Wayland Union Board of Education

The Wayland Union Board of Education met on Monday, October 13th at the Administration Office for their regular meeting.

All consent agenda items were approved.

Building Report

• Steeby Principal, Karri Bailey, began by introducing staff members who were able to attend the meeting, included their newest team member, Remi the therapy dog. Steeby Elementary has had a busy start to their year with their annual Donuts with Grownups event and the Book Fair. This fall, students showed growth in the reading and math sections of the NWEA. They are also celebrating behaviors with their data showing that their tiered strategies are working, with only 4.7% of referrals landing in tier 3 for the 24-25 school year. Steeby is continuing to collaborate within their PLC groups, specifically focusing on what to do when students do not meet the required criteria. This school year, Steeby implemented the Bookworms language arts program. In the future, Steeby is excited to host their walk-a-thon, participate in Unity Day, hold another inclusion week, and participate in the Unified Champions basketball and soccer programs.

Report on the Annual Audit

• Cory Van Dyke and Maddie McCoy from Plante Moran shared results from the district audit. Mrs. Wagner thanked the district's accountant, Leah, for taking care of 95% of the audit for the district, which is a process that begins in June. The compliance piece from the federal government has still not been issued, so all districts are in "draft" mode until that gets decided. Typically, the audit gets uploaded by November 1st but with the government shut down, everyone is waiting for guidance. Plante Moran encountered no difficulties, no issues with management, and they discovered no account issues. Ms. McCoy reviewed some specifics from the audit, but overall the district is on track with other districts from across the state.

• Norman Taylor shared that the committee discussed fall participation numbers and had a preview for the upcoming winter sports. They also discussed the potential of expanded E-sports to the Middle School and the limited interest of adding a boys Volleyball program in the future. The committee also heard information on Odyssey of the Mind and the robotics teams.

Student Board Members Report

• Teagan Robinson and Macy Schwartz shared that Student Council recently raised $14,000 for the Folds of Honor program and they are now preparing for Harvest Hop. Theatre is putting the final touches on their one act plays, which will be performed later this month. PALs had successful minute meetings at the MS and will now begin holding regular sessions with interested MS students. LOC club had a blood drive last week and is continuing their work on the Art Alley. ECO Club is trying to collect 1,000 pounds of plastic to turn into a bench. E-sports continues to have a successful season. Fall sports are slowing down for the season. Boys Soccer won their first round of the district competition and Equestrian placed 5th in the state competition. The WUS Marching Band is participating in the MSBOA competition later this week.

Governance Team Good News

• Pete Zondervan's family was able to travel to Shipshewana over the fall break. Tim Reeves shared his excitement of being able to host the BOE meeting in the new space. Erin Stepek attend the NHS Induction Ceremony last week, a moment she's been looking forward to as a parent. Theresa Dobry was able to visit her son in Houghton and found out that her daughter is having a son. Jeff Koon shared that his son recently bought a house.

No public comment.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations

• Leslie Wagner shared the year to date revenues versus expenditures report. Now that the state has approved a budget, she is working on amending our budget. Mrs. Wagner is excited to see that some school goals are still being funded appropriately. Traffic signs have been installed and are working wonderfully. The Administration team is now working out of the new building. Construction crews are making progress on the demolition the old pool site. The maintenance department is doing a great job keeping up with the demands of the district. All buses passed inspections, and all our bus routes currently have drivers. The district is able to continue offering free breakfast and lunch for this school year. Series II bond work will go out to bid at the end of October. Open enrollment for health insurance will start at the end of this month for employees.

Gun Lake Tribe Revenue Sharing Report for 2024-2025

• Leslie Wagner wanted to say thank you to the Gun Lake Tribe for their continued support of our school district. The board reviewed this proposed budget last spring. This school year, the district was able to bring back field trips and offset the cost, while continuing to invest in our bus fleet. With the Public Improvement fund, we are able to do several improvements and repairs across the district.

Insurance Rates for 2026

• Leslie Wagner shared that MESSA incurred a 6% increase across all plans and WMHIP received a 9.1% increase.

Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services

• Teresa Fulk shared that our next PD day is Monday, November 3rd. The district is contemplating a shift from trimesters to semesters and has assembled a work group to engage in that discussion and analyze the pros/cons of both approaches. The district is continuing to work on dyslexia law professional development opportunities. We are currently in a good place for our K-3rd grade students because of the 3rd grade reading law, it is a heavier lift for 4th graders and up since they have not had to work through this type of reporting in the past. The tech department has been working hard at the new admin space, and all over the district. The district is receiving a federal grant that Scott Getter wrote to revamp the entire camera system. Mrs. Fulk gave a shoutout to the Maintenance and Technology departments for all their hard work these past few weeks. Lastly, Mrs. Fulk reminded the board that they will be discussing the Strategic Plan at the October work session meeting, with direction from the board needed by that point in time.

Superintendent

• Tim Reeves shared that Tuesday, October 14th is the third annual Gun Lake Tribe field trip for our 3rd grade students. This is a day where students are able to interact with tribal members and learning about their culture. Our district is very grateful for this educational opportunity. Mr. Reeves also talked about the new traffic signals that have been installed across the district, including the multiple flashing lights.

Schedule of Rates - Food Service Princes

• Leslie Wagner shared that this is a formality because free breakfast and lunch is continuing for the school year.

Summer Tax Resolution

• Leslie Wagner said that this is the annual resolution to collect taxes 50/50 in the winter and summer.

80/20 Insurance Resolution

• Leslie Wagner stated that the district has covered 80% of health insurance costs for many years and would like to continue offering that to our employees.

First Reading of Proposed Policy Updates and Changes

• Tim Reeves reviewed the suggested policy changes.

Board Member Comments

• Jeff Koon thanked Mrs. Bailey for representing Steeby Elementary. He also thanked the Admin and Tech teams for getting the building ready for the first board meeting.
• Pete Zondervan shared his love for the building. He feels that it came together really nicely and will be a great asset to our community.
• Erin Stepek is happy with how the space turned out.
• Norman Taylor stated that this is the 3rd administration building we have had and it's far superior.
• Theresa Dobry said that when the BOE first toured the building, it was completely empty in the basement. It has since come together and will meet the needs of the district for a long time.

The meeting adjourned at 7:28pm.

*Please note: This is a summary of the meeting. Official board minutes will be approved at the next regular board meeting being held on November 10th at 6pm. The meeting will be held at the Administration Office.