School Board appoints new HR Director, raises salaries of three positions

After Van Buren Public Schools Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun resigned as of July 25, the school board not only appointed a new HR Director, but raised the salaries of three other administrators.
Madyun, who had worked for the Van Buren Schools for 13 years, accepted a HR Director position in the Northville Schools.
School Supt. Pete Kudlak explained the situation during Monday’s regular meeting of the school board.
He introduced the new HR Director, John Leroy, most recently principal of McBride Middle School who started his job earlier Monday.
Supt. Kudlak said they had many applicants for the HR position, but Leroy rose above them all. He said Leroy is good with solving problems and working with groups.
Kudlak said after the district lost Madyun, he reached out to other school districts about their pays and he said 14 districts responded. He said he did some math and worked with the different sizes of the districts and other factors and found that three administrators are lower in pay than they should be, especially the finance director.
“We hate to leave it until somebody leaves and then adjust it,” Kudlak said of the pay.
Kudlak said of the 14 districts responding to his questions, he said some didn’t give all the answers.
Board President Amy Pearce said they “don’t want you poaching their people.”
Kudlak said the salaries were set a few months ago but he asked the board to reset those three salaries and the board approved raising:
• Finance Director Sara Cortese from $108,500 to $125,000;
• Director of Instruction Jeff Moore from $114,500 to $118,000; and
• Director of Special Education Karen Johnston from $114,500 to $118,000.
Board vice president Susan Featheringill abstained from the vote since Cortese is her daughter. Featheringill also abstained from a vote on a payroll check of $346.11 earlier in the meeting since Ian Simmons, who is working as a PT Tech and is a recent BHS graduate, is her grandson.
Parent Jaclyn Hofman congratulated Leroy for his promotion and then chastised the superintendent and the board for the chaos that has descended on the district with the switching around of well-established administrators between buildings and grade levels to fill the vacancy left by Leroy at McBride.
Edgemont Principal Fred Abel to principal at McBride and Laura Maher from McBride to Edgemont as principal.
“I’m disappointed Ms. Maher wasn’t promoted in her building,” said Hofman, noting she’s sure they won’t change their decision now, but she wants them to know how the parents are feeling.
She said following the COVID disruption consistency is needed for students and staff. She said she is disappointed in the superintendent and the school board.
“I feel you have failed them,” she said to the board.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board:
• Approved Owen Intermediate School’s Nov. 1-4 sixth grade camp at YMCA Camp Copneconic in Fenton. Cost to students is $225 each;
• Approved a change order for Capricorn Diversified Systems in the amount of $61,100 for additional infrastructure technology for the Owen Intermediate School construction work. The cost will be paid by $40,595.17 from the Owen Technology bond budget with the remaining $20,504.83 funded from the original approved IT project;
• Approved a one-year contract with the Van Buren Food Service Association that was signed on July 11 by Madyun when he was still HR Director. Supt. Kudlak presented the contract that featured $1.50 per hour raise for all classifications, Classification 1 Food Service Worker is guaranteed a minimum of 5.5 hours per day, and other details. Kudlak said this will make it $14.84 to start, which is competitive pay;
• Approved hiring the following instructional employees: Deondra Burton, Rawsonville teacher; Alexandrea Barnes, Edgemont ASD teacher; Danielle Williams, GSRP teacher; Jackie Plumb, Owen speech pathologist; Erica Boulas, BHS English teacher; Tara Duryea, occupational therapist; Jackie Kennedy-Nelson, Owen teacher; Jordan Cumbo, Tyler teacher; Jewelane Conger-Fettes, Tyler teacher; Staci Russell, elementary instructional coach, and Brittany Stanko, ECC teacher for three-year-olds;
• Approved the following hires for non-instructional positions: William Sheridan, Peter Cender, and DeJuan Rogers for BHS building subs; Amy Loggie, Brier Market, Donna Bodden, Doris Biles, and Davendera Sandhu as bus aides; Chantu Johnson and Yvonne LaChance as bus drivers; Kimbria James, Kimberley Beyer, and Kirsandra McKay as parapros in special services; Francine Tate, Joshua Roberts, and Lenoye McBride as custodians; and John Leroy as Director of Human Resources;
• Heard Jim Williams announce the health clinic construction has started at McBride and it should take 90 days to open once it’s started;
• Heard it announced that fall sports started that day, the field turf is completed and the track is finished and it had the punch list walk that day. Kudlak said an administrative retreat is Aug. 25 on school safety. He said the district has now joined with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department program where they meet with groups. President Pearce said she would like to have someone from that department come talk to the board and Kudlak said that was possible; and
• Heard Pearce say the Van Buren Education Foundation has announced its Casino Night at The Garage on Oct. 8. Tickets are now on sale, she said.