seek to achieve in education, productive citizens? Both of their success comes from their perseverance and hard work, but equally as important was the positive communication for my husband and I with their teachers as we supported and trusted their professional decisions to teach and guide our children.
We always worked as a positive team with and never against our teachers and administrators. Unfortunately, we are in a time when public education is being challenged. This is when we must all link arms and speak as one voice, one community. It is not a time to be arguing over what books we read, what curricula we use, or what continuous distractions are taking us from our work. Educating our most valuable resource, our students. This should be our sole collective focus. What we have in this district is good.
It did not happen overnight. It has come from years of school boards trusting and working with our administration as educators. You have supported quality professional development for our teachers and staff and trusted us to do what we are so highly trained to do, lead and teach. It is no secret where we stand as a nation with respect to our current teacher shortage. We must continue all of this and more if we are going to continue to attract the best and brightest in our educational fields. We are blessed with a community that is beautifully diverse.
Most value and support our schools. In fact, many have moved here for the same reason that my husband and I did so many years ago. If we are to continue to be a lighthouse district, we must continue to work against the forces that strive to divide us. Please hear my message and call to action tonight. This body's actions are vital to our continued success. I look forward to working together as we learn and grow as a premier district. Tonight, I am honored to accept this award for the many that strive every day to
give our students the positive, responsive instruction they so need and deserve. Thank you. Congratulations, miss Busch. Next, it is my honor to welcome to the podium our Middle School Teacher of the Year from Smith Middle School, missus Jamie Glab. Sorry. I purposely hid in the back. How special is it to be here today? I am so touched that my colleagues spent the time to nominate me for this special award. The letters they wrote have such a special place in my heart. I cannot stress enough how lucky I am to be at Smith Middle School. It is truly the absolute best place to be.
We have created such an inclusive environment that values every student and every staff member. And I am so lucky to be a part of it. So thank you again to my colleagues at Smith. They will never know how much their kindness has truly meant to me. To the students and families who also contributed to my nomination, I feel incredibly lucky to be your middle school teacher. Watching you grow and learn has been a joy, and you are truly the best part of the job. So I've spent my entire career as a special education teacher in Troy at the middle school level. I began at Larson many, many years ago and came over to Smith.
And through all those years, the most valuable thing I have learned is the importance of relationships. It starts with our students and the trust that we build with them. It extends to their families and many of whom are still close dear friends to me. To my colleagues who I consider a family at this point. And to my administration who continues to support, encourage, but also challenge me to be the best teacher I can be. These relationships have shaped me not into just the teacher I am today, but who I am outside of the building, outside of school. I mean, not only have I been a teacher in Troy for seventeen years,
but similar to Nancy, I believe in this district so much that I forced my husband to move to Troy so that our three girls could come here and participate in the best school district, in my opinion, in the world. And they are currently Martell Mustangs, and they will soon be Smith Knights. I wanna thank the Detroit School District administration and the school board. Your support and commitment to our students' success are invaluable. Your dedication to providing the resources and environment necessary for effective teaching and learning is always appreciated. I wanna thank the Troy Education Association for your constant support of myself and all
other teachers. Your advocacy and efforts ensure that we can focus on what we do best, which is educating and nurturing our students. And lastly, I am so grateful to the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence for their generous gift. Their contributions make a significant difference in our ability to enhance enhance the educational experience for our students. And I am truly so honored to be a part of the Troy community. Thank you very much. Congratulations, missus Glavin. And finally, it is my honor to bring to the podium from Athens High School, our high school and overall teacher of the year,
missus Stacy Volt. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak and for honoring me as a Troy School District Teacher of the Year. I first want to start with some thank yous, especially to my nominators, Dina Chrysopolis and Mary Zegers, And letter writers, Sue Sime, Dawn Hayes, Andrea Gable, Mary Zegers, Melissa LaDuke, Eric Baragzazzi, and students, Maddie Lorenz, Diana D'Aluisio, and Gianna Lamberti. The nominators and letter writers have been a special and significant part of my life in the Troy School District,
some for many years. And their words meant so much to me as I read each of their letters. I also want to thank the teacher of the year, committee members, the Athens Administrators, the TSD administration, our school board, the TEA, the TFEE, and the TNI Credit Union. I have been in the Troy School District and at Athens High School for almost twenty two years, and it's gone by in the blink of an eye. I was hired fresh out of college as a complete rookie, and I was so excited to change lives and give everything to my new school.
What I didn't realize is how much the people I encountered would change my life. I have been so blessed to spend the last twenty two years with the colleagues and students who have crossed my path. I try to teach and treat each person I come across with fresh energy and patience, whether they are the first person to ask for help with printing that day or the fiftieth. I try to say yes as much as possible and go above and beyond to help in any small way I can. I do these things not because they are easy, but because I want our students to be that same way in our world.
My mom is here tonight and has been such an inspiration to me. She was an elementary teacher in Battle Creek, mostly at the same building in the same district, just like me. Her love of her job was infectious and made me eager to be a part of my own school. Her tireless work ethic has inspired me to pride myself in hard work and doing what I can for others every single day. I have dealt with a life altering personal situation while working in the Troy School District. Approximately fifteen years ago, we learned that my husband has a progressive muscular and nerve disease that has let
him to be wheelchair bound. I witnessed him having to give up his teaching job that he loved in Royal Oak due to his physical limitations, and it was heartbreaking. I will never take the privilege of this job for granted, and I feel lucky every single day that I am healthy enough to continue teaching. Running our media center has literally kept me going and has been such a lifeline to me over the years. I want to speak to the unique nature of my job. I am not a traditional classroom teacher, which has made me value this award even more. I am lucky to be able to work with all the students in my school,
every single one of them, every year, as well as my fellow teachers. Every day is different. Every day is fulfilling. Between teaching research concepts, helping students select books, reviewing citations and papers with individual students, attending student research presentations, managing budgets, helping our students run our Red Hawk Roast, which is our coffee station, preparing for our Battle of the Books author visit, helping with printing and project related needs, running our makerspace, and working with the 15 students who run the media center with me on a
daily basis. Every school should have a certified media specialist who is qualified to do all of this and more. We have been so blessed by our school district and this board with the budget and the resources to do so much with our staff and students, and I am so thankful for that support. Thank you thank you for allowing me to speak and once again for honoring me as Troy Teacher of the year. Congratulations, Stacy, and all of our teachers. Next items on recognition are TSD mission moments, will be handled by missus DePalato. Good evening.
Thank you, Doctor. Muchaske, Doctor. Philphardt, members of the board. I'm excited to be here tonight. It's such a difficult thing to follow, our teachers of the year. But we do have some incredible students that we'd like to recognize tonight. I'm going to start with our recognition of the Troy High School model United Nations. We're here tonight to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Troy High model United Nations team. Model UN is an internationally recognized after school club that immerses students in international relations, diplomacy, politics, public speaking, and debate. The at Troy High School, the club in includes more than 100 active members and is proudly advised by miss
Jacqueline Filick who has spent the past ten years building this program into one of the strongest across The United States. The Troy High model UN team competes at all levels. Local, state, national, and international. And consistently brings home top honors. Students participate in more than seven competitive conferences throughout the year, including events hosted at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. This year, the team made history. So at this time, I'd like to welcome miss Silek to share more about the remarkable year that they've
had and to introduce our students who we're going to recognize tonight. Miss Silek. Thank you, Ms. Dean Lotto, for that introduction and all of you are in Doctor. Machesky's support over the years. It's been wonderful. Whether it's coming to speak at one of our events or just the email of congratulations after the awards, I always share those with the kids and it means a lot. This year for the first time in program history, 11 Troy High delegates attended the National High School Model UN Conference, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. It's the largest and most diverse high school model UN conference in the world.
While there our students have the unique opportunity to meet with the permanent UN mission delegate of Mozambique to discuss current global issues. At the end of the conference two of our students placed second overall which was amazing and we also secured a national ranking bringing international recognition to our students and the Troy School District. Our team success extends beyond awards. In 2022 we hosted the SUMUNA conference which is one of the largest model UN conferences in the state and we look forward to hosting again in 2026.
Even during the pandemic our delegates stayed active by attending virtual conferences hosted by institutions like Princeton and UC Berkeley showing resilience, curiosity, and a commitment to growth. We also expanded our reach by creating model UN clubs at both Boland Park and Smith Middle Schools. Earlier this year our high school outreach team hosted a winter conference for the first time for our middle schoolers, and we host another one next month for our spring one, which will be our seventh, I believe, conference for them, in the spring. At Michigan State, our at RC Mon for our middle schoolers in February,
both Boland Park took home the best large delegation and our Smith Delegates earned multiple individual awards. That middle school outreach team has been unbelievable to watch and grow. None of this would be possible without the remarkable work of my students behind me here, my executive board, and all hundred of our delegates. Their leadership, teamwork, and global awareness has made this year one of the most successful and inspiring I've ever seen. At this time I'd like to recognize the following students for not only their outstanding contributions to our Model UN program, as our executive board but also a couple of our student leaders.
So I'm gonna read all their names first and then they'll come up. So the first student is Vinaya Ganeshaker. She's a president and our senior. She's a senior and our president. Sorry. Yuriel Kim is also a senior and serves as our vice president. Sanjay Shamsundur is also a senior and also serves as our vice president. Shreyas Swaminathan is a sophomore and serves as our underclassmen under secretary. Isabella Doss is a junior and our communications director of PR and social media. Shivadi Angudi is our senior in our middle school outreach director. Jeffrey Kim is a senior and serves on our middle school outreach team.
Along with Arush Kulkarni who's also a junior on our middle school outreach team. And then our next two students, though they are not on our executive board, are completely amazing and deserve to be here recognized along with our executive board. Lauren Hotto is a junior and she is on our leadership team and is unbelievably indispensable with helping with our training. And last but certainly not least is Pranavit Kumar who's also a senior and an exceptional month elegant and leader in in our college. Thank you for honoring these kids tonight. Their hard work over the last ten years has been amazing.
In a world where I think we all sometimes question things, they give me hope on a day to day basis because they're gonna make the world a better place. Alright. We're gonna have the students come on up. We have a certificate for you, but we'd also like to get a picture. So once we get them all lined up, parents, if you wanna come forward and and grab a picture, please feel free to do so. It'll take us just a moment to get them all lined up here. Hey. If there are parents in the audience and you'd like to come forward and and grab a picture, please, by all means, feel free. Perfect. No parents. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations to our model UN students.
Our second mission moment tonight, focuses on our science fair. Specifically the work that, some of our students have been doing in science. The science and engineering fair of Metropolitan Detroit is now in its sixty eighth year, Is one of the largest and oldest science fairs in the country. Established in September of nineteen fifty six. It is a non profit organization established to give students an opportunity to develop and exhibit science fair projects. Its mission is to create student excitement for STEM, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Inspire interest in scientific subjects and research, develop respect for the scientific method, encourage personal growth, provide recognition for student research, and broaden career opportunities across Metropolitan Detroit and the region. We are so proud of the work that our science fair alumni have gone on to accomplish over the years as they are the true innovators making the world a better place. Tonight, I'm joined by mister David Egan, who teaches science at Larson Middle School. Mister Egan is a staunch advocate for science and incredibly passionate in the subject,
and he's here to tell us a little bit about some of our student scientists. Mister Egan, will you please join me? Thank you so much. So this is all about our students. So I don't really have any words for myself other than you guys are amazing, and it's a pleasure to work with you. And the ones that I don't work with, it's a pleasure to know that you're doing the innovation that you're doing here in our district. So I think, the way that we worked at last with the last group, I'll introduce everybody and then maybe they all come up together at the same time. That's probably gonna be nice. So, our first student here,
very exciting, very proud. One of the students from International Academy East is going to be representing Troy Schools at the International Science Fair this year. So there's only a few students from Michigan that get to represent the state each year. And, she had her project in, I'm gonna ask for grace in advance because some of these high school projects, I don't really know what they're about. Biomarker identification for r y g b outcomes. So congratulations,
and we can't wait to see the results in May. I will be refreshing obsessively to see when they're posted. Our next student is, one of Larson's own, and, he received the grand award, which is the highest level award for the middle school division. And his project, is how effective are mosquito repellents on mosquitoes. So I'm sure his parents were really happy that, he was working on this project in my class in breeding a bunch of mosquitoes home. So give it up for Aditya Singh. We've got a hat trick here from Boland Park.
So this was the, grand award winner for the team division. So out of all the team projects this year in middle school, they got, the the grand award. So Mila Winn, Anne Harleen Jo, and Kanishka Suresh Babu. And their project is how does the exposure of dry ice affect the rate of plant growth? So really, really nice work. The next group of students that I would like to recognize are all of our first place finalists in the fair. And so,
our next student is at Troy Athens High School, and his project was Cyborg Plants, a novel approach to biomimetic actuator. Did I get that right, Evan? I'm not. I swear I'm qualified to teach science. This is out of the way. So great task. Our next student, also first place award, representing Troy High School. And this project is on core gene retention rate, a novel metric for measuring bacterial evolution. So give it up for Jonathan Yung.
Also from Troy High, another first place award. So this is really fantastic. Troy High has really been knocking it out of the park for as long as I've been in the district. A novel idea, nanobot guided AI for artery blockage detection plaque removal. Sruthika Palipotu. Also first place, middle school, from Baker, and this project was Dermatone AI, making skin disease detection more inclusive. And this is Sanvi Ramaswara.
Our last first place award, is also from Larson Middle School, and, their project was smart light improving the efficiency of traffic stops. And this is Varna Jayaraman, and she, was also a member of Detroit Summer Learning Lab. So I've invited a couple of the students who are alums of the Detroit Summer Learning Lab. It's an amazing, it's an amazing offering that Troy Schools does, and I've been a part of it the last few years. So parents out there, if you've got middle schoolers, look for the newsletter when it comes out and sign your kid up.
Our next alum from the learning lab is also from Larson. EV charging for all crowdsourcing power to fight climate change. Please don't look at the abstract and try to steal her intellectual property because if she gets this thing off the ground, it could go places. Kirtana Chandra. And our final student representing the Troy summer, learning lab is, also from Larson, pedal to focus. This is a way to help students, keep attentiveness while in class and burn off some of that extra nervous energy.
And this is, by Yaksa. So congratulations, George. And our final student to be recognized is from WOS. So this is our only elementary entry this year. So she made me really proud, and I I want the kids to get started early so they already know how to do a project by the time they get to me. So hopefully, I can teach you when you get to Larson. And this is, Robo Bin by Myra Shaw. So that concludes all of our announcements. Thank you, mister Egan.
Yes. By all means, students, come on forward, and then we're gonna get them lined up. And if we have some parents that would like to get pictures, please feel free to do so. Thank you, mister Egan. Thank you to all of our science fair winners and mister Egan for your help and support with the, the science fair projects. Next, on recognition, is a donation, to the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence, Mr. Trudeau. Thank you, doctor McCuskey. Good evening, board. Tonight under recognition, we do have, some of our community members from Robertson Homes here tonight. Just to brief the board and the audience. So the district had previously sold about four to five years ago a section of
property within the city, to Robertson Homes. And as part of that sale, there was an agreement that Robertson Homes would in turn take some of the money they made on those home sales and in turn donate it to the Troy Foundation. So I would like to light up our representative from Robertson Homes, and he can kind of talk about, you know, their project that this involved and then, present their offering. Hello. Good evening. Good evening. I knew those were gonna be tough acts to follow. Tim Walker. I'm the vice president of land acquisition for Robertson Homes. Great to be here tonight. Very honored to,
give a donation to, the the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence. We at Robertson Homes, every project we do, we we feel it's very important to give back to the community. We don't see any better, opportunity to do that than than the Troy Foundation. So we're we're very happy to be here tonight. This represents, $250 for all 31 homes that we built at the Troy Meadows project on Square Lake just east of John R. And, yes, that was a site that, we had purchased from from you all. And I think that the really interesting part about that project was, as being environmental stewards, it was very important to you,
that that a great deal of open space was retained. So we built, 10 acres on the on the frontage and left about 70 acres of open space, which just goes to to show, I think, your your environmental stewardship there. So, we're happy to be here. I can answer any questions, but, we're we're, honored to to to give this donation. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You wanna go down now? Yeah. I'll fit in the ATM. Nope. This evening, it's our pleasure to highlight, our students, our students from the Creative Guild. This evening, Mr. Thomas Butcher is here to acknowledge, a young man that many of us know and see or if you're here at
the Services Building. You see Maz regularly. He's also a member of the superintendent student advisory board. So Maz, welcome. And we're looking forward to see seeing what you put together. So mister Butcher. Thank you, doctor Machesky. And good evening, Board of Education. Working alongside students has been my favorite part about doing what I do here in Detroit School District. And I'm sure many here tonight would agree with that. Lots of great recognition we've had. There are so many unique talents, so many pathways that students travel, and each journey is filled with a number of wonderful surprises. Maz Ali is a senior at Athens,
and he has been surprising me since his freshman year. A student producer unlike any other, Maz has been integral to the success and continuation of our annual arts and music celebration open air fest, which by the way is happening Wednesday, May 28 in the Athens Student parking lot from four to 9PM. Those who attend will see many students from across the district performing on an outdoor stage. And the reason we'll be able to hear them is because Maz is behind the mixer. His audio talents are exceptional. We wouldn't have been able to do this event without him in the first place
and I'm already worrying about what I'm going to do next year. This collaboration has been such a pleasure that I've been hoping to feature Maz as a student spotlight for a long time now, but was worried we wouldn't have a project to go along with it to show you as is tradition. Well, I have been surprised yet again because in his senior year, Maz has suddenly showed us his filmmaking abilities. Tonight, we'll be viewing a highlight reel he made for the Athens Ethnic Fair which we just posted this morning. Good timing, Maaz. And we'll also see his blog about taking care of the salmon in our classrooms which was something he was a big help with over spring break outside of the
video itself. Between Creative Guild and SSAB and everything else in between, Maz has been a reliable collaborator. His talents have amplified our voices and helped others shine, and he is going to be missed. And as he prepares for the next chapter, who knows just how many more surprises there will be? Noi Maz, he might even surprise himself. Hi. My name is Maaz, and I'm a senior at Athens High School. Over spring break, I took care of the salmon in the classroom at Athens, Larson, Bowen Park, and Moitel. So now I'm gonna walk you through the process of how I took care of the fish. The first thing I did was feed the fish.
So now I'm gonna wait a little while once they're done eating some of the food that I've already put in there. And right now I'm gonna go ahead and turn the water on to make sure we can get the tank cleaned up, and then I'm gonna start doing some testing on the water. Testing the water conditions are important because they need to be in the optimal range to make sure the salmon thrive and are able to grow. If the water is too far out of the optimal ranges, I change the water to make sure none of the fish die. When changing the water, I drain 25% of the tank first. Now that we've got all the additives in the tank, we're gonna go ahead and refill the tank all the way back up to port.
This is an important process because salmon are a staple in the Great Lakes and has been a part of Michigan's recreational fishing for over fifty years. It's important to have these salmon in the classroom to be able to showcase to students how salmon grow and the process needed to take care of fish and other animals. And that's the entire process. Thanks for seeing how I spent my spring break. I'm sure there's nothing else you would have rather done over spring break. So we really appreciate you doing that for us and everything else that you've done. Really gonna miss you as I said before. So at this time, we're gonna open any potential comments or questions from the board.
But first, if you wanna say a few words, it's all yours, Bonnie. I'm not exactly sure where to start. Thank you, Thomas. Thank you, Board of Education, obviously. My family, of course. I can't forget them. My sisters, unfortunately, they couldn't be here tonight, but I'm sure they'll be texting me later. Obviously, I need to take thank everybody else who has also helped me get to this point, such as the SSAP, creative guild members, and everybody else who has helped me in my journey to get here. I really appreciate everybody helping and supporting me through my passions and journey. I'm a senior right now, so I've obviously been reflecting on the last four years quite a bit.
If you ask me when I got here to high school if I, ever thought I was gonna be doing, like, any of this, I probably would have said no. Like, I'm just gonna be, like, somebody who goes to their classes, goes home, does their homework, you know, just the basic stuff. But, here I am. I worked in the theater. I worked with Thomas in the creative guild. I've had an opportunity to do some internships as well. And overall, it's been, just a great experience. So I really thank everybody for, supporting me through this journey. Okay. Questions from the board?
I'd like to know what's next for you. What's next is going to college, hopefully, to pursue, some sort of enter engineering, possibly computer science or mechanical engineering. I know the deadline is quickly approaching for early action decision. My parents are very concerned, but, rest assured, I will be going to college. Hopefully, U of M or Wayne State. I'm still kind of deciding between the two. Okay. Okay. Right. You keep coming, but you said you've done the creative guild for the past four years. What made you come back every year, year after year? Probably just the new experiences and the people,
obviously. The people are probably the biggest factor. Everybody's just been so kind and supportive. Thomas has been a big part of that. He's helped me through a lot of my, high school career as I would put it. Yeah. Just the people, really. Just the people. Nice. Thank you, Maz. Thank you. We have certificate. Thank you. Miles, we have certificate for you. We're gonna get a picture. Okay. Our next item of recognition is to appreciate our volunteers. It gives me great pleasure to extend a heartfelt thanks to our incredible volunteers who
have generously dedicated their time and their talents to support our schools and communities day in and day out. In celebration of Volunteer Appreciation Month, which is April, we want to express our profound gratitude for the invaluable contributions of some of our most dedicated volunteers whose students will be graduating from the Troy School District this year. Volunteers are an essential component of the Troy school district and your unwavering commitment is truly commendable. Your dedication to our students, our staff,
and our community has left an indelible mark on the lives that you have impacted. So as we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month, let's take this opportunity to reflect on the profound difference that each and every one of you makes in the lives of our students. Your generosity, your compassion are a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your selfless dedication and unwavering support. Once again, thank you to our amazing volunteers for your countless contributions. So I'm going to, acknowledge and call your names and then we,
if you would come up, we have, certificates of appreciation for your work. So from Athens High School, Michelle Murtough, Connie Siak, Bidisha Goswami. And she is Bidisha is not able to be with us tonight, but she's being represented tonight by her husband Subrat, Mark and Raquel Schreiber. From IA, Leslie McGill Mayotte and Christina German. And from Troy High, Chris and Denise Oliver, Chris Marshall and Christine Rich. So if you'd join us. Thank you to all of our volunteers. Graduating volunteers. Yes. Our graduating volunteers. But I but I did say just because they graduate doesn't mean they can't come
back entirely. Yes. We we love when our graduates come back. Okay. And our final item of recognition tonight, is to really acknowledge, that April is autism acceptance month. The Troy School District recognizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance, to celebrate differences, and to be more inclusive towards autistic individuals around us. In honor of this month, the Troy School Board of Education would like to pass a resolution to celebrate the contributions of all neurodiverse people and to work towards ending disparities.
So with that, may I ask for a resolution, please? Doctor Melton? Whereas autism spectrum disorder affects more than five million people in The United States, and whereas Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in thirty six children may have autism, And whereas autism is a neurological and developmental disorder characterized by social impairment and restricted interactive communication behaviors and can affect anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background. And whereas symptoms and characteristics of autism may present in a variety of combinations and
can result in significant lifelong challenges in areas affecting learning, daily living, employment, social interactive behaviors, and understanding verbal and nonverbal communications. And whereas the To address autism continues. Physicians, psychologists, behavior analysts, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, vocational rehabilitation professionals, and educators can assist persons with autism and their families by supporting early identification, education, intervention, recreation, and other opportunities that are vital to enhance development and well-being.
And whereas the Troy School District is honored to celebrate the many ways individuals with autism enhance the quality of our school community and is committed to fostering acceptance and a sense of belonging as we work together to create a more welcome and inclusive environment for all. Now be it therefore resolved that the Board of Education hereby recognizes April 2025 as autism acceptance month in the Troy School District. Support. Thank you. We have a resolution by Doctor. Melton supported by Ms. Alesh. Any comments or discussion on this motion?
Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor, please say yes. Yes. Opposed, say no. Thank you. Motion carries. So that concludes our recognition tonight. I don't know about you, but very, very inspiring to, you know, not only, celebrate the accomplishments of our amazing staff, our amazing students, our amazing parents. I think this is, and again, thank you, you know, to the Robertson Group for their generous donation to fund, educational opportunities in Troy. This, I think, really is the epitome of why this is such an amazing community and why our
schools are, you know, as as, great as they are, because it's really all of you that contribute to this. So let's give ourselves one last round of applause before we break. So we are going to take a brief recess. Of course, you are all welcome to stay as the board continues on with its business items. But if you would, like to, get on with your evening, you know, please feel free to do so. We will re adjourn in about five minutes. Thank you. Alright. Well, thank you, everyone. We are going to go ahead and continue with our meeting. So our next item is any additions and deletions,
doctor McCheskey? There are none this evening. Okay. Then we have public comment on agenda items. We have one public comment, but it's on non agenda items. Okay. So our next item is approval for the general consent agenda. Tonight's agenda consists of minutes of the 03/04/2025 Board of Education workshop, minutes of the 03/08/2025 Board of Education winter retreat, minutes of the 03/18/2005 Board of Education meeting, as well as the February 2025 Treasurer's Report. May I have a resolution,
please? Mr. Hupp. We have therefore resolved that the Troy Board of Education takes action to approve items A, B, C, and D on the consent agenda? Support. You can catch that. Okay. We have a resolution by Mr. Hopps supported by Ms. Alish. Any discussion or comment on this? Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor of the resolution, please say yes. Yes. Opposed, say no. Thank you. Motion carries. Personnel? There are none this evening. Curriculum? No curriculum minor. Okay. So we will move on to business.
Mr. Chaddell. Thank you, doctor Philhart. So the first item on the agenda for your consideration is relating to an iPad purchase. So, the district typically will purchase for a particular grade level new iPads about every five years. So this cycle will be for third and eighth grade devices. So they will all be getting new iPads. Included in your board packet was the quote from Apple. So this will be for 1,950 iPads as well as the same number of, cases with keyboard and touchpad and all that included. So, the the grand total is $846,202.50.
Okay. Thank you, Mr. Trudell. We're gonna ask to, approve the purchase of iPads. May I have a resolution, please? Mrs. Zentler. Be it therefore resolved that the district purchase Apple iPads in cases in the amount of $846,202.50 and that this amount be approved as an expenditure of the 2023 Capital Projects Fund. Support. We have a resolution by Mrs. Endler supported by Mrs. Potts. Any discussion or comment on this? Go ahead, miss Alicia. We talked about this at the, at the workshop. So the the money that of this will come out of the capital projects fund.
And then, can you just explain to us what we do with the old iPad and then what we do with the money from the sale of those iPads? Yep. So typically, when the district retires the device for service after about five years, the district does sell those back. Sometimes Apple buy them back, sometimes it might be a third party. But we then take those proceeds and you can actually put it back into the bond fund, which would then be used to supplement additional purchases. So it's kind of treated like a revenue but back into the bond fund. So more of an offset against a purchase like this or additional purchases.
So Okay. Go ahead. So for the for the sake of the audience, could you help us, understand, the previous iPads, how how long have they been in service? Five years. Five years. So that that's a pretty standard useful life for an iPad. Okay. After that time, the software starts to get a little dated or it's not receiving updates, damage, things like that. But, generally speaking, there's a pretty good return on that used device. So it's around 25% or so of the device cost that we actually are gonna get back. So relative to a Chromebook or a PC laptop,
where it might have a two to three year lifespan just given the nature of the the quality of components. IPads generally return the most on your investment. So Again, for the audience's sake, could you help us, understand who will be getting the new iPads? Which which which grade? So incoming third graders and incoming eighth graders. Wonderful. Thank you. For next school year. Yeah. Okay. Any other questions? Okay. Hearing none, let's vote on the motion. All those in favor of the resolution, please say yes. Yes. Opposed, say no. Okay. Thank you. Motion carries. And the next item on the agenda for your consideration is related to athletics temporary
fencing. This item came in shortly after the last workshop and given the gap in between the last workshop and this meeting, We wanted to push this one through, for your consideration just to make sure that we get the order processed, in time. So this relates to temporary fencing. So at the March meeting, we did approve all of the athletic projects at Athens and Troy High. This is the, the temporary fencing component to those projects. So we wanted to make sure we got board approval in April. That way they can begin work hopefully in May, as long as the weather cooperates. So, this again,
there was five bids received. We did take the low bidder. So the total low bid was $56,282 Okay. Thank you again, mister Trudeau. We're being asked to consider a re resolution to purchase temporary fencing for our athletic, renovations. May I have a resolution, please, Ms. Ani? We, therefore, resolve that the bid for temporary fencing be awarded to fence connection in the amount of $56,282 and that this amount be approved as an expenditure of the twenty twenty three Capital
Projects Fund. Support. We have a resolution by Ms. Hany supported by Mr. Hoppe. Any comment or discussion on this resolution? Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor, please say yes. Yes. Yes. Opposed, say no. Thank you. Motion carries. And our last item, mister Trudeau? And then the last item relates to a pilot furniture order, that will be over at Smith Middle School. So as that building is going up currently, we have not purchased all of the furniture just yet. So we will be looking to pilot some furniture packages. So specifically,
the math department, ELA, social studies, and then some smaller additional pieces, throughout the building are part of this pilot. So they will experiment with different packages and determine what is the best fit for them. And then after we receive feedback, a larger order will be placed, for the new Smith Building. Great. So we are being asked to consider a resolution to purchase furniture for the Smith Middle School pilot. May I have a resolution, please? Miss Spotts? Be it therefore resolved that the furniture pilot purchased for Smith Middle School for an amount not to exceed $71,950
through preexisting bid contracts consortiums be approved as an expenditure of the 2023 bond fund? Support. We have a resolution from miss Potts supported by miss. Any discussion or questions on this? Go ahead, miss Alicia. So you said that the pilot furniture, different packages will be purchased. The what will happen with the pilot furniture once we're done with the pilot? Typically, I don't know if you wanna elaborate. But, generally, it would either shift over to the new building, or remain in in the current Smith Middle School for in Bolen that Larson pushed through.
Okay. Any other questions? Okay. All those in favor of the resolution, please say yes. Yes. Opposed, say no. Thank you. Motion carries. Thank you, Mr. Trudeau. Okay. Moving on to our, next agenda agenda item is public communication on non agenda items. Mr. Aliapidian, if you would like to come up and address the, the Board. Good evening, Raleigh, Troy resident, Troy parent. For the past four years, I've spoken before this board many times to expose the dark side of graphic pornography being made available to students as young as 11 in our school media centers.
The typical response that I've received from top administrators when I show them the evidence is you see it as porn, we see it as material with educational and literary value. So here's another example of the educational material that was purchased with our tax dollars. Tory knows what to do. How But when I look up at Tori, blood covering my face, meat, Then I try to cut off her fingers with nail scissors, and finally I pour acid onto her belly and genitals. While Tiffany watches, finally I saw her entire head off,
and holding that head up like a prize, I that was very uncomfortable for me to read it in public. But I did it to make this board aware of the kind of demonic and disgusting material our district makes available to minors and to urge parents in our district to be vigilant because this book has been in our district for over nine years and others like it. This is a book that promotes and glorifies pedophilia and sex trafficking and human trafficking. It's actually a handbook cover to cover.
This was just a tip of the iceberg example on how to drug, abuse, rape, torture, mutilate, and murder girls and women. The district policy manual states that the superintendent approved the purchase of or the recommendation to purchase all material in the media centers, including this pornographic book. The same policy manual also states that, quote, the board intends that students be provided access to a wider variety of educational materials in various media to support learning. How many of you on this board think that teaching boys how to decapitate girls
and have oral sex with their heads support learning? I don't think any of you do. Some of you on this board are here because last November, conservative and common sense parents like myself voted for you, hoping you will speak up and stand up with us to get rid of this porn in our schools once and for all. It's time to clean house, and anyone who thinks minors should have access to this gruesome porn on school property belongs in the jailhouse, not the schoolhouse. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. We are going to move on to other,
on our agenda. We will start with the reports, from our students. So, Adam, would you like to start? Sure thing. Good evening, members of the board and of the community. Thank you for the opportunity to update the community on Troy High School happenings in the recent month. As for our spring sports, our spring sports are in full swing at Troy High School, and our Colts have been defeating some of the fiercest competition across Michigan in lacrosse, water polo, baseball, softball, golf, track and field, tennis, and soccer. We wish all of our spring athletes good luck for the rest of the season
and congratulate you on all of the wins thus far. Moving into our other clubs and extracurriculars are DECA, Troy High DECA led by missus Elena Wahlberg will travel to Orlando, Florida this Friday sending roughly 50 students to compete in business tests, role plays, and other prepared events. Good luck to our Colts in sunny Orlando, Florida. As for HOSA, Troy Hi HOSA traveled to Traverse City for the annual state leadership conference with over 190 participants and 70 of them placing in the top eight and over 40 receiving
top three medals. As for NHS, the National Honor Society is partaking are is partaking in a spring service project collecting hygiene items from NHS members in exchange for volunteering opportunities. These items will go to support a local nonprofit, the WAVE Project, which uplifts the local impoverished community. As for Model UN, as we saw earlier, Model UN attended the Oakland University Model UN Conference with over 40 participants and 25 awarded at the at the conference.
The annual middle school Model UN Conference will take place next month, which will host over a 70 middle school students from around the district participating in model UN activities and preparing themselves for the wonderful world of Troy High School, model UN led by miss Jacqueline Silak. Looking into the future at some upcoming events, we have our senior citizen prom tomorrow night where Troy Senior Citizens will gather at the annual senior citizen prom for a prom like night of dancing, dinner, and fun. Troy High student government is very,
very excited to see them and bond with local seniors. Next up is senior week, which will take place from April 28 to May 4, which will be a week full of events catered to graduating high school seniors, including but not limited to Soka Senior, the senior barbecue, Bingo Night, Spirit Week, and Senior Sunset to close out the week. Congratulations to all graduating seniors and we hope you enjoy your long awaited senior week. Beginning on May 5, Troy High student government will be putting on staff appreciation week, which will consist of a number of events and spirit days for staff members to
participate in at Troy High School. Again, Troy High Student Government will be showing our gratitude for all of our hardworking staff members throughout the week. And that's what's going on at Troy High School. As always, go Colts. Great. Thank you, Adam. Lot lots. Sounds like very busy time. Mhmm. Diana, what's what's happening at Athens? Good evening, members of the board, staff, students, and families. Thank you for the opportunity to share some recent highlights from Athens High School. First, we had an outstanding student participation during our recent state testing on April and had
over 98% attendance. On March 19, we hosted a successful ninth grade curriculum night, which helped incoming families better understand our academic programs and prepare future Red Hawks for the transition to high school. Our fourth, Athens Family University session will take place on May 20 at 6PM, and we look forward to welcoming families to learn valuable information about Athens and how to support their children throughout high school. Our athletic teams are off to a great start this spring. And a special congratulations to our varsity girls lacrosse team for an exciting 19 to
18 win over Troy High last night. We are also preparing for an exciting season of our senior celebrations. Prom will be held on May 16 at Andiamos and our honors convocation is scheduled for May 21 at Athens followed by graduation on May 31. And that same evening, we will celebrate our senior all night party at Athens High School. Next week, we will also celebrate decision day recognizing seniors next step after graduation. And this Friday, we will host our annual neurodiversity walk to raise awareness and celebrate the diverse ways
students learn. Throughout the week, we have been celebrating neurodiversity spirit week with theme days and activities. And that concludes the latest updates from Athens High School. Thank you, and go Hawks. Yeah. Great. Thank you, Diana. And last but not least, Nurey, you wanna tell us what's going on at IA East? Of course. Good evening, everyone. It has been a busy April at IA East with special events. At the beginning of the month, drama club held impactful performances of its spring production, The Diary of Anne Frank.
The story's emotional depth really moved audiences, and the play was directed by senior student, Katie Park. On April 11, Glee Club hosted our annual Tea House talent show. Performances included a kazoo solo and a DJ who really mixed things up with some popular hits. Students even extended their talents across cultures, with one student singing shape of you by Ed Sheeran in a style of classic
South Indian music called Carnatic music. Last Wednesday, House Council organized an Aggie East themed Family Feud event. To compile the questions, the school was first survey about important topics, like name a favorite I. A. East lunch special, and name a popular I. A. East vending machine item. Then, on the day of the game, students took on the roles of cheerleaders, and some even took on the immense responsibility
of growing mustaches like Steve Harvey himself. However, with decades of experience, the teacher team ended up winning the event and its grand prize, official mister Griffin approved tardy passes. Over the long weekend, 40 students traveled to Traverse City for the Michigan Health Occupations Students of America State Leadership Conference. I am proud to share that 15 students were among the top eight finalists in their events, and four students placed in the top three,
earning themselves a chance to compete at the International Leadership Conference in June. Last but not least, the seniors' last day of classes is this Thursday, and IB exams will begin next Tuesday. The art show last week showcased our senior's best work, which ranged from handmade gowns to sculptures so life like we had to double check they weren't breathing. Meanwhile, the orchestra, band, and choir concerts recognized our senior musicians and gave them one last chance to hit
the high notes. It was a week of talent, nostalgia, and just the right amount of weight. How on earth are we graduating? And that is all I have with current news from IAEA East. Thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you to all of our student reps. A lot going on in your schools, and you guys do a fantastic job of helping us to share in all of the the great activities that are going on. So appreciate that. I I have a question for you, Loretta. Is this your last meeting? I will. Be here this one as well.
We can get rid of that. Yeah. I I had that note as well that she was gonna come to me. So I do have a question, though. So which lunch special won the IAE's best lunch special? It was pizza. I thought it was really funny because everyone looks forward to coming to middle school and high school with the taco Tuesday and with our fried rice meals and everything, but people chose the classic, pizza. Okay. Yeah. Love it. All right. So now we're going to go into other from the board. Ms. Zendler, I'll start with you. Thank you. I'd like to sort of,
piggyback on your comments, Doctor. Philip Hart, about the, amazing recognitions this evening. The theme that keeps coming to mind is it takes a village. Mhmm. Right? It takes really engaged parents from all walks of life. It takes really engaged students and really engaged teachers and really engaged board to make sure that our schools are the best they can be. And I'm really proud to be a part of what I see to be a well oiled machine. To that end, the board is hard at work on some other projects we want to make sure our community engages with because we need you,
we need your input, we need your participation. First is the attendance area review committee. That survey is out and open until Friday, I believe. So we want to make sure that you see that over and over and over in your emails from your principals and from Kendra too to make sure that you get an opportunity to give your feedback. We've been given personal, personalized feedback. We want to hear more from you. So please continue to do that. I'd also like to thank the folks that write to the board. I'm starting to see emails and, correspondence about issues of passion around the district from the community,
and that's really important. Maybe you're not like a comfortable public speaker, some people just don't like that. Please feel free to reach out via email. You can click the button that says email the board. That'll ensure that we all see it so that we can make sure that we hear what you're thinking. And want to invite you to our next board workshop where we will be covering lots of things. I would recommend snacks, perhaps snacks For us. For us, for you if you're coming. We want to hear your input. We'll be discussing, elementary writing. We'll be discussing math,
and attendance area review data from the survey. So please, join us on May 6 at 6PM in this, the front building, in the smaller, boardroom area. Again, it takes a village. We need you to be a part of it, and we're here to listen to whatever you have to say. So thank you. Great. The spots? Yeah. Hi. You kinda stole my thunder talking about teachers and how wonderful this community is. It was very inspirational to see all the accomplishments, by our students with the help of our amazing teachers and all of our, outstanding teachers.
So thank you for that. It makes me even more proud to be part of this community and part of this board. I recently went on a trip to Atlanta, for the National School Board Association, met a lot of interesting people, heard a lot of great ideas. People are doing other districts. A lot of it, we are already doing as a district. We did go on one field trip to the Atlanta oh, gosh. Remind me what it was called. Like a college and career. College and career. It was so inspirational. And I loved how they called all of their students scholars. Not students,
not kids, not children, but scholars. That really, like, stuck with me. Met some really cool people from New York and, California. Heard a lot of ideas what they're doing, in their schools and, things like that, security, lots of stuff. So I also want to thank the, former board for approving the funds to to help us, become better board members as well. And I can't believe we're almost at the end of another school year. I feel like this was the fastest school year ever. Like, I looked up, and I sort of yesterday was Christmas, and now it's,
I forgot it was Easter even. So, I want to just thank the community for always supporting this board, like Ms. Zendler said about reaching out and always communicating to us your concerns. We always love to hear from you, good and bad. And I just look forward to pushing through the last few weeks of school. Great. Thank you. Doctor. Melton? I wanted to go back to our, resolution regarding, Autism Acceptance Month. At one point in time, we talked about autism, awareness, and that has changed because part of,
part of inclusion is getting kids that have neurodiversity into our classrooms, and you can't accept someone if you don't see them. So I'm I'm excited about the work that is being done around that. I was able to tour the new Smith Middle School, and there was, very intentional planning around, creating an environment where our, our categorical or most special needs students, can feel kind of homey and safe, yet they are out in the midst of the greater learning community.
At one point in time, students with more severe autism weren't even in our school buildings, you know, back in the the sixties and seventies. You know, back in progressing into the eighties, we got them into the buildings, but they were kind of relegated to a separate area. I know Troy has worked hard to get those, students integrated, into the least restrictive learning environment, which is very important. So I'm really pleased to see that both, Smith and Athens are working to integrate that into their new construction. And I also wanted to point out,
maybe no one else had noticed it, but I noticed a little theme with our our teachers of the year, miss Everett, miss Haboosh, and miss Blab all work with our special needs and at risk populations. Because one thing that we don't talk about much is how important, academic inclusion is and how when we have students that are challenged, whether it's learning disabilities in math, reading, writing, they know when they're not on par with their peers, and that does affect their social and emotional well-being.
So these teachers and many teachers across the district work very hard to make sure that our kids are getting, the education and interventions they need to close that gap, and so that they can feel included with their peers academically as well. So I just wanted to thank, not just, our outstanding teachers of the year that do that work, but also all of our teachers across the district that do that work. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Mister Hart? So stole my thunder as well. I wanted to talk about the AARC survey and make sure everybody's looking at,
telling your friends to, to take it and make sure that we get as many comments as possible. Again, till Friday, I believe. Right? Yeah. So, and then I also wanted to talk about the trip to Atlanta as well. Not only do we meet a bunch of just really great individuals, but it's good to know that we're doing a lot of great things as a district that other districts are just catching up on. But there's also opportunity for growth. And going to the Atlanta College and Career Academy was, mind blowing. We're doing a lot of good things in that area, but seeing the progress they made with getting,
their scholars credits and certifications is just mind blowing and something that I hope that we can we can do as well. And then it's tis the season for state testing, which is always fun. My kid was so excited for it. Not really. But, I just wanted to appreciate the administrators and the teachers. I know it's a lot of work to get the kiddos, you know, prepared for it. You know, there's been a few teachers that have, you know, told my son, you know, get a good night's rest, eat a good breakfast. And there's a lot of, you know, a lot of preparation that goes into it. So I know I appreciate the hard work that they do. Great. Thank you. Miss Leish? So on,
April 16, I attended, legislative and advocacy training, by the Oakland County School Board Association. And then afterwards, the government relations committee meeting, the monthly meeting. So at the monthly meeting, we we, were presented with and talked about what's happening at the state level, and a little bit of what's happening at the federal level in terms of legislation. So some of the key things, at the state level, budget hearings are in process, and some of those hearings. And, also, there's been some movement in the house and the senate that that could potentially, affect schools greatly.
One of those is there's been movement in the house on changes to the gas sales tax, so that would go to roads instead of to school funding, And then in an attempt, I guess, to to hold schools, harmless for that, money would come from somewhere else to for schools, which means that somewhere there will be some shortfall. We just don't know where it will be. And the senate has passed, student teacher stipends to pre k teachers, so that's something, that's new. And the house education committee is signaling some changes to the Michigan merit curriculum.
One area that might be affected, would be science potentially. And so instead of being, you know, being there being a requirement of the names of particular courses as long as, topics are are, you know, are met during high school. So, there might be some changes coming to that as well. At the federal level, there was a little bit there was some talk about the proposed cuts of around $880,000,000,000 in cuts, that are being proposed to the energy and commerce committee. And the reason that I that I wanted to bring that up,
you know, is is we talk about, big picture stuff. You know, I wanna urge people to remain tuned in to what's going on at the federal level. Some things seem like they don't affect us or, you know, that's not gonna affect my family or my student, but in fact, they do. So for example so so the reason that that potential cut in funding to energy and commerce at the federal level is because that's where Medicaid money comes from. And, Medicaid is very important to our students and our families and our schools in lots
of different ways. And so there is, you know, the traditional idea of Medicaid as health insurance for lower income people, but our students, both with disabilities, IEPs, and general education students, who have a right to Medicaid, also get services to our schools. And so, you know, the numbers for a district like ours might be Medicaid reimbursements upwards of $700,000 per year. And so if that money is being cut in Medicaid and it's not coming to our schools, it's gonna come out of our general fund.
And so it's not something that's just gonna impact students who are on Medicaid, students who have IEPs, students who have the disabilities. It's gonna impact every single one of our our our our families. So I appreciate the comments that came from some of our teachers of the year. There's a lot going on, and it is sometimes feels like the easiest things to just ignore. But if we don't, as a community, keep an eye on these things, contact our state representatives, our federal representatives. There are things that could significantly impact all of our students and all of our
families, and it might be too late. And so as a part of that, I also want to express to our entire community that I as an individual board member and I fully believe that we as a board are here to protect each and every one of our students no matter who they are or how they choose to express themselves. And I urge our community to really look at the big picture. I know that today, it might be an international student advocating for Palestinian rights, but it is not so far off the mark to think that tomorrow, it might be a local advocate for students with disabilities.
That is how those things work. You know, once one form of expression is shut down, then it's on to the next one. So there's a lot of things that are taking place, at the national level, and I just encourage everybody to to be aware, to not shut down, you know, and to realize that all of these things could potentially, whether it's six months, a year, two years down the line, have an impact on each and every one of our students. Thank you. Thank you. Sunny? How do I follow that? I want to start off with, echoing the rest of my board members congratulating all the amazing recognitions and everyone.
I did get a chance to attend the Math seven parent night. It was so well attended that there was pretty much no seat available, almost 200 people. So, definitely, our parents are involved, and so we do want them to continue being involved. And your feedback and your direction by taking the surveys and sending us information, emails would definitely help us in making that decision. There will be another opportunity to do that. We on April 9, we had a community conversation with with the board. We're gonna have one on May 8,
I believe, which is the next Thursday. So feel free to the flyer would go out in our newsletter, I'm sure. Feel free to join and talk to us and give us your feedback. It's It's definitely a chance for you to have a one on one conversation with the board members. I also attended the writing curriculum, the elementary writing curriculum, what is it called, session, I guess. A lot of great information in there, amazing work that everybody has been doing in trying to find the right curriculum for our families. I did get a chance to attend a fun event,
a cooking competition for middle schoolers. Amazing. Our students are better cooks as well, better than me. And sometimes they were amazing food from Italian to Mexican to Polish to Indian. I mean, it was very difficult to choose. And, thank you to oh, who said of that event? To our, Chartwell. Thank you to Chartwell for organizing the night. It was amazing. And our own narrator was the emcee, and she did amazing as well. I don't know where do you get the time to do all of those, but definitely a lot going on.
So Great. Rich? And just a couple of things. Our spring updates are are underway. We're maybe about a quarter of the way through. Our visiting staff, meetings as well as PTO meetings. Our team looks forward to dividing and conquering as we move into May. There's plenty of evening, and morning meetings that we'll be covering, so we look forward to seeing, all the rest of our our community. The, just acknowledge, we had about 30 seniors senior citizens that visited both Troy High and Athens last week. We arranged, through through Kendra's office, arranged to have a bus,
picked them up at the community center. They were brought over to Troy High. We did a, we were able to take them on a tour of the building as well as visit some classrooms. And then from there, they went to Athens. They had lunch at the terrace cafe, and then they had a a tour of Athens. Great response from the from our senior citizens, and their only request was that we do it again. Good. So, we will definitely be doing that again. We got also got a I I wanted to share with the board. There was a thank you sent from, from Cindy Stewart at the city, just thanking the district and and the board for allowing, for that visit to take place.
So it's they were talking about it, when when they returned. So thanks to Kendra for for helping to set that up and our principals for facilitating those tours. I am hosting a coffee with the superintendent on this, tomorrow, at 05:00 at Central Office. So, anyone in the community, that has been advertised over the course of the last couple of weeks, anybody is welcome to attend that. Maz mentioned earlier today that he spent his spring break, feeding the salmon, taking care of the salmon in the classrooms. That's because those salmon are getting ready to be released. They will be released on the thirtieth,
at Riverbend's Park. There'll be two releases, at and Riverbend's Park is in Shelby Township. So, more information in the newsletter on the salmon release. Our students' science teachers will be there helping, supporting the students through that, that that salmon, release. And then finally, I I just wanna mention or two more things. Our eighth grade interviews start May 1 with Bowen Park. So if if you have not had a chance to sign up for our eighth grade interviews, that's a very important experience for every eighth grader in the school district to be able to share their experience.
However long it's been in the choice school district, every eighth grader will be interviewed across all four middle schools by a member of our community. Our our team will be, will be at all of the buildings, conducting interviews. Many members of the community, anyone that wishes to participate can contact Kendra Montante's office, and, we can make sure to get you hooked up at one of our our middle schools. But that will start, May. And lastly, just want to, let the board know that I will be, to some of the comments made today. I'll be, joining the k twelve Alliance, next Monday and Tuesday in Washington DC for our,
we'll be lobbying, on the fiftieth anniversary of IDEA. So we've got a group of superintendents, chair the legislative committee for Oakland for the Oakland Superintendents. So we'll be there. We'll be meeting with the entire Michigan delegation. So it's our opportunity to to have a conversation with them, and share much of the information that was shared here this evening around just how important funding is, for our, for our special education students because, and to, missus Alicia's point, it's not just special education students because if we don't get that funding, that funding will we will spend the dollars necessary to support all students.
They we will just find other places for those dollars to come from, and that will be the general fund. So, all students, benefit from, the promised funding, from the federal government. 40% was promised. The largest we've gotten to date is but 18%. And so we're gonna continue to fight that fight, and it's been fifty years now. So just wanna let you know. I'll report, when back as to, who are we who we were able to meet with and the conversations that took place. And that's it. Great. So I just have a couple things to wrap up. First of all, I'd like to invite members of the community to stop by the Troy Community Center.
You'll see an amazing display of our students' art, everything from kindergartners all the way through high school. And, you know, we have some very, very talented students and some very excellent art teachers who are are supporting that. So, stop by and see that. Wanted to mention, just a shout out to, one of our business community members, Doug Teets from Great Dane Marketing, Kendra, Rich and, Christine, for this business round table. We had an excellent meeting, with businesses in the community, to give us feedback on our career accelerator program,
which, our students are in the midst of. I think that the feedback that we got, from that team will help us to make the program, even better. So, another great, opportunity or example of the broader community, supporting our schools. And then, throughout the meeting tonight, we heard many references to the Troy Foundation for Exit for educational excellence. Wanted to invite everybody, to participate in the biggest fundraiser that that organization has. That is the golf outing,
which will take place on June 10 at Greystone Golf Course in Washington, Michigan. It's a morning, event. So the golfing starts at 09:30. You get fed a lot. So you'll get snacks, you'll get lunch, and you will get dinner, and then you will be home, on, you know, at a at a decent time in the evening. But we are looking for sponsors. So sponsorship packages are as low as $500 and they go on up. And and most of the sponsorship packages include, golfers. And then individual golfers will be $150 And,
of course, this is a great opportunity to support TFEE. And as you know, not only is TFEE supportive of, you know, the teacher of the year, awards, but they also are instrumental in doing grants, to our our buildings. And in fact, the grant program over the last couple years, formally it was a teacher grant, but now we actually do grants for teams of students. And so it's really an opportunity, you know, for students to to take on projects that they might not, have the funding to do,
through normal means. And it gives an opportunity for teachers as well, to do grants. So if you're interested, you can, you know, go online to TFEE or talk to, you you know, any of the administrators myself. But we would be happy to, to have you, participate in that as well. So I think we are done with other, so lots of good information tonight. So I want to invite you, you know, Miss, Miss Sendler mentioned, but our next meeting, is a workshop. It will take place on Tuesday evening, May 6, starting at 6PM.
It will be over at the, Administration Building. Lots of good topics, on that agenda. So we will start at six sharp. Other than that, I'm gonna, unless there's no further business, I'm gonna wish everybody, a good evening. And again, congratulations to all of the, members of our community who were recognized tonight. Again, schools wouldn't be what they were without, the community participation. So we are adjourned.