January 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM - Meeting Agenda
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CALL TO ORDER
Description:
Tom Buffett, Jason Burns, Katie Cavanaugh, Shulawn Doxie, Andrew Phelps, Leeni Shrestha and Jillian Winn
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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. |
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ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION - Contract Negotiations
Description:
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.
Recommended Motion(s):
That the board adjourn to Executive Session pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Open Meetings Act for the purpose of discussing contract negotiations (Roll Call).Board Member #1Board Member #2Carried
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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RECONVENE
Description:
Tom Buffett, Jason Burns, Katie Cavanaugh, Shulawn Doxie, Andrew Phelps, Leeni Shrestha, and Jillian Winn.
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RECOGNITION (2 Min)
Description:
Administration will acknowledge School Board Appreciation Month.
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Mission Minute/Around The Pack (5 Min)
Description:
An opportunity for individual board members to highlight events, activities, and other items of interest.
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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.
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ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
Description:
1. Call to Order
2. Selection of Temporary Chair 3. Selection of Temporary Secretary 4. Determination of rules to be followed for conducting the organizational meeting (Robert’s Rules) 5. Election of President (President Assumes Chair) (Accept nominations, close nominations, vote) 6. Election of Vice-President 7. Election of Secretary 8. Election of Treasurer 9. Appointment of a Parliamentarian |
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Confirmation of Date, Time, and Place for Regular Meetings
Description:
The board of education established the 2025-2026 school year meeting schedule during its meeting on July 16, 2025 and published the dates on the district website.
Recommended Motion(s):
That the board confirm the dates for regular meetings of the board of education for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year to generally be the second and fourth Monday of each month, adjusted for Mondays with no school; the time of each meeting to begin at 7:00 p.m., with no new discussion after 10:00 p.m.; and the place of meetings to be the Community Conference Room at Central School.Board Member #1Board Member #2Carried
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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Determination of Rules to be Followed in Conducting Meetings
Description:
The board of education currently conducts meetings in accordance with its established policies.
Recommended Motion(s):
That the board continue to manage board meetings according to its established policies, which are informed by Robert's Rules of Order.Board Member #1Board Member #2Carried
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ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING CONT.
Description:
12. Determine any changes in representatives to the Board Policy Committee, Advocacy Committee, Ingham County School Officers Association or Okemos Education Foundation (last updated in July, 2024)
13. Reconvene for regular meeting |
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DISCUSSION MOVED FORWARD: Baseball Turf Field Donation (15 Min)
Description:
Superintendent Hood will share a donation agreement for Boys Varsity Baseball with the Board for consideration in alignment with Policy 3303 Gifts and Donations.
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DISCUSSION MOVED FORWARD: Hiawatha Playground (10 Min)
Description:
Operations Director Brian Lieber and Hiawatha Principal Joe Corr will present information regarding needed updates to the Hiawatha playground, funded through the 2022 Bond, for consideration by the Board of Education.
Attachments:
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PRESENTATION: 2025 Year in Review (10 Min)
Description:
President Buffett will present a brief State of the District overview summarizing Board initiatives and highlighting some strengths and challenges for the district as we head into 2026.
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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.
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SUPERINTENDENT REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
Description:
The superintendent will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.
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BOARD REPORTS/REQUESTS (10 Min)
Description:
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.
Attachments:
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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.
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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):
That the board approve items 1 through 6 for immediate implementation and appropriate action. Item 1: Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 8, 2025; Item 2: Approval of the Minutes of the Executive Session Meeting on December 8, 2025; Item 3: Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of December 16, 2025; Item 4: Approval of the Minutes of the Special Meeting of January 8, 2026; Item 5: Approval of the Minutes of the Executive Session Meeting on January 8, 2026; and Item 6: Acknowledge receipt of the December financial statement and approve payment of bills for December.Board Member #1Board Member #2Carried
Action(s):
No Action(s) have been added to this Agenda Item.
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OTHER ACTION ITEMS
Description:
The Other Action Items require additional discussion prior to board action.
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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.
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OHS New Course Recommendations (10 Min)
Description:
Assistant Superintendent Stacy Bailey and the board will discuss a high school course proposal, which has been approved by the district's advisory committee: AP Music Theory, AP Business with Personal Finance, AP Microeconomics, Strength and Reset, Trigonometry Through Design
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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.
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OTHER MATTERS (5 Min)
Description:
Board Retreat Reminder (Poll)
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ADJOURN
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