Bryant new principal at Rawsonville Elementary

Tracy Causey-Bryant, who has been working as an instructional coach at Savage Elementary School for the past two years, is the new principal of Rawsonville Elementary School.
At Monday’s regular meeting, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a one-year contract for Bryant. Her salary is $95,977.46, with benefits on top of that.
Bryant lives in Van Buren Township near Savage Elementary School with her husband, who is employed by the Ann Arbor School District, and their son. She said their four-year-old goes to Bethany now and will either go to Savage or Rawsonville when he starts school.
Bryant holds a master of arts in Curriculum and Instruction and three certifications, including Administrative Certificate K-12. She has worked at the Detroit and Inkster school districts before coming to Van Buren Public Schools in 2015.
She was named 2009 Teacher of the Year at Inkster High School and was a Wayne RESA Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2002.
Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun recounted the lengthy procedure used to select the final two candidates for the principal’s position. The two were presented to School Supt. Pete Kudlak, who made the final decision.
He said there were 79 applicants for the position, which were reviewed and reduced to 35 in number. A committee of Rawsonville teachers called all 35 and reduced that number to 13. Thirteen were interviewed and that number reduced to five and then to two, which were presented to Supt. Kudlak.
There will be a Back-to-School Kickoff Day from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at Rawsonville for everyone to meet the new principal.
Madyun said his whole life is about hiring these days and he rolled off a list of positions to be filled, including three special education positions, a German teacher, another math teacher, a media specialist for the high school, and a band teacher for McBride/Owen, since Evaristo Rodriguez has left.
Karen Johnston, special education director, said they need seven parapros, as well.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board:
• Approved awarding the milk bid for the upcoming school year to Sun Valley/Berkshire Dairy as recommended by the Southeast Wayne County Buying Cooperative Group. Sun Valley/Berkshire have been used for the last two years;
• Approved awarding the bread bid to Aunt Millie’s as recommended by the cooperative group after a taste test. Trustee Simone Pinter noted: “I love that bread,” and others agreed;
• Approved awarding the fresh-made pizza bid to Marco’s Pizza after a taste test that was almost unanimous by those testing. Marco’s bid was higher than the others bidding – Hungry Howie’s and Happy’s Pizza – but Marco’s was said to surpass the others in taste. Marco’s was used last year and they were said to be reliable, always on time, and the pizzas perfectly cut. Pizza Day has the highest number of students buying lunch, followed by Nacho Day and French Toast and Sausage Day;
• Heard Trustee Alison Bennett read board policy updates as the second reading and then the board adopted the policy changes. These changes were reviewed at the July 24 board meeting as the first reading. More updates are coming, as recommended by consultant NEOLA, many to keep in line with new laws;
• Approved the termination of DeAndre Williams from the Buildings and Grounds Department as of July 21 with less than one year of service and approved the hiring of Bradley Melidosian as a custodian as of July 10;
• Approved the termination of Belleville High School teacher Carmen Henry as of Aug. 3 after four years of service for relocation and the hiring of the following teachers as of Aug. 29: Ariel Sanchez, BHS science; Katelyn Steward, BHS French; Matelyn Biggs, McBride ELA; and Kaylee Haisma, BHS New Tech math;
• Heard Curriculum Director Jeff Moore announce the back-to-school schedule for teachers and students, with teachers having Professional Development programs on Aug. 29 and 30. Educational Technology Camp for teachers is set for Aug. 23 and 24, so they can hone their technology skills in World of Google training;
• Heard Financial Director Shareen Barker say the auditors appeared earlier that day to begin the annual audit and staff is reviewing the security bids received. Also the hiring of bus drivers continues. She said Supt. Kudlak said there are never enough bus drivers. Barker also said all PTO treasury funds will now be going through the district to increase transparency and avoid problems;
• Heard Trustee Kelly Owens announce that the last Brinkerhoff golf outing was held last Saturday after 18 years and $160,000 in scholarships. Also, the Educational Foundation’s annual Sunset Celebration is Sept. 9 at the BYC;
• Heard Trustee Susan Featheringill say she asked for the figure on legal costs for the last school year and it was $145,512 for the whole year and $98,000 of that went to “MStep” referring to the lawsuit bought by Savage teachers. Financial Director Barker said in the 2015-16 school year the legal costs were $283,281. “We’re at 50% of the prior year, so we’re heading in the right direction,” Barker said; and
• Went into closed-door session to consult with an attorney on the law suit brought by Savage teachers last year. No action was taken on the case and the board came back to regular session and ad