The Lowell Area Schools Board of Education met Monday for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. This will be the only BOE meeting in December, and all members were present for the meeting.
Student Council Report
Student Council President Conner Casarez gave his monthly update on the happenings at Lowell High School, saying that students were counting down the days until holiday break. He joked that some students, hoping for another snow day like last week Thursday, discussed “icing” Superintendent Nate Fowler’s driveway — “thinking maybe if he can’t get out, then none of us will have to.”
Casarez congratulated the basketball team for their recent win and also the cast and crew of the recent holiday play, The Great North Pole Bake-Off.
A Toys for Tots drive is happening now at LHS as well as a bake sale to help raise funds. Both events are put on by the Youth Advisory Council.
High School Peer to Peer LINKS Program
LHS Principal Steve Gough introduced some students that participate in the Peer to Peer LINKS program, which pairs general education students with students who have various disabilities. Gough said that the program, which was proposed last year by Special Education teacher Michele Morrell, is “…already having a significant impact…”.
Morrell said the program had its beginnings in Clarkston, Michigan, where it evolved after a teacher shared concerns that her students with autism were feeling isolated from the rest of the school. There are now hundreds of LINKS programs throughout the state, all a bit different, but all with the goal of giving students a sense of belonging.
Several students who participate in the program were there to talk about it further; one saying that the goal was for the general education student to be “a supportive friend, not a helper” for the student with disabilities with whom they are matched. For students with disabilities, the program can help with socialization, communication and independence. For the general education students, the program can help them to relate to people with different abilities and help them to develop compassion for individual differences in their peers.
Peer to Peer participants go through various trainings and then meet weekly, including in the classroom and outside of school as well. Several student athletes have formed “unified” sports teams, where students of all abilities can participate. This past fall, the unified soccer team competed in Grand Rapids, and this winter, a unified basketball team will compete against neighboring districts’ unified teams.
Another pair of students wanted to organize a social event outside of school and invited their peers to take a trip to the local Starbucks. One student said that the event was a lot of fun, noting: “…we created such a good bond and friendship with them…we’re thankful, they’re thankful…it’s amazing…everyone wants to feel included.”
Other activities have included a visit to Maple Ridge Manor, a local assisted living facility, to color bags for Kids Food Basket, a thanksgiving lunch, and Christmas caroling next week.
Superintendent Evaluation
Board Secretary Pat Nugent presented the board’s evaluation of Fowler, as required annually by state school code.
In the last year, the rating system has changed from a 4 point system (4-Highly Effective, 3-Effective, 2-Developing and 1-Needing Support) to a 3 point system, with the elimination of the “Highly Effective” rating. Last June and July, the board went through a required training course to learn about the new rating system and how to evaluate proficiently using the new system.
Nugent said that because at LAS, “…we have a very effective administrative team led by a very effective superintendent,” the board found the new system somewhat limiting, as it did not allow for them to rate Fowler higher in some of the categories they felt he excelled in as a superintendent.
There are five areas with which the board is tasked with evaluating the superintendent:
- Governance and Board Relations
- Community Relations
- Staff Relations
- Business and Finance
- Instructional Leadership
The board awarded Fowler an “effective” rating of 3 in all categories except three, in which he received a 2.5, for a total score of 2.94 out of 3, or 98%. That score is then added to the total score of two other components: Student Growth and Assessment and Progress Towards District-Wide Goals, for which the board rated a 3, effective in both areas. Fowler’s overall score from the board, including those two components, was then 2.96 out of 3, or 99% overall.
The board’s final comments in the evaluation report are as follows:
“Our board finds Mr. Fowler to be a highly effective superintendent. He leads an experienced administrative team, and we have seen steady growth in many areas. Over the past year, the district has passed a bond issue, initiated many capital improvements, successfully inaugurated a new athletic conference, and increased its fund balance, along with continued growth in academic proficiency. Lowell schools consistently perform in the top quadrant of schools in the county. The board looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Fowler to provide excellent academic opportunities and a safe and positive learning environment for all of the children of Lowell Area Schools.”
The superintendent evaluation in its entirety can be found in the December board packet which is shared online.
Action Items
The board unanimously voted to approve the superintendent evaluation, and Fowler thanked them, saying:
“…I want to recognize that it is a team effort, on the administrative side, on the side of our teachers and all of our staff…on behalf of all of the employees of Lowell schools, thank you for the feedback…I look forward to continuing to…(work) with our teachers to provide excellent academic opportunities and a safe and positive learning environment, with our staff, with our principals and with the rest of our administrative team as well.”
The board also voted unanimously to approve 21 revised and 3 new bylaws following a second reading of the policies. The bylaws and policies have been discussed at the last several meetings, and many of them are being revised to reflect changes in state law.
Another vote concerned the district joining a national purchasing consortium called Omnia. Omnia is one of the largest consortiums in the country for K-12 schools and is free for the district to join. Chief Financial Officer Sonia Hodge explained that Omnia would “…do the legwork for us of putting things out to bid, analyzing the bids and awarding the contracts, and we’re able to take advantage of that and get better pricing than we often could on our own.” The board unanimously agreed the district should join the Omnia.
The purchase of new band uniforms was approved by the board, totaling about $94,000. The last time new uniforms were purchased was sometime in the 1990s.
Two different student overnight trips were also approved, including a trip to Orlando for participating band, orchestra and choir students to perform at Disney World and some out-of-state tournaments for the LHS wrestling team.
Finally, the board voted to authorize Owen-Ames-Kimball Company to issue notice of pending awards to contractors and suppliers to begin the replacement of the high school track. The funding will come from the 2024 bond proposal, and there are five categories of awards for the reconstruction of the track:
- Earthwork to be done by Epic Excavating at a cost of $529,000
- Asphalt paving to be done by Rieth-Riley Construction at about $262,000
- Fencing completed by Fence Consultants of West Michigan for $33,000
- Concrete construction by Teunnisen Concrete for about $103,000
- Track resurfacing by Fisher Tracks for $144,000
The project will start with irrigation as soon as bids are accepted, and the goal is to start construction of the track in early June. The new track is slated to be completed for the fall of 2025.
Human Resources Update
The human resources department continues to research different applicant tracking systems. The district had been using the same system as Kent ISD, but Kent ISD went to a new system so a decision needs to be made whether to stay with the old system or choose a new one.
Budget Update
The new finance software is up and running, and the finance team has already issued three payrolls from the new system.
The board was given a packet of information regarding changes from the State of Michigan to next year’s retirement funding. Hodge said that the changes will be a big part of the district’s budget so it would be helpful for the board to familiarize themselves with them.
Hodge also wanted to update the board regarding a bill before the legislature that would make changes to the amount a district can pay towards health insurance for its employees. The bill seeks to increase the amount that districts can pay for health insurance by 7% for the first year.
The percentage seems small but would translate to a cost for the district of about $300,000 based on the number of staff currently enrolled in health plans. For subsequent years, the cap would go up by 3% or the medical consumer price index, whichever is higher, and would translate to about $150,000 a year for LAS. Over a six year period, these changes could mean a cost of more than a million dollars to the district. The bill is before the legislature right now, and it’s unclear at this time whether it will be put to a vote.
A grant from EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy) will be helping to ensure filtered water is available to all students in the district. The grant will help to pay for new filtered bottle filler stations, and new filters for the existing bottle filler stations in each building in the district. LAS requested a grant of about $18,000 to add or replace these stations as well as a year’s supply of filters. That amount was granted, but the district will have to cover ongoing costs of maintenance and filter replacement in years to come.
Curriculum Update
The administrative staff met recently to go over the strategic action plan for the district and to share feedback. They also discussed professional learning systems and a mid-year review was suggested as a possibility that would help staff identify areas that are strong, and other areas that may need more consideration.
Public Comment
Retired LAS teacher Kim Lum said she was “beaming” during the high school presentation of the Peer to Peer program, saying, “Our kids need to feel included.” Lum said that LAS is a public school and as such, needs to remember that all students are different and need to be honored for those differences in order to feel seen and encouraged.
Superintendent’s Report
Fowler reminded everyone that this Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the Luminary Hike at the Wittenbach Wege Center.
LAS had academic all-state athletes in volleyball, soccer, cross country and football. Fowler said that these athletes would be recognized in an upcoming meeting.
Fowler also mentioned that this was board member Tom Kaywood’s last Board of Education meeting, as he is retiring from the board. To recognize his 13 years of service to the board, Fowler said to Kaywood, “…you’re known for your expertise in facilities and a focus on how excellent facilities can have an impact on student learning and on a community… we’ll miss you in that regard, but I think it’s also important to note your advocacy for every student at school (and) your enthusiasm you bring for innovative programming…we wish you all the best and appreciate your service on the board.”
Board Comments
Many board members thanked the high schoolers who presented information about the Peer to Peer group and also thanked Kaywood for his years of service on the board.
Jennifer Dougherty said of the superintendent evaluation, “ …it’s one of those things where you don’t know how good you have it until you start looking at all the categories… the fact that we have a superintendent and an administrative team that is getting things done; we’re very fortunate.”
Kaywood thanked everyone and said of the board:
“… we have an awesome group of people, I know our community is super supportive of us… it’s been an interesting 13 years, because we’ve had it very easy, we’ve had it very difficult, but you guys (gesturing towards the audience) have been with us the whole time. We really appreciate that, and believe it or not, the good comments and the bad comments are all welcome because it challenges us to really evaluate our principles and what we hold true…”
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm. There will not be a work session in December so the next Board of Education meeting will be Monday, January 13, at 7 pm in the administrative building.
Leave a Reply