Board of Education Regular Meeting Agenda • October 17 2022
Submitted by Michelle Munyon, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, Buchanan Community Schools
Please note that the Board of Education Meeting Agenda is posted below. At the end of the agenda, click on the link to take you to more detailed minutes of the meeting. Also, the meeting minutes will not be published in each issue of The Buchanan Chronicle, but instead as they are available.
- Regular Meeting
- 10/17/2022 6:00 PM
- Buchanan High School Auditorium
- 401 W. Chicago Street
- Buchanan, MI 49107
Begin Agenda:
Call to Order
- PRESIDENT: Dr. Burnett opened the meeting at 6:03pm
Pledge of Allegiance
- Dr. Burnett led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call
- PRESENT: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H. Burnett
- ABSENT: None
- OTHERS PRESENT: Superintendent Patricia Robinson, Phil Place, Carrie Brunsting,
Mark Kurland, Craig Kizer, Kelsey Hall, Stacey Denison, Michelle Munyon
Adoption of Agenda
- MOTION by C. Lee, SECONDED BY Member R. Writer the agenda for the board
meeting of October 17, 2022 be adopted as written. - ROLL CALL VOTE: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H.
Burnett - NAYS: None
- MOTION ADOPTED
Recognition of Visitors
- Dr. Burnett welcomed all.
- J. Flenar, D. Ryman, M. Macigerski, T. Macigerski
Points of Pride
- Buck Staff Recognition October Winner: Kelsey Hall, Ottawa Paraprofessional. Mrs.
Laesch recognized Mrs. Hall as this month’s winner - Nominees included:
- Anna Smith, BHS Administrative Assistant
- Brandon Flowers, BHS Guidance Counselor
- Britney Thomas, MS Paraprofessional
- Carrie Brunsting, BCS Business Office Specialist
- Christine well, Moccasin Special Education Teacher
- Cindy Hess, BHS Language Arts Teacher
- Gene Warner, BHS Substitute Teacher
- Jennifer Shumaker, BHS Paraprofessional
- Jessica Leenhouts, BCS Elementary Physical Education Teacher & KidKare Director
- Jessica Monsma, GSRP Teacher
- Jody Tittle, BMS Interventionist
- Katy Kaltenbach, Ottawa Paraprofessional
- Melissa Seddon, Kindergarten Teacher
- Shelby Beasley, BMS Principal
- Stacey Lee, BMS Special Education Teacher
Superintendent / Department Reports
- Updates for BHS & CTE, BMS, Moccasin, Ottawa, Athletics & BVA, Business Office,
Food Service, Information Technology, Transportation, Assistant Superintendent,
and Outdoor Education were provided respectively.
Presentations
- Learning Loss Plan – Superintendent Robinson presented to the board.
Information/Reports & New Business
- Human Resources Committee, October 5th Meeting – Mrs. Berry updated the
board of their meeting topics including 9 hires, 2 resignations, open positions,
discipline issues, count day and a letter of agreement regarding schedule C. - Board Policy Committee, October 5th Meeting – Mrs. Writer informed the board
their recent meeting was around the standard policy update provided by NEOLA
Public Comment
- Don Ryman
- Jerry Flenar
Adoption of Consent Agenda
- MOTION by R. Writer, SECONDED BY Member K. Laesch, the Board of Education approves the consent agenda for the regular board meeting of October 17th, 2022 be adopted as written:
- Minutes:
- 9-19-2022 Regular Meeting
- 10-3-2022 Special Meeting
- Warrants:
- Treasury & Expenditure Reports – September 2022
- Recommendations to Hire as submitted by:
- Ottawa Elementary Principal, Mrs. Stacey Denison
- Moccasin Elementary Principal, Mr. Michael Babcock
- Buchanan Middle School Principal, Mrs. Shelby Beasley
| Recommended Employee | Title |
|---|---|
| Randy Brooks | BMS Interventionist (contract attached) |
| Amy Cowart | Ottawa Paraprofessional |
| Kay Tularak | Moccasin Special Education Teacher |
- Employment Departures:
| Name | Position | Date upon which wages will terminate |
|---|---|---|
| Megan Clark | Ottawa Paraprofessional | October 7. 2022 |
| Reginald Curtis | CTE Instructor – CISCO | October 5. 2022 |
| Heather Wilson | Bus Driver | September 28. 2022 |
| Robert Kleca | Operations Utility Staff | October 11, 2022 |
- ROLL CALL VOTE: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H.
Burnett - NAYS: None
- MOTION ADOPTED
Schools of Choice Resolution
- MOTION by K. Laesch, SECONDED BY Member R. Writer, the Buchanan Community Schools’ Board of Education, exercising the option permitted by Section 105 of the State School Aid Act of 1979, as amended by Public Act 300 of 1996, will accept applications of nonresident students who reside within Berrien RESA boundaries for the available grade level openings as listed below for enrollment into Buchanan Community Schools for the 2022-23 school year and will operate a Schools of Choice program in our district in compliance with the statutory requirements of Section 105. The window for applications for these openings will be November 7, 2022 to November 25, 2022. Available openings for each grade level:
| OTTAWA ELEMENTARY | MOCCASIN ELEMENTARY | BUCHANAN MIDDLE SCHOOL | BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten: 0 | 2nd Grade: 2 | 5th Grade: 2 | 8th Grade: 2 |
| 1st Grade: 3 | 3rd Grade: 2 | 6th Grade: 1 | 9th Grade: 1 |
| 4th Grade: 1 | 7th Grade: 1 | 10th Grade: 4 | |
| 11th Grade: 2 | |||
| 12th Grade: 0 |
- ROLL CALL VOTE: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H
Burnett - NAYS: None
- MOTION ADOPTED
NEOLA Board Policies – First Reading
- MOTION by K. Berry, SECONDED BY Member R. Writer, the Buchanan Board of
Education approves the first reading of the following NEOLA new and revised
policies:
| POLICY | Description |
|---|---|
| 0144.1 | Compensation |
| 6108 | Authorization to Use Electronic Fund Transfers and Automated Clearing House Arrangements (new) |
| 6460 | Vendor Relations |
| 6700 | Fair Labor Standards Act |
| 7440.03 | Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems |
| 9150 | School Visitors |
- ROLL CALL VOTE: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H
- NAYS: None
- MOTION ADOPTED
Learning Loss Plan
- MOTION by C. Lee, SECONDED BY Member K. Berry, the Buchanan Board of
Education approves the Buchanan Community Schools Learning Loss Plan and its
use of 98C funds to address student needs.
- Buchanan Community Schools
Learning Loss Plan
October 2022
- Identified Learning Loss / Loss of Instructional Time: When COVID-19 first became a
concern in March of 2020, the long term effects were not yet realized and still are not
fully understood. However, as society is getting further out of the pandemic shutdown,
there is evidence of effects which are now an opportunity to address.- Academic Needs – as evidenced by 2021 and 2022 fall interim assessment, students
continue to have various academic needs in all content areas, especially math and
reading. Data revealed a need to focus on essential skills such as math computation, reading fluency, comprehension and grammar. - Behavioral Needs – in addition to the student academic needs, discipline concerns and referrals have increased. While these incidents occur in multiple locations (school bus, extra curricular activities, classroom, lunchroom, hallway) data suggests that an essential focus for Buchanan Community Schools (BCS) is to provide students with basic social skills and strategies to act in accordance with expected student behaviors.
- Academic Needs – as evidenced by 2021 and 2022 fall interim assessment, students
- Solutions Implemented: BCS continues to provide multiple solutions for the identified
needs. Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) are implemented to address the needs of
students both academically and behaviorally, whether minor concerns or significant
ones. Interventions, summer learning, credit recovery, and mental health initiatives have
proven to improve areas of concern. - Additional Support: One of the greatest concerns identified is with the youngest
students who are transitioning into an academically structured environment for the first time. These underserved Kindergarten students are struggling with implementing school expectations and navigating social interactions. In order to continue to meet the learning loss needs of students, BCS will add paraprofessionals to provide targeted assistance and accelerated learning to Kindergarten students for both academic (essential skills) and social-emotional needs. If funds allow, interventionists will be funded to support needs at other schools within the District. - Metrics: BCS will utilize the interim assessment results and discipline referral data to
measure the effectiveness of the program implementation.
- ROLL CALL VOTE: C. Lee, K. Berry, C. Carlson, K. Laesch, S. Carlin, R. Writer, and H.
Burnett - NAYS: None
- MOTION ADOPTED
Questions & Comments from Board Members
- Mrs. Writer appreciates the department updates and reports.
- Mrs. Laesch thanked the Buchanan Scarecrow Charities for their generous
donations. - Mrs. Berry thanked all the teachers involved in the traveling pep rally.
- Dr. Burnett thanked Jerry Flenar for all his hard work and reminded everyone to
vote.
Next Board Meeting
- Monday, November 21st at 6pm
Adjournment
- 6:24 pm
You may view this meeting’s completed Board of Education Meeting Minutes on the Buchanan Community Schools website here.
Buchanan Community Schools Board of Education
Mission: Educating students for life-long success in their civic, academic, physical and social/emotional lives.
Vision: To develop responsible, resilient, creative citizens capable of succeeding in a global society.
Beliefs: We Believe in providing a safe, supportive, respectful environment, opportunities for all students (options), student growth and achievement, and cooperative relationships among students, families, stakeholders and community members.
“We welcome you to a meeting of the Buchanan Community Schools Board of Education.
This meeting is a meeting of the Board of Education in public for the purpose of conducting the school district’s business and is not to be considered a public community meeting.
There is a time for regular public participation during the meeting as indicated in agenda item H. If you wish to make a presentation to the Board, please fill out the Speaker Card and pass it to the Board President before item H on the agenda.
Thank you for your support of Buchanan Community Schools!”
Members of the public may contact members of the school board to provide input or ask questions on any business that will come before the board. These items will also be shared with the Superintendent.
- Dr. Harvey Burnett, President – hburnett@buchananschools.com
- Ruth Writer, Vice-President – rwriter@buchananschools.com
- Kelly Laesch, Secretary – klaesch@buchananschools.com
- Chris Lee, Treasurer – clee@buchananschools.com
- Katie Berry, Trustee – kberry@buchananschools.com
- Chris Carlson, Trustee – ccarlson@buchananschools.com
- Dr. Scott Carlin, Trustee – scarlin@buchananschools.com
Official minutes of school board meetings are stored and available for inspection in the Superintendent’s Office. Meeting minutes are also posted on our district website under the Board of Education. www.buchananschools.com
Upon request to Michelle Munyon, the District shall make reasonable accommodations for a person with disabilities to be able to participate in the meeting.
The Buchanan Chronicle 