The Lowell Area Schools Board of Education met for 50 minutes in open session on Monday night for their monthly work session. Board member Jessica Curtis arrived about 20 minutes into the session, and Board Secretary Pat Nugent was absent. All other board members were present.
There were no public comments made at this meeting, and the board addressed three pieces of business before going into a closed session.
State Budget Update
First on the agenda was a review of the state budget process. The Governor, Senate and House each have a budget proposal, and LAS Chief Financial Officer Sonia Hodge provided board members with a handout comparing each one in terms of how they would affect LAS revenues and expenditures.
The Governor’s Executive Budget proposal and the Senate-passed version of the budget are similar, although the Senate would give LAS a slight boost in revenue. Under the Governor’s proposal, the per-pupil foundation allowance would increase $392 while the Senate version of the budget raises that funding by $400 per pupil. The Senate version would also require a smaller contribution from the district to the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System.
The House version of the budget includes a significant difference in that it eliminates most categorical funding and spreads it across all districts in the state evenly at a rate of $1,975 per pupil. Categorical funding is currently used to pay for expenses in nearly 60 areas such as transportation, school safety, universal school meals and literacy support, among others.
“I do appreciate that the House is looking at streamlining these categoricals,” said Superintendent Nate Fowler. However, he hoped there would be a “thoughtful” approach in how that is done.
“One concern I have with this approach is that 65%-75% of that is one-time money,” Hodge said. The money LAS would receive from the elimination of categoricals – an estimated $4.8 million – would be appropriated for one year only. To provide this “large, one-time infusion” of cash, the state would also be liquidating some reserve funds.
Hodge also noted that some categoricals were created to provide parity between districts which have different demographics and operations. Lowell, which covers a large geographic area, receives approximately $500,000 in transportation funding. Meanwhile, East Grand Rapids, which does not have a bus fleet, doesn’t receive any transportation money. Under the current House proposal, the money that was previously used for transportation would be evenly distributed to all school districts, regardless of their actual expenses.
Fowler added that legislators are looking at pulling $1.4 billion out of the School Aid Budget for higher education and community colleges. That is significantly more than has been allocated in the past.
Currently, differences between the Senate and House versions of the budget are being discussed in a conference committee. It is hoped that legislators will finish work on the state budget before July 4, Fowler said.
Changes to School Safety Framework
Legislation enacted earlier this year in response to the 2021 school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, requires school districts to have behavioral threat assessment and management teams in place by October 2026. Fowler said LAS had staff trained for this purpose during the 2023 school year and will be working to create a succession plan to ensure new staff members are trained to replace those who may retire or leave the district.
State legislation is also spurring a change in the language used for different types of emergency situations. The standard language now being adopted statewide was developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation. The new terms will be:
- Hold: Replaces “soft lockdown” and refers to situations in which it is “business as usual in classrooms” but hallways and shared spaces are cleared and secured. “I see it most often being used for a medical response,” according to Fowler.
- Secure: This term will be used when everyone is called indoors, and the exterior is secured. It will be “business as usual inside but no one outside,” Fowler said. This type of response might be used when there is some sort of questionable activity in the neighborhood.
- Lockdown: This protocol calls for classroom doors to be locked, lights turned off and students to move out of sight and remain quiet. Schools must conduct lockdown drills three times a year with one drill occurring during an unstructured time such as lunch, recess or transitioning between classes in the hall.
- Evacuate: This term refers to students moving from one location to another, such exiting the building for a fire or moving to a safer spot for a tornado. Schools must conduct evacuate drills five times per year.
“Is there a reason why we wouldn’t add hold and secure to the drills,” asked Board President Brian Krajewski.
Fowler said those protocols didn’t require any action from students, and if all went well, students wouldn’t even know they were in a “hold” or “secure” situation. Krajewski thought it might still be good to have some sort of drill for staff.
Board Member Annie McMahon Whitlock noted that any of the drills could have the potential of traumatizing students, and it may be best not to add to those that are already required.
“I like the simplicity of it,” said Board Member Jennifer Dougherty of the new terminology. “It more explains the action than what triggered it.”
Board members further discussed where the terminology would be posted and how the information could be conveyed to parents.
Superintendent’s Mid-Year Evaluation Report
The final piece of business was mid-year feedback for Fowler from board members. Krajewski asked Hodge to send a rubric to all board members for them to complete with their comments. Those will be discussed in a future closed session.
The LAS Board of Education went into closed session at 6:50pm to discuss “negotiations.” The next regular meeting of the board will be on Monday, July 14, at 6pm in the district administration building.
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