Welcome to this regular meeting of the Okemos Board of Education held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the school board.

There are two opportunities for public comment: Citizens who wish to address agenda or non-agenda items will have an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting, as well as near the end of the meeting. In-person individuals who wish to address the board must complete a blue form, located with the agendas near the room entrance, and present it to the board’s secretary prior to the start of the agenda item. Virtual participants must submit their name and address in a message through the chat box located in Zoom’s meeting controls prior to the start of the agenda item.  

At the appropriate point in the agenda, the board president will call upon individuals who have submitted a blue card or chat message and that individual’s microphone will be un-muted for their comments.

The Board of Education has concluded negotiations with Mr. Matt Olson and has reviewed the final contract language. 

Pursuant to Section 8 (c) of the Open Meetings Act, the Board of Education may adjourn to executive session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations. 

At this time in the meeting, citizens have an opportunity to address the board regarding items of interest that that may or may not be part of the evening’s agenda.  Citizens are required to limit comments to three minutes, except when this requirement is waived by the board president during the meeting.  A designated timekeeper will communicate to the individual who is addressing the board at three minutes. The board highly values public comment and input; however, the board meeting format is designed to facilitate the evening’s agenda and, therefore, restricts board members from engaging in conversation with speakers or immediately responding to questions.  Questions and concerns may be addressed by the board later in the agenda and may be assigned for follow-up by the board or superintendent at a later date.

The high school student representative will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.

The Board of Education recognizes the efforts of all its employees in delivering an exceptional program to students enrolled in the Okemos Public Schools.

An opportunity for individual board members to highlight events, activities, and other items of interest.

Cherie Wisdom, Senior Center Activities Coordinator, will give an update on the Meridian Senior Center.

The board will acknowledge receipt of correspondence.
Individual board members may request follow-up on other matters of concern.
Board sub-committees may present their reports or deliver updates.

The superintendent will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.

Within Action Items, there is a Consent Agenda to expedite the business of the board which groups a number of items together to be dealt with by one action of the board. However, items in the consent agenda may be extracted by individual board member request for further discussion or clarification.

In an effort to expedite the business of the board of education, but in no way meant to diminish the importance of each item, a Consent Agenda has been developed.

The Other Action Items require additional discussion prior to board action.

BPA Advisor Sharon Murchie provided information regarding a BPA National Leadership Conference trip to Nashville, TN for BPA Chapter Members proposed for May 6th through the 10th, 2026.

Okemos Public Schools participates in the state’s School of Choice program. Each year, following a review of enrollment, the district’s administration recommends the School of Choice openings to be advertised through the Ingham Intermediate School District. This year, the recommendation is for 58 openings, which is a total of the openings at grade levels from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Discussion items are intended to provide an opportunity for review of material and interaction concerning the individual items.  Action is not taken during the board meeting.  Discussion items may be acted upon by the Board of Education at a later date. The board president may move a discussion item forward in the meeting agenda to facilitate timely discussion and/or community input on that discussion item.

Operations Director Brian Lieber and Principal Jody Noble will present a recommendation that the Board authorize approval of equipment expenditures totaling $275,485.00 for the purchase of equipment necessary to enable the launch of the new Chippewa Middle School funded by the 2022 bond. 

Discussion items are intended to provide an opportunity for review of material and interaction concerning the individual items.  Action is not taken during the board meeting.  Discussion items may be acted upon by the Board of Education at a later date. The Board President may move a discussion item forward in the meeting agenda to facilitate timely discussion and/or community input on that discussion item

At this time in the meeting, citizens have an opportunity to address the board regarding any item(s) of interest. Individual comments at this time will be limited to three minutes but may be extended at the discretion of the board president.  A designated timekeeper will communicate to the individual who is addressing the board at three minutes.  The board highly values public comment; however, our meeting format does not allow the board to engage in conversation with speakers.  Questions or concerns may be assigned for follow-up by the board or the administration at a later date.