School Board gets plans for bond money

At Monday’s meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, Plant Operations Director James Williams gave an in-depth presentation on plans for the proposed bond issue, with a little help from School Supt. Pete Kudlak.
Williams presented a lengthy report on how the needs of school buildings throughout the district could be reprioritized if the bond passes.
Chart after chart showed what could be provided by the current sinking fund and what could be provided by the proposed $35 million bond issue that could be approved by voters on Nov. 5.
Supt. Kudlak stressed the bond approval will result in zero tax increase, with the tax staying at 2.85 mills. The bonds for the Belleville High School construction were refinanced this spring and so taxpayers would have had a slight tax reduction had the board not come up with this plan to ask voters to continue the same millage.
Kudlak said the bonds, if approved, would be sold in three phases over six years, not all at once. The first bond would pay for construction of an Early Childhood Education Center on the 11 acres next to BHS purchased from St. Anthony Catholic Church. The hard-surfacing of Davis Street would also be a part of this bond, he said.
Williams pointed out Davis Street in that area now belongs to the school district.
Kudlak said this report will be put on the school district website.
In other business at Monday’s one-hour-and-48-minute meeting, the board:
• Removed from the agenda a recommendation to change the district policy on the way staff cell phones are handled. A monthly stipend of $70 is proposed. Supt. Kudlak said the item will be on the next board agenda;
• Approved the annual eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C., May 20-22, by motor coach. Cost to students is $676, by way of scholarships, fund raisers, and self-financing;
• Heard a presentation by Special Projects Coordinator Jane Stalmack on the Summer Reading Camp, for K-4 students in need of extra help with reading, held July 22 to Aug. 15 at Tyler Elementary. This is the third year for this program and this year there were 137 signed up. Of that, 87 had 75% or better attendance. This year there were three school buses to pick them up and deliver them home, a mid-morning snack, and lunch, as well as STEM activities. Everything was free. Stalmack said 68% of the students improved their scores;
• Approved the resignations of teachers Samantha Banas of Owen Intermediate, as of Aug. 21 after two years of service; Michael Sherman of Rawsonville Elementary as of Aug. 22, after three years of service; Heather Fischer of Owen Intermediate as of Aug. 22, after two years of service; and Stacy English of Edgemont Elementary as of Aug. 28, after six years of service;
• Approving hiring counselor Valarie Foulks for Owen Intermediate as of Aug. 28; and teachers Sabrina Pierre-Isaac as online instructor at Belleville High School; Talton Hall for Rawsonville Elementary teacher as of Aug. 28; Mark Scarbrough for Owen Intermediate for music teacher as of Aug. 27; Janeen Mendal for Haggerty ECDC as GSRP teacher as of Sept. 3; Amanda Mitchell as an Edgemont Elementary teacher as of Sept. 3; Laura Fleming as an Owen Intermediate teacher as of Sept. 3; and Jaclynn Behrendt for Tyler Elementary teacher as of Sept. 6;
• Approved the resignations of bus drivers Kenyetta Melton as of Sept. 1 after less than a year of service; Julia Thorn as of Sept. 10 after three years of service; and Lora Hullum as of Sept. 6 after two years of service;
• Approved the hiring of Lawanda Wilson as a bus driver as of Aug. 20; and paraprofessionals Kaleena Bauer for McBride Middle School as of Aug. 28; Marie Punnet for Owen Intermediate as of Aug. 28; Mary Leake for McBride Middle School as of Aug. 28; Linda Dyer for Owen Intermediate as of Sept. 3; and Kelly Williams for the district as of Sept. 10;
• Heard Ginny Gearns ask from the audience about the status of Yvette, who has been an outstanding technical director for the drama put on by students in the fall and the musical put on in the spring. Gearns said auditions for the drama should have taken place this week but didn’t because they have no technical director. Kudlak said Yvette wants to be full-time staff member to put on two plays. “She is fantastic and puts a lot more hours in than paid for,” Kudlak said, noting they do not have money for a full-time position. Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun said the money is there for a part-time position and, “before her, somebody else did it.” Kudlak said the problem is that she needs full time. He said he checked to see what other schools do and, so far, it is a part-time position. He said BHS Principal Stacey Buhro is checking with other high schools. Gearns said the district almost lost her last year because another district wanted her but she wanted to stay with Van Buren. Kudlak said maybe one of the people she trained in the past or another teacher could do it;
• Heard Williams report that the paving at Rawsonville Elementary is done and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is being planned and he and the principal are invited. Also, the media centers at Owen and McBride are done and the soffits at Savage are complete, with the exception of the punch list;
• Heard Madyun report the district has a Pride Athletics program for every employee and are looking at self-defense, CPR, basketball, and step counting;
• Heard Kudlak report there is no budget from the state, as yet. Also, the number of Kindergarteners enrolling is up this year although the birth rates are down. The School of Choice students are about the same so this means Van Buren is capturing more of its own Kindergarteners;
• Heard board member Darlene Loyer Gerick report that her daughter Marina has officially been approved for her Girl Scout Silver Award. Marina had put on the Benches for Belleville project to earn the award. Gerick said the project continues;
• Went into closed-door session to discuss possible reinstatement of Student 18-19-010 for the 2019-20 school year. The student was expelled during the 2018-19 school year and came forward for consideration of reinstatement after the expiration of the expulsion period. The recommendation from the District Reinstatement Committee after it met with the student and parent on Sept. 6 was before the board for consideration. After the board went into open session again it voted to reinstate the student with conditions.