Meeting Agenda
CALL TO ORDER
WELCOME AND MEETING FORMAT (2 Min)
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION –  Attorney-Client Privileged Information
RECONVENE
PRESENTATION: ACTION Club
DISCUSSION MOVED FORWARD- Student Trip
PRESENTATION: Filter First
CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT REPORTS/REQUESTS (5 Min)
SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
BOARD REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
ACTION ITEMS
CONSENT AGENDA (5 Min)
OTHER ACTION ITEMS
Technology Purchases
Textbook Adoption
Resolution - Staff Appreciation Day
Board Policy - Final Reading
Board Policy - First Reading
Board Policy - Revoke
Administrator Contracts
Amendment to Assistant Superintendent  Contract
DISCUSSION ITEMS
School of Choice Openings (5 Min)
2025-2026 Budget Development
Advocacy Letter
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
OTHER MATTERS (5 Min)
ADJOURN
Agenda Item Details Reload Your Meeting
Meeting: April 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM - Meeting Agenda
Subject:
CALL TO ORDER
Description:
Tom Buffett, Jason Burns, Katie Cavanaugh, Shulawn Doxie, Andrew Phelps, Leeni Shrestha and Jillian Winn
Subject:
WELCOME AND MEETING FORMAT (2 Min)
Description:
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.
Subject:
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION –  Attorney-Client Privileged Information
Description:
Pursuant to Section 8(1)(h) of the Open Meetings Act, the board of education may adjourn to Executive Session for the purpose of reviewing attorney-client privileged information.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board adjourn to Executive Session pursuant to Section 8(1)(h) of the Open Meetings Act for the purpose of reviewing attorney-client privileged information (Roll Call)
Subject:
RECONVENE
Description:
Tom Buffett, Jason Burns, Katie Cavanaugh, Shulawn Doxie, Andrew Phelps, Leeni Shrestha and Jillian Winn
Subject:
PRESENTATION: ACTION Club
Description:
Representatives from the ACTION Club at OHS will provide a summary of their 2024-2025 events and outreach projects.
Attachments:
Subject:
DISCUSSION MOVED FORWARD- Student Trip
Description:
Orchestra Director Justin Valla will present information regarding a student trip to Germany and Austria  proposed for March 25th - April 2, 2026.
Attachments:
Subject:
PRESENTATION: Filter First
Description:
Operations Director Brian Lieber will present an update on the Filter First Grant, its implementation and timelines for OPS.
Attachments:
Subject:
CITIZENS ADDRESS AGENDA AND NON-AGENDA ITEMS
Description:
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.
Subject:
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT REPORTS/REQUESTS (5 Min)
Description:
The high school student representative will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.
Subject:
SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
Description:
The superintendent will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.
Subject:
BOARD REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
Description:
The board will acknowledge receipt of correspondence.
Individual board members may highlight other events and issues of interest and request follow-up on other matters of concern.
Subject:
ACTION ITEMS
Description:
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.
Subject:
CONSENT AGENDA (5 Min)
Description:
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.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board approve items 1 through 3 for immediate implementation and appropriate action. Item 1: Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 14, 2025; Item 2: Approval of the Minutes of the Executive Session Meeting of April 14, 2025; and Item 3: Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of April 26, 2025
Subject:
OTHER ACTION ITEMS
Description:
The Other Action Items require additional discussion prior to board action.
Subject:
Technology Purchases
Description:
Media & Technology Director Tom Isom provided information regarding technology purchases to be funded through the 2022 bond including firewall and data center upgrades, and phone systems at the April 14th meeting.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board award the data center and firewall upgrades to Sentinel Technologies, and the phone system replacement to RingCentral for a total cost not to exceed $748,157.10 and to be funded through the 2022 bond
Attachments:
Subject:
Textbook Adoption
Description:
The board of education has reviewed the recommended new texts for adoption beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The textbooks have been approved by the district's Advisory Council. The board is being asked to approve the use of these textbooks even if they are not purchased in 2025-2026.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board adopt the new textbooks and materials for use at Okemos High School beginning with the 2025-2026 school year: Journalism - The Michigan Daily and New York Times; Creative Writing: Improv for Writers; Contemporary Literature - Circe, James, Ayesha At Last, Frankenstein in Baghdad, Beautiful Little Fools, Station Eleven, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Scythe, The House In The Cerculean Sea, The Grace Year, The Things They Carried, Long Way Down, Homegoing, Beartown, The Nickel Boys, Our Missing Hearts, All My Rage, Darius The Great Is Not OK, Patron Saints of Nothing, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, The Midnight Library, and Girl In Pieces; AP Statistics - The Practice of Statistics, 7th Edition; French I - Nous Sommes Level 1; Spanish I - Somos Level 1
Attachments:
Subject:
Resolution - Staff Appreciation Day
Description:
The board of education recognizes the efforts of all its employees in delivering an exceptional program to students enrolled in the Okemos Public Schools.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board read and adopt the resolution establishing May 6, 2025 as Staff Appreciation Day in honor of the employees of the Okemos Public Schools (Roll Call Vote)
Attachments:
Subject:
Board Policy - Final Reading
Description:
The board reviewed the following policies at its March 17th meeting before placing on the website for public review: 4101 Non-Discrimination, 4105A Pregnancy Workplace Accomodations for Employees and Applicants, 5102 Lockers, 5213 Personal Protection Orders Against Students, 5405 Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy, 5421 Work-Based Learning Experience, 5502 Student Government, 5707 School Wellness Policy, and 5806 Recording of District Meetings.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board waive the reading and adopt final reading of board policies 4101 Non-Discrimination, 4105A Pregnancy Workplace Accomodations for Employees and Applicants, 5102 Lockers, 5213 Personal Protection Orders Against Students, 5405 Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy, 5421 Work-Based Learning Experience, 5502 Student Government, 5707 School Wellness Policy, and 5806 Recording of District Meetings
Attachments:
Subject:
Board Policy - First Reading
Description:
The board's policy committee conducts an ongoing review of existing policies as they relate to current practice. Policies given first reading by the board are posted to the district website for thirty days for public review before being placed on a board agenda for final approval; policies not given first reading are returned to the policy committee for further review and edit.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board waive the reading and adopt first reading of board policies 3115 Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment and Non-Retaliation; 3115A Definitions for 3115 Series; 3115B Designation of Coordinators; 3115C Supportive Measures; 3115D Informal Resolution; 3115E Grievance Procedure and Remedies; 3115F Complaint Dismissal and Appeals; 3115H Training Requirements and Policy Notice; 3118 Title IX Sexual Harrassment; 3402 Drills, Plans and Reports; 4213 Anti-Nepotism; 5206 Student Discipline; and 5509 Public Appearances of School Groups
Attachments:
Subject:
Board Policy - Revoke
Description:
Board policy 5706 Opiod Antagonist was replaced with policy 3410 Opiod Antagonist, which the board adopted at its February 24th meeting. Policy 5706 is no longer needed. Policy 3115G was incorporated into other 3115-Series policies and is no longer needed. It is Thrun's recommendation to revoke these policies.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board waive the reading and delete board policy 5706 Opiod Antagonist and 3115G Additional Requirements to Prevent and Address Pregnancy Discrimination
Attachments:
Subject:
Administrator Contracts
Description:
Each administrator is evaluated annually or biannually. The contract between the board and administrators provides that based upon satisfactory evaluation and other criteria, an administrator’s contract shall be extended an additional year, not to exceed a total contract term of two years. 
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board extend all AOA administrator contracts through June 30, 2027 (Roll Call Vote)
Subject:
Amendment to Assistant Superintendent  Contract
Description:
The superintendent has evaluated the performance of the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. The recommendation is to extend the contract one year.
Recommended Motion(s):
  1. That the board amend the contract of Assistant Superintendent Stacy Bailey to extend their dates of employment through June 30, 2028
Subject:
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Description:
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.
Subject:
School of Choice Openings (5 Min)
Description:
The board will review the recommendation for School of Choice openings to be advertised through the Ingham Intermediate School District for the 2025-2026 school year.
Attachments:
Subject:
2025-2026 Budget Development
Description:
Finance Director Elizabeth Lentz will provide information regarding the development of the 2025-2026 budget, including preliminary assumptions.
Attachments:
Subject:
Advocacy Letter
Description:
The board will review the proposed letter to legislators, drafted by the Advocacy Committee.
Subject:
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Description:
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.
 
Subject:
OTHER MATTERS (5 Min)
Subject:
ADJOURN

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