The Lowell Area Schools Board of Education met Monday for their regularly scheduled meeting. Board member Jared Blough was absent; all other members were present.
The meeting began with Student Council President Conner Casarez giving the board and audience an update on the happenings at Lowell High School.
Juniors were gearing up to take the SAT on Wednesday, and sophomores and freshmen were slated for PSAT and M-STEP testing as well. Students taking AP classes will also have testing this week in hopes of gaining some college credits.
Casarez said that on Wednesday, April 23, seniors in AP government classes will have the opportunity to observe the Michigan Supreme Court hear a real case right in their very own school at the Lowell Performing Arts Center.
Action Items
The board voted on several items, including some sinking fund projects to be completed over summer break 2025. These votes included the following:
- The roof at the Wittenbach Wege Center is in need of replacing, and the district received five bids for the job. The board voted to award the roughly $38,000 project to Versatile Roofing System.
- Board members approved a bid for $24,000 to replace carpeting in all of the main corridors in Murray Lake Elementary.
- The board was also asked to vote to fill a seat on the Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards (KISB). All districts in Kent County get one vote for a candidate to fill any open seats on the board, and since only one candidate was running, the board voted unanimously to approve that person for the position.
First Reading of Revised/New Bylaws/Policies
At last month’s work session, the board introduced and discussed at length several changes to existing bylaws and board policies that will need to be put to a vote to be adopted. Many of the bylaws and policies are being revised to reflect changes in state law.
Monday evening was the first reading of these revised bylaws and policies, including policies regarding field trips, immunization requirements for kindergartners and new students, clarification regarding the use of over the counter and prescribed medication at school and others.
The full list of policies can be viewed under the Board of Education tab at the Lowell Area Schools website. Look for an executive summary in the April 2025 board packet. The board will vote to adopt the changes at the May board meeting.
Human Resources Update
An email was sent out to staff regarding the changes to sick time due to the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) going into effect in February of 2025. ESTA mandates that employees receive one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
There will be a retirement seminar for district employees this Wednesday at the middle school. Staff will be able to ask questions and receive important information in planning for their retirement.
Due to retirements and resignations, there were seven positions open in the district that will need to be filled before the start of the next school year. The job postings are now closed, and preliminary interviews have already begun.
Budget Update
District chief financial officer Sonia Hodge said that we should be hearing more in the next few weeks from the Michigan House and Senate about their budget proposals. More information will be presented to the board about how that may affect the district’s budget once the proposals have been introduced.
Changes to the way the district computer network is set up means software that has been used to view footage from security cameras will need to be updated. The tech department has been working with vendors and seeking price quotes for the switch. More information about this will come before the board at the next meeting.
The “health resource advocate” grant, a federal grant that LAS receives, was terminated as of March 24. Losing the grant, which helps to pay for nursing staff at LAS, translates to about $14,262 in lost revenue for the district. Hodge said that there will be some shifting of state grants to ensure that “…the district is whole and our students are not impacted.”
Preliminary audits for the district will happen on May 8 and 9 so Hodge and her team have been working to ensure all is prepared for the auditor’s visit.
Curriculum Update
In addition to the testing at the high school that Casarez mentioned, Director of Curriculum Dan VanderMeulen said that elementary students in grades 3-8 will soon begin M-STEP and MAP testing.
The technology department continues to work on moving the district to a Google-based platform and evaluating district technology needs.
Public Comments
New for public comments at this meeting was a countdown clock displayed both on a big pull-down screen and on TV monitors in an effort to help ensure that each community member making public comments is allotted the same amount of time: three minutes. Board President Brian Krajewski said that he hoped the visual display would help speakers keep track of time and plan to end their comments at or just before the three-minute mark.
Retired LAS teacher and longtime resident Lanie Rice said that March 15 marked the 30th anniversary of musical performances onstage at the Lowell Performing Arts Center in LHS. Comparing the first performance in 1996 with the latest, Rice said that the district has come a long way. She went on to say that in 1996, “…the stage had two hanging microphones and three on the floor. Closing night saw just over 350 in the audience…fast forward 30 years to 2025, and each cast, crew and staff all had microphones. There were five performances and closing night was sold out, with over 700 people giving those students a well-deserved standing ovation.”
Rice praised students and staff who, over the years, made musical performances happen at the high school, saying, “…this activity affords an equal opportunity for all students to participate…over the 30 years, I have seen a diverse group of students be a part of the magic that happens on that stage.”
Rice gave special thanks to District Librarian Christine Beachler, saying that many of the musicals were based on books and that Beachler and other library staff would ensure students had access to books related to the performances by putting out displays that encouraged interest.
Schools of choice parent and Ada resident Stefanie Boone thanked the board for the timer display, but then said she was concerned about the board “further constraining” public comment.
Longtime resident and retired teacher Kim Lum said she’d been hearing a lot of talk lately about DEI. She said that she believes “…all people need to be accepted and it doesn’t matter which one of those letters of DEI it fits in with.” Lum went on to say that she had concerns about students and families that might get left behind, including students with IEPs or families who might look different than other families. She said, “Our kids expect us to be teaching them. Our families want us to provide a safe place for them.”
Longtime resident Liz Sparks said she was there to read a message sent to her by her granddaughter, who requested she read it at the meeting on her behalf. She said that her granddaughter is an LAS grad who, while attending Lowell High School, dreamt of going on to college at Michigan State University but didn’t have a lot of resources to help with her studies, including not having a computer at home. Sparks said that Beachler helped her to get a laptop to use and any tools that she needed to succeed. Those helped her to achieve her dreams. Her granddaughter went on to graduate from MSU and is now at Colorado State University where she is working towards a PhD.
Lowell resident and retired LAS bus driver Tami Griffeth said that as a member of Stefanie Boone’s Facebook group Lowell Kids 1st!, she had never seen Boone harass or make death threats to LAS staff. She said that at the last board meeting, she felt that Boone herself was harassed by board members and members of the audience.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Nate Fowler said that April is School Library Month, and said that, “…the library is a place for access. It’s a place to access information and access technology. It’s an important part of our literacy program; it enhances the climate, the culture of our schools…it increases achievement…”. Fowler said that he appreciated the guidance of English teachers and library staff in guiding students, especially in the ability to discern good information amid misinformation online.
Fowler said that he wanted to address concerns regarding an order recently released by the U.S. Department of Education that said districts need to certify they are not discriminating based on race and that they have 10 days to do so, which ended the day of the board meeting. The date has now been extended to April 24, and the district has gotten information from the State of Michigan that districts in Michigan have already certified that they’ve met the requirements under Title VI. Fowler said that things change rapidly, and the district is still awaiting more word on what needs to be done, if anything, to meet those requirements.
Fowler said that the Michigan Supreme Court coming to the LPAC at the high school next week is a special event, and he thanked Principal Steve Gough, School Resource Officer Todd Summerhays and the crew at the LPAC, including Julia Crawford, for their work in coordinating the event. He also thanked Ravynne Gilmore, Court Relations Program Coordinator for the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Court’s Chief Operating Officer and Lowell resident Dan Brubaker for their months of planning in order to bring this event to LAS. The event is a ticketed event, and people from the community can also attend or watch virtually via live stream on April 23, 2025.
In conclusion, Fowler said that he wanted to read the district’s mission statement and express gratitude to the community, board, students, staff and families of LAS for helping the district to reach the mission. The district’s mission statement is as follows: “Lowell Area Schools, in the spirit of high expectations, ensures that all students will master essential skills, empowering them to become lifelong learners and contributing, responsible members to our global community.”
Board Communications
Several board members wished students luck with testing and getting through the next few months of school and thanked Rice for her comments about the school musicals. Board Member Annie Whitlock added, “…personal thanks to Mrs. Rice…if you hadn’t let me come work in your classroom…25 years ago, I would not be here…”.
The board went into closed session for negotiations at 7:52 pm. The next meeting will be a board work session on Monday, April 28, at 6 pm, which the public is welcome to attend.
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