School Board promotes BHS principal to Human Resources Director

Abdul Madyun, former principal of Belleville High School, has been promoted to Director of Human Resources for the Van Buren Public Schools.
At Monday’s regular school board meeting, the board approved the superintendent’s selection of Madyun. He was making $110,216 as high school principal and now will be paid $112,000.
School Supt. Peter Kudlak noted that Madyun earned a Juris Doctorate degree at Thomas Cooley Law School, after getting a bachelor’s degree at Wayne State University.
He has been an employee of the district for the past ten years, serving the first three at the former Alternative Education Building. He was an assistant principal for four years and BHS principal for the past four years. He also served on the district’s negotiation team for the past five years and was president of the Van Buren Administrators and Supervisors Association for the past four years.
The board also approved the hiring of Lisa Preuss as principal of Savage Elementary School with a salary of $88,619. She has been an employee of the district for the past 22 years as an elementary teacher. She has completed the Aspiring Administrator’s Academy through Wayne RESA and completed a Principal Internship at Tyler Elementary School in 2013. She was the interim principal at Savage Elementary at the beginning of the last school. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and her master’s degree from Concordia University.
At Monday’s board meeting, the audience stood and applauded her official hire as principal.
Joseph Brodie, who was not present for Monday’s meeting, was named Athletic Director at a salary of $85,595. He has been a health teacher at BHS for 10 years and coached many sports during that time. He was interim Athletic Director this past school year. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University.
Also, Kim Searcy was hired as Transportation Supervisor at a salary of $72,000. She has 23 years of experience working in pupil transportation. She last worked as a Safety & Training Supervisor for Durham. Prior to that she worked as a Lead Transportation Supervisor for Ann Arbor (WISD), a Transportation Director at Ypsilanti Public School District, and a Transportation Supervisor for Willow Run Community School District.
Searcy received her bachelor’s degree from EMU.
Board Trustee Sherry Frazier pointed out that the salaries of these hires are less than the people they are replacing and pointed out that Supt. Kudlak took a lower salary, as well, because they are watching finances in the district.
In other personnel matters, the board accepted the retirement of JoLynn DeBuysscher from Tyler Elementary School after 25 years of service as of June 30 and the resignation of Tracy Healy of McBride Middle School after 14 years of service as of June 28 because she is moving to Traverse City.