School Board approves $77 million bond issue to be on Nov. ballot

The Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the paperwork to send to the state for preliminary qualification of a November ballot asking voters to approve $77 million in bonds, plus interest.
This would be to replace the current bonds that are expiring.
The action was taken at Monday’s regular board meeting without discussion.
The bond had been discussed at a previous meeting.
Absent from Monday’s meeting were board president Amy Pearce, vice-president Dionne Falconer, and trustee Victor DeLibera. Presiding was secretary Darlene Loyer Gerick.
In other business at the two-and-a-half-hour meeting on Monday, the board:
• Approved a $130,400 contract with Southern Bleacher Company, Inc. for replacement of BHS band bleachers, as discussed at the last meeting;
• Approved the purchase of 850 student Chromebooks for fifth graders and ninth graders from Sehi Computing for the total amount of $256,054 from the 2025-26 sinking funds. Each student entering fifth grade gets a Chromebook and carries it until ninth grade, when the student gets a new Chromebook, Sean Garland explained at the May 27 meeting;
• Heard spring building presentations from leaders of McBride Middle School, Owen Intermediate, and Savage Elementary schools;
• Approved a special education contract with Bilingual Therapies for the 2025-26 to hire a physical therapist at a cost of $116 per hour (minimum three hours a month). A current vacany exists for a part-time physical therapist to assist students with disabilities who have significant gross-motor needs;
• Approved membership for McBride Middle School and Belleville High School in the Michigan High School Athletic Association for the coming school year;
• Approved without discussion a collective bargaining agreement with the Van Buren Food Services Association for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. Changes include increase of starting pay from $15.84 per hour to $17 per hour; revised contract schedule with an average increase in pay of $.50 per person for the first year and $.25 for the second year; increased attendance bonus from $1,000 to $2,000 per year to increase staff attendance, addition of choice of three healthcare plans, and others;
• Approved, without comment, the salaries of employees non-affiliated with unions, as discussed at the last meeting. The salaries take effect on July 1. They range from $140,000 for director of student services Julien Frazier and director of finance Priya Nayak to $32,250 for pre-school tuition teachers Haley Dagnillo and Tyan Brown. Lunch dads are paid $15 per hour;
• Approved the BHS Cross Country Field Trip for July 28-31 for 15-30 students in grades 9-12 at Van Buren State Park in South Haven. Cost to student is $125-$150 to be self-financed and with team funds;
• Approved the Washington, DC Field Trip for McBride eighth-grade students May 13-16, 2026. Cost to student is $926 each and will be self-financed and through fundraising and scholarships;
• Held a party before the meeting to celebrate the retirements of district employees and then honored ten retirees personally during the meeting;
• Honored members of the Esports team and spring sports teams, some of whose members went on to championships at the state level, as well as the Top Ten graduating seniors from the class of almost 400;
• Approved the resignation of teacher Ryan Petersmark of BHS after eight years of service as of June 13;
• Approved the hiring of Kristen Wrase for district side ASD coach as of Aug. 27; Heather Herrick as a social worker at Rawsonville Elementary as of Aug. 27; Jennifer Kitchen as principal of Tyler Elementary as of Aug. 1; Ashley Snyder as athletic trainer at BHS as of Aug. 1; Whitney Briggs as Savage Elementary resource room teacher as of Aug. 27; Melissa Petty as principal of the Early Childhood Center as of Aug. 1; and Allyson Batson as lead teacher for Great Start at the Early Childhood Center as of Aug. 27;
• Approved the termination of Leonard Edwards in the Transportation Department after less than a year of service as of May 30; the resignation of Shannon Beach at Tyler Elementary after two years as of June 18; and retirement of Noreen Desliets of the transportation department after 16 years as of June 30;
• Approved hiring Anthony Marshall as a school bus driver as of May 29 and Michael Ellerby as a custodian as of June 9;
• Heard Todd Blackburn of Sumpter Township complain about school buses that are speeding at 55 in a 40 mph zone. He said he called the school to complain and the person argued with him saying the sonar on the bus said it wasn’t speeding. She said that was a 45 mph zone according to GPS. She told him to call the police. Blackburn said he doesn’t want anyone’s job or points on his/her license, he just wants the bus drivers to stop speeding with our children on board. Speeding is illegal, he said;
• Heard Rachel Jager, who has taught at BHS for 25 years and has a daughter in the top ten graduates, say that staff morale is low and colleagues feel unseen, unheard, and unvalued. She said teachers are seeking other employment and it’s not for the pay. She said the entire counseling department has been dismantled and those counselers have been highly effective in the past. She was applauded;
• Heard BHS counselor Shana Currie say the previous Monday she was told the three counselors were reassigned to the elementary schools because the BHS counselor department is moving in another direction. She said on that Monday the elementary principals were unaware “of our pending appearance.” She asked who made the decision and how was it made? She said high school counselors do not have experience with elementary students;
• Heard Reg Ion ask School Supt. Pete Kudlak if the district recruits students and Supt. Kudlak said he could call Ion the next day to talk about it. Ion asked if he was going to call all the people asking about the counselors? Ion kept pushing and Kudlak said the district does not recruit students. Ion said Kudlak had told him before the meeting that the district does recruit students;
• Heard board member David Shall say while it is interesting to see the tests the district has compiled to test students, he would like to see how this district stacks up against other districts; and
• Heard Gerick announce that her recent project had raised $1,400 for Tiger Village.