January 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Students from December and January will be recognized. 

Description:  Rick will make some comments about January being Board member Appreciation Month.
 

Description:  Per Board policy 0151, we must elect a temporary chairperson to facilitate the election of the President.  Past practice has been that the most senior Board member holds this role.

Description:  The temporary chairperson will ask for nominations for the office of President. After one or more nominations, any board member may make a motion to close nominations and elect one of the nominees.  

Description:  The President will ask for nominations for the office of Vice President. After one or more nominations, any board member may make a motion to close nominations and elect one of the nominees.

Description:  The President will ask for nominations for the office of Secretary. After one or more nominations, any board member may make a motion to close nominations and elect one of the nominees.  

Description:  The President will ask for nominations for the office of Treasurer. After one or more nominations, any board member may make a motion to close nominations and elect one of the nominees.  

Description:  January 20 VBCASB - Jodi 

Description:  Attached are the bid tab (record of all bids received) and the award summary (based on low/approved bidders) for series 2 construction projects. Anastasia from OAK will be present at the meeting to address questions. Note, the motion below is lengthy.

Description:  The attached template resolution is provided to the Board in advance of the sale of the district's Series 2 Bonds on 1/26/26. After the bids are opened and the winning bid is identified, Thrun Law Firm will complete the template with the necessary sale information, which the Board will be asked to approve to authorize the sale of the bonds. 

Description:  BPS serves an English Learner (EL) population representing approximately 20% of total district enrollment. The district is legally required to provide English Language Development (ELD) instruction to these students by ESL-certified teachers at prescribed minimum levels. Based on current student proficiency data, we should employ 3.6 ESL-certified teachers to fully meet these requirements.

At this time, the district does not employ any full-time ESL teachers. While we have strong paraprofessional support in each building, paras may not replace certified ESL teachers in meeting instructional requirements. Despite sustained recruitment efforts, the district has been unable to successfully hire and retain qualified ESL-certified teachers.

To ensure compliance and meet the needs of our EL students, the administration recommends approving a Shared Services Agreement with the Van Buren Intermediate School District (VBISD) through the countywide Title III Consortium. This agreement would provide two full-time ESL-certified teachers beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The recommended agreement provides a reliable staffing solution while maintaining district involvement in hiring, supervision, and program oversight. The shared service agreement is attached, as well as a detailed FAQ document for more in-depth information.

Description:  As a follow-up to the approval of the shared services agreement with VBISD for ESL services, the Board is asked to approve a related Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the Bloomingdale Education Association.

This LOA addresses the recognition language in the teachers’ contract by clarifying that ESL teachers provided through the ISD are ISD employees and are not part of the Bloomingdale Education Association bargaining unit. The agreement applies only to ESL services provided through the ISD, and does not change any other provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

Description:  BPS was allocated $149 in Title III Immigrant Funds this year. These restricted federal funds are intended to support supplemental instructional services for immigrant students.
Due to the extremely small allocation and the restrictions placed on the use of these funds, the district is unable to implement meaningful programming with this allocation.

MDE requires formal board action when a district elects not to utilize allocated federal funds. Following board approval, the district must submit a Request to Relinquish Federal Funds form to MDE.

The attached resolution authorizes the Superintendent to complete and submit the required request. The district adopted a similar resolution last year.

Description:  Rick is requesting that the Board convene in closed session to conduct the Superintendent’s mid-year review. The purpose of this session is to review progress toward the Superintendent’s established goals for the current evaluation year and to provide the Board an opportunity to offer feedback on progress to date.

Rick will bring a completed mid-year progress report to guide the discussion.