The Lowell Area Schools Board of Education met in a new spot Monday evening: the Lowell High School Library. The board was invited to hold a meeting there as an opportunity to give them a tour of the newly redesigned space.
Public Comments
Three people spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.
Retired LAS teacher Kim Lum spoke to the board and audience about founding father Ben Franklin and his association with libraries. Lum said that with the help of investors, Franklin set about constructing one of the first public libraries in the nation and added: “What a wonderful thing…he really wanted people to learn, and so he found a way to help all people.”
Lum suggested that everyone think about the libraries in their own lives and “…be aware of how much of a resource they are.” She also expressed her gratitude for the libraries at LAS, saying, “I want to say thank you to Lowell Area Schools for this facility and all that’s available here…”.
In her comments, Schools of Choice parent Stefanie Boone mentioned a bill in North Dakota that recently passed that state’s Senate. If signed into law, it would require the removal of “obscene or sexually explicit content” from the main areas of public and school libraries in North Dakota. Boone said to the board, “…we’re going to see this in more and more states across the nation…you may as well get started working on cleaning up the smut in the library because it’s going to be forced on you or…you will face the state’s attorney prosecution for failure to comply. Misdemeanors and beyond.”
Boone has asserted at numerous meetings that there are books in the library that are not appropriate for students of any age, and she currently has a lawsuit pending against the district.
Lowell resident Sue Arsulowicz asked a question directly to the board: “…if a book is labeled ‘minor restricted’…is that automatically put in your R-rated section…or is it available to say, every age…?”
The board does not typically answer direct questions as part of someone’s public comment, but Superintendent Nate Fowler assured Arsulowicz that he would respond with an answer to her question at a later time.
Arsulowicz also wanted to know how and with what funds books in the library are purchased, saying she didn’t agree with certain books being in the library. She gave examples, saying, “…books…full of the ‘f-word’, a book that Stefanie (Boone) read a couple weeks ago that was all about eating p***y and (said)…’if you love your dog so much, why don’t you eff it? I’m sure he would like it. At least you could suck his…fill in the d word.”
Library Program
District Librarian Christine Beachler spoke to the board about the newly renovated library and its functionality, saying, “…everything here is on wheels, we can redesign everything, move it around however we want…it works out very, very well in that everything that we have in here is flexible.”
Beachler said that some important partnerships helped make the new space a reality: the tables and chairs all came from Enwork, a local company. Beachler said of the company, “…because of our partnership with Enwork and their extreme generosity, we were able to afford to add all of this wonderful furniture…”.
The Lowell Area Community Fund helped with grants to purchase additional “collaboration tables,” and A1 Laser Die & Engineering (another Lowell business) helped by supplying the library with some large cut-out display letters which feature student artwork and spell out “fiction” and “nonfiction.” Beachler also thanked the administration, board and taxpayers for their support in the renovation process.
Seniors Conner Casarez and Ben VonderHeide were present at the meeting to give the board and the audience a brief tour of the newly designed library and to demonstrate how they, as students, utilize the space. They showed off tables that allowed school-issued Chromebooks to connect to TV screens for easier viewing and to to help group projects operate more smoothly. Other tables contained hidden charging stations for student Chromebooks. In another section, Casarez said students are able to eat lunch there without the loud chaos of the cafeteria or sit in a comfy lounge section with whiteboards for sharing ideas as a group.
Boone took this opportunity to ask again about what she called “adult books” and asked where students could find them. When Beachler answered that she thought Fowler said he would answer those questions at a later time, Boone persisted, asking Beachler: “Where would you direct my son…when he comes in and says…‘I’d like to see the mature content’?”
Beachler then asked Boone whether her son was a junior or a senior, presumably because the books in question are restricted to seniors only. However, Boone refused to answer and continued to repeat her question until Fowler interrupted and suggested the students be able to finish giving their tour.
More information about LAS libraries can be found in this document. Parents are always able to restrict their child’s access to certain books, authors, or subjects by reaching out to library staff.
Winter Data Snapshot
Director of Curriculum Dan VanderMeulen provided the board with an overview of some K-5 math MAP testing data from last year and the current year. He said that the scores “definitely appear promising and positive.”
For example, looking at all first graders in the district who were tested in the fall of 2023, about 64% of students tested at or above proficiency level while this year, 76% of students were at/above proficiency. When looking at student growth scores and how many students made the expected growth target, last year about 67% of first graders met that goal, whereas this year, 83% did. Students in grades 2-5 showed similar growth.
VanderMeulen emphasized that these scores were only a snapshot, and there were many other data points to look at when measuring student academic achievement. However, the scores were “a really promising trend.” He explained that he was hopeful that the new primary resource used for math in K-5, as well as the dedication of staff to devote time and energy to it, helped in some of that growth reflected in student scores.
Summer 2025 Sinking Fund Projects
The sinking fund summer projects will focus on a new roof for the Wittenbach Wege Center and new carpeting for Murray Lake Elementary.
Earned Sick Time Act
Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA), which lays out new regulations for how employers must award sick time to their employees. Director of Human Resources Dustin Cichocki will be meeting with the Kent County Human Resources department and with district attorneys to figure out how ESTA will affect the way LAS employees earn sick time.
Finance
Chief Financial Officer Sonia Hodge presented the board with a spreadsheet detailing the projected budget for next year based solely off of the governor’s budget proposal released earlier this month. Since the House and Senate have yet to release their budgets, the final numbers are subject to change. However, the executive budget proposal can give an idea of what the budget for LAS could look like for next year.
Great Start Readiness Preschool for All
LAS currently offers preschool options in two separate buildings. In the Yeiter Learning Center, Curiosity Corner Preschool offers tuition-based preschool classes for kids aged 2 ½ through 5. Meanwhile, at Bushnell, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) gives parents a free preschool option for 4 year olds. Space for the GSRP program is currently limited to three classrooms.
The district’s goal is to offer GSRP free preschool for all four year olds in the district while preschool for three year olds would stay tuition-based. Fowler said that there are still a lot of details to work out, but a document explaining the GSRP and some of the proposed changes will go out soon to families. A date for an informational meeting for parents interested in GSRP is forthcoming.
Adult Learning Model
Currently, teachers have adult learning/professional development (PD) for 15 hours outside of the work day, broken up into 45 minute chunks of time. They also dedicate three half days and two full days to adult learning and collaboration.
The district continues to consider the current system for adult learning at LAS in comparison to what other districts in the area do in order to ensure that schools are scheduling the time efficiently and effectively for both staff and families in the district.
The board went into closed session for negotiations at 7:15 pm. The next meeting will be held in the administration building on Monday, March 10, at 7 pm, and the public is always welcome to attend.
Incredible article! The new furniture looks fantastic!
I encourage everyone to do whatever you can — letters to the school board and our local media, attending board meetings or calling out any adult who behaves in ways that reflect poorly on this community. Our district has been robbed of its singular attention on student success for far too long by this nonsense. As taxpayers, we have all been robbed in turn.
I grew up in Lowell and graduated from LHS in 1997 and I feel sorry for the LAS board that they have to put up with this Boone lady at every meeting they have. I live in Midland now and we don’t have a problematic lady like Boone at are meetings.