School Board rates Supt. Pete Kudlak ‘highly effective’ for 2020

After a three-hour closed-door session via Zoom on Monday, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education came back into open session to give School Supt. Pete Kudlak the highest evaluation for his performance from January to December 2020.
The board voted just after midnight to give him the “highly effective” rating, which is at the top of the chart on the multi-page Michigan Association of School Boards’ evaluation form. The board also gave him the top rating in its December 2019 vote.
The board voted to extend Supt. Kudlak’s contract until June 30, 2024 and to set his 2021-22 salary at $154,000, beginning in July, the same as the 2020-21 salary.
In other business at the five-hour session, the board:
• Set the annual organizational meeting for Monday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. either in person at the Belleville High School Commons or virtually, depending on the COVID-19 Emergency Orders in place at the time;
• Heard a presentation and approved the 2019-20 Financial Audit by Laura Payne of Taylor & Morgan CPAs and Business Advisors, with the highest-level “unmodified audit” opinion. The general fund balance increased $397,908 from $8,766,856 to $9,164,764 on June 30, 2020, which is about 18% of expenditures and would allow the district to run a month if funds are cut off for some reason;
• Approved the Thrun Law Firm Board Policies to replace the current District Neola Board Policies, except Policy 5207, the Anti-Bullying policy which needs a public hearing before adoption. Board president Amy Pearce said the Thrun policies are easier to understand and there is less room for independent interpretation. It is on the website for the public to examine;
• Approved suspending the Thrun Board Policy 2501 that requires board members to be physically present in order to vote until the Governor of Michigan and MDHHS lift the emergency Order that allows for virtual board meetings;
• Approved the total project award recommendation for the Early Childhood Development Center construction. Approved was Bid Package #2, Final Group B, at $3,249,789. Granger Construction has set the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $10,548,848, which includes bid packs 1, 2, and a construction contingency. The project has a completion date of Oct. 31, 2021;
• Was shown a final design presentation for Bid Pack #2, showing the alternates that were added because the bids came in under budget, including the repaving of Davis Street to the end of the school property, brick veneer outside instead of block, new canopies over the exterior doors and outdoor window seats for each classroom, luxury vinyl tile in the corridors, and large retention ponds along the railroad to the rear of the project;
• Approved purchase of a 2021 Ford F350 and v-plow from Atchinson Ford for $41,897.20. This replaces the 2004 F250 that is requiring ongoing repairs. James Williams, director of plant operations, said he did not go out for competitive bids because Atchinson meets state bid requirements and is part of the consortium bid, “and always has been very competitive”;
• Heard information on the bids to demolish the CTE building on Sumpter Road at a total cost of $121,290, including hazard abatement and a DTE charge for rerouting the electricity there. Thomas Trucking Service of Brownstown was the lowest of nine bidders for the demolition, at $57,000. The project will be voted on at the next meeting. The board had put the property on the market, but didn’t get any good offers, so it was removed from the market. The board had considered demolishing the warehouse there and building a new warehouse near the Early Childhood Development Center now under construction. That plan was abandoned when the layout of the road was changed and there wasn’t enough room. The plan now is to demolish the CTE building and have the front of the property cleaned up and covered with grass;
• Approved a resolution that the district will collect 100% summer taxes. The district law firm advised that this resolution should be adopted annually;
• Approved Schools of Choice with unlimited openings for the second semester. Applications must be turned in by Feb. 1;
• Heard a discussion on the Reconfirmation of the COVID-19 Plan, since a discussion is required every 30 days by the state. Director of Instruction Jeff Moore said the only change is that all students started going remote because of a recommendation from the Wayne County Health Department, starting Dec. 14 and going until Jan. 19. Supt. Kudlak said he is considering bringing the in-person students back on Jan. 11, because of new guidelines for quarantine. “People are telling me they want their kids back in school,” said Trustee Keith Johnston, who was attending his last meeting as a board member;
• Heard Supt. Kudlak say the exams at BHS are Jan. 28 and 29. He said the students are 65% remote now and he expects the same for the second semester. He said he expects to finish the year in the present model of in-person and remote students because of the staffing. The end of the school year date remains the same, he said. He said he and other superintendents do not expect the kids to go back to school until fall because it will take that long to inoculate everyone;
• Approved the resignations of teachers Psyche Jetton of Belleville High School as of Dec. 4 after two years of service, for a job opportunity; Amanda Haas of Tyler Elementary School, as of Dec. 4, with less than one year of service, for personal reasons; and Cristine Gulu of Rawsonville Elemetnary School, as of Nov. 20, with less than one year of service, for personal reasons;
• Approved the hiring of Tisha Love as a GSRP teacher at Haggerty Early Childhood Development Center as of Jan. 11; and Madison Dagenais as a first grade interventionist at Tyler Elementary School as of Dec. 7;
• Heard Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun report the new insurance offered by the district saved $200,000 this year and checks are being sent out Jan. 15 to members. “If we save more money next year, the checks could be bigger,” he said. Kudlak said the district studied insurance and how it works and is saving money. He said VBEST union just started up this year and so it won’t get any checks this year;
• Heard Kudlak announce as of 3 p.m. on Monday, there were seven positive cases of COVID-19, also three have been quarantined;
• Showered outgoing board member Keith Johnston with praise for his 12 years on the school board. He thanked the board for the gift of chocolate-covered strawberries and said he will miss board members He said he likes this board because it lets Kudlak do his job. Johnston had decided not to run for reelection; and
• Heard Treasurer Simone Pinter say of Supt. Kudlak, “Pete turned things around when the district was a disaster. We were doing great and then coronavirus hit us …”