A three-year contract for new School Supt. Peter Kudlak was unanimously approved by the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education at its regular meeting June 13.
Trustee Sherry Frazier said Supt. Kudlak accepted the lowest salary the board could offer because he understands the budget problems. Supt. Kudlak’s base salary is $130,000.
Trustee Frazier said when Michael Van Tassel was made superintendent, his salary was $135,000 and he did not hold the certificates needed for the job. She said Kudlak has the certificates.
She said Kudlak agreed to step forward and take on the challenge this district presents.
Board President Brent Mikulski said Kudlak was not tough to negotiate with which, “speaks to Mr. Kudlak’s character.”
Frazier said Kudlak visited all the schools in the district last Wednesday to see the students in the classrooms. He also visited central office and talked to people to find out what was happening first hand.
President Mikulski introduced the new superintendent who was met with enthusiastic applause. Supt. Kudlak was applauded four times that evening.
Supt. Kudlak said this is very exciting for him and that evening he got to meet some people. He referred to the hour-long closed door session by the board that he used going table to table in the cafeteria to talk to parents and teachers and supporters of the school in the audience.
“This is so unusual,” said one delighted retired teacher who noted the way Kudlak talked and listened and joked with people was very different from the last superintendent who instilled fear in the staff.
After the contract was approved, Frazier said she felt the district no longer needs to consult with former superintendent Michael Van Tassel, as was part of his separation agreement in February.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Frazier said. “Mr. Kudlak is more than capable of taking the reigns. I now think it’s time to cut the ties. The money we’re paying him is taking from the budget.”
“I don’t know if that is proper now,” said English, an enthusiastic supporter of Van Tassel for many years.
Frazier said she would like a report on how much the district is consulting with him, how much they are paying him, and just who is consulting with him.
In other business, the board:
- Approved membership renewal for Belleville High School and McBride Middle School in the Michigan High School Athletic Association for the 2016-17 school year;
- Approved membership renewal in the Michigan Association of School Boards for the 2016-17 school year at a cost of $7,487;
- Approved a lease/purchase agreement of 16 copiers from Applied Imaging for five years of financing of $194,193.55 in principal, with an interest rate of 4.41% per annum, through the Great American Financial Services. Total cost is $216,720;
- Approved deferment of procurement requirements for a year, as allowed by the federal government. Interim Supt. Diane Kullis said the district got a May 26 memo that required a lot of procedures by June 30 concerning federal grants since Dec. 26, 2014. The board’s action will delay it for a year, “to make sure we have everything in place required. It’s really nice they allow us another year,” Supt. Kullis said. Frazier said this is a case of the government overreacting since all the problems with siphoning of federal funds from the Detroit schools;
- Discussed the Wolverine Pipeline’s need to increase its easement from 15’ on the north side of the Owen Intermediate School property to 75’ for a second low-pressure gas pipeline. Representatives from Atwell, LLC, the company that manages the pipeline, were present to explain the need. They said Wolverine will replace anything damaged, like grass or the existing parking lot at the front of the building. They said the Michigan Public Service Commission has approved the route of the 35-mile pipeline to bring petroleum to the Detroit area and construction is to take place July through December. The amount the district would get for the increased easement is $537. Mikulski said this was just a time for information and they will come back and seek approval to proceed;
- Rescinded the March 21 board action regarding paving of McBride using Sinking Funds. Supt. Kullis said after that meeting the board received a written attorney opinion letter stating that review of Michigan Department of Treasury rulings indicated the district could not use sinking funds for road paving. No written agreement was ever executed between Van Buren Township and VBPS. Board vice president Martha Toth said the district could participate in the paving with a donation, but not with sinking funds. Frazier went over the bad information given to the board by school employees at that meeting. She said the township is getting a grant and willing to work with the school. She said she hoped they could find some money somewhere to get this paved. Toth suggested property owners along McBride could contribute. “I believe there is activity being taken at the township level,” Mikulski said;
- Approved resignations of two administrators: Savage Principal Amy Gee after one year as of June 30 for employment at Wayne-Westland; and Financial Director Shareen Barker, after two years, as of Aug 5;
- Approved hiring teacher Michael Sherman at Rawsonville starting Sept. 1;
- Approved the retirement of Nancy Gravel, after 22 years in Transportation as of June 1; and retirements of paraprofessionals Maria Todd, 32 years, and Dawn Bumbul, 31 years, both as of June 30;
- Approved hiring Jasmine Banks as a bus aide as of May 6 and Jessica McIntyre as an afternoon custodian as of May 26;
- Approved the use of school buses for the Boys and Girls Club for six trips this summer at the rate of $35 per hour and $1 per mile;
- Under non-agenda items discussion heard Richard Rytman say he usually comes before the board with suggestions to improve things, but now he is coming to vent. He said it infuriates him so that they didn’t listen to him last year when he tried to help by offering to pay for a climate survey. He asked how many board members can say they read the report on M-STEP testing. The board insulted and embarrassed parents and keeps insisting it can’t comment about anything. He said the board needs to decide whether it is for the school district or for the former superintendent. He said there are a lot of disciplinary issues at Owen and he has been told they can’t take action against the students because of Schools of Choice and the money the students bring. He said the prior superintendent has done more against this school district than anyone else and Mr. English wants to keep paying him. He said if the board is not going to be for the school district then the parents will act;
- Heard Jason Mida praise the teachers at Edgemont Elementary School where his son and daughter are students;
- Heard a mother discuss the 2015-16 school year. Her daughter goes to Savage and her son is at Owen and he was among those having their M-STEP scores dismissed by the state because of the district’s claims. She said the district has highly intelligent parents who support the schools. “It’s not too late to repair a relationship with us,” she said;
- Heard a father speak in support of Savage School. He also said they used to hold two regular school board meetings a month until a few years ago. He said he would like them to go back to two until the district is healed. When a meeting was canceled earlier this year the parents had to wait six weeks for another meeting, he said;
- Heard a parent at Savage support one of the teachers at the school who has applied for principal to take the place of Amy Gee who has resigned; and
- Was reminded of the board’s work/study session at 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 20, for a budget review.