Wayland Union Board of Education

The Wayland Union School Board met on Monday, January 9, 2023 at Baker Elementary for their regular meeting.

Election of Officers

• Dan Cassini for President
• Theresa Dobry for Vice President
• Becky Hohnke for Secretary
• Peter Zondervan for Treasurer

All consent agenda items were approved.

Baker Elementary Building Report

• Principal Rachel Cimek started out her presentation by thanking her staff members for attending the meeting. Baker Elementary made the decision to focus on bonding as a staff which was paired well with Capturing Kids Hearts. Cimek shared that Baker begins their mornings with individual greetings, for which most students choose hugs, which demonstrates the culture within the classrooms. Cimek also emphasized that nearly half of Baker's students were scoring at the national average or higher for NWEA scores. Baker is also choosing student leaders to give morning announcements and to offer assistance in the hallways to provide the students with a voice, which decreases fear/anxiety and increases positive behaviors.

Board Member Appreciation Month

• For board member appreciation month, students from each school presented the board members with a book donated back to the respective school library in the name of the board member. Dan Cassini was recognized by Ronnie Didion, Grant Wright, and Jerry Ramirez from the Middle School. Theresa Dobry was recognized by Braxton VanLuyn from Steeby Elementary. Becky Hohnke was recognized by Madison Nemecheck from the High School. Janel Hott was recognized by Melody VanLiere from Baker Elementary. Jeff Koon was recognized by Tabitha VanderPloeg from CCA. Norm Taylor (being represented by Tim Reeves) was recognized by Lilli Friedank and Donavin Baker from Pine Street. Lastly, Peter Zondervan was recognized by Kinsley Zondervan from Dorr Elementary.

Student Board Members Report

• Ava Makowski and Summer Morrison talked about implementing The Red Glasses movement which encourages students and staff to "Live boldly. Love big. Pass it on.". Clubs are underway with projects such as creating thrift shop stores, Snowcoming, and the spring musical. Winter sports are thriving within their respective fields. Sponsors are still needed for Coaches vs Cancer, which will take place on February 10th, 2023.

Committee Meeting Report - December 12, 2022 Curriculum & Technology Committee

• Peter Zondervan stated that MICIP, the goal the district needs to meet to align with the targets set by the state of Michigan, is currently on track and that teachers will continue to receive professional development on Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning instruction in order to help students achieve proficiency with those skills. P.E. classes have been working to integrate health content. We need to continue to examine technology usage to be sure the tools we have are meeting the needs of our students. Lastly, Media Center materials are being managed really well to ensure that all available books are age appropriate and relevant within the libraries.
  

Governance Team Good News

• Becky Hohnke mentioned that her child just turned 18. Her daughter was also apart of bringing The Red Glasses Movement to the district. Tim Reeves talked about how he is glad that we have high quality maintenance staff that are taking care of the buildings after hearing some horror stories of different districts in our area that suffered water damage after the blizzard. Peter Zondervan is excited to begin subbing within the district as a way to give back to the district in a different way.

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Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations

• Pat Velie gave the budget versus actual report for January 9, 2023. Pat Velie mentioned that United Bank reached out to the district to see if we'd like to start investing money into a high yield savings account, this is something that will be looked into and pursued. The district just received a Casino Revenue check, we receive about 5% of our revenue from the casino every year. The bond payment account will be transferred to Huntington Bank in order to simplify things for a new finance person upon Mrs. Velie's upcoming retirement.

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction

• Teresa Fulk mentioned that NWEA winter testing began right after winter break, testing scores help to ensure that students are getting help in the areas they need. Curriculum adoption discussions have begun for next school year. Fulk ended by saying that the next work session will have a discussion about what kind of metrics the board members would like to view in terms of student achievement data.

Superintendent

• Tim Reeves began by mentioning the mourning the district has been in due to the loss of Jody Tyner. The district and surrounding districts showed their support by coming together to offer assistance in anyway possible. In return, Wayland has extended our condolences to Fennville in the difficult time they are currently facing. Lastly, Reeves mentioned the Allegan County School Board Association is hosting events that they encourage board members to attend.

Progress Update

• Tim Reeves said this will be a big part of the workshop discussion- coming up in two weeks.

Application for Preliminary Qualification of Bonds for May 2, 2023 Election

• Resolution that officially requests the district's bond application.

Request for Overnight Trip for FUTURES 2023

• At the end of the school year, the High School offers different learning opportunities outside what a regular classroom can provide. Amy Nelson is asking for approval to bring students to Northern Michigan University to experience the U.P. and the university. Lodging will be provided by the university, the group will use the school van to make the trip.

2022-23 Hourly Game Help Rate Increase

• Request to increase the athletic hourly worker pay to $11, currently the rate is $10 which is below minimum wage as of January 1, 2023.

Public Improvement Fund Projects for 2022 - 2023 and 2023 -2024

• Approved

2022 - 2023 General Fund Budget Revisions

• Approved

2022 - 2023 Food Service Budget Revisions

• Approved

2022 - 2023 Student Activities Fund Budget Revisions

• Approved

Application for Preliminary Qualification of Bonds for May 2, 2023 Election

• Approved

Janel Hott would like to thank Baker for hosting the meeting and is thrilled to hear about the growth the students are experiencing due to Capturing Kids Hearts. She also wishes everyone a happy 2023.

Theresa Dobry appreciates what Baker is doing to empower the students' voices at such a young age.

Peter Zondervan is inviting everyone in the district to attend the next Bond Meeting on January 16, 2023 to make sure that the public's voice is being heard in regards to the next bond vote.

Jeff Koon would also love the public to come out to the transportation building for the bond meeting. He also enjoyed seeing every inch of the district with Tim Reeves and John Huyck over the winter break.

Becky Hohnke thanks Baker for empowering the students to be leaders within their own school. She also thanks Pat Velie for getting her role all wrapped up before officially retiring, to make the transition easier once it happens. She would also like to take a group picture at the next board meeting.

Dan Cassini thanks Baker for allowing the board to hold the meeting in their facilities, it brings back many memories for him. He also thanks Tim Reeves for how he handled the difficult situation of losing a staff member, Jody Tyner.

Norm Taylor was absent for the meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 8:26pm.

*Please note: This is a summary of the meeting. Official board minutes will be approved at the next regular board meeting on Monday, February 13, 2023 at 7pm. The meeting will be held at Steeby Elementary.