School Board OKs parking lot expansion at Early Childhood Center

At its July 15 meeting, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved bids for expansion of the parking lot at the Early Childhood Center.
T&M Ashalt Paving and Douglas Electric Company were approved for a total award of $241,100. T&M’s part is $194,620 and Douglas Electric Company’s is $24,560. A project contingency of 10%, $21,920, is included.
T&M was low bidder of three and Douglas was low bidder of three.
In other business at the July 15 meeting, held at the administration building, the board:
• Approved hiring Lemanzer Williams as assistant principal for Owen Intermediate School as of Aug. 1. He also had worked in Ann Arbor and Okemos. School Supt. Pete Kudlak said the district had 78 applicants for the position and took three rounds of interviews;
• Approved hiring, all as of Aug. 28, Erin Martell as speech pathologist at the Early Childhood Center; Trisha Matelaski, as Spanish teacher at Belleville High School; Melissa Carr as resource room teacher at BHS; Ozenia Cosey-Nolen, as cosmetology teacher at BHS; Karen Morelli as CI teacher at BHS; and Aimee Griffin, as resource room teacher at Rawsonville Elementary;
• Approve hiring Leslie Harris as a school bus driver as of July 8;
• Canceled the July 29 meeting. The next regular meeting will be Aug. 12 in the administration building;
• Heard Supt. Kudlack update the new Strategic Plan that listed his goals. He said they were reviewed in December when the board did his evaluation and this is an update because they have finished the first year of the plan;
• Heard Marina Gerick give a wrap-up of the Benches for Belleville program she started in 2018 as her Girl Scout Silver Projects. She said with community support she saved more than 5,700 pounds of caps and lids and brought back 26 benches and three picnic tables. She received her Girl Scout Silver Award in 2020, and the project continued. She said after their first seven-hour trip to pick up benches, she said she would continue until she was 18. At the end of this month, she turns 19; and
• Held a closed-door session to consider reinstatement of student 23-24-011 for the upcoming school year. The board voted in open session to reinstate the student with conditions.