By Crystal Hayduk
At the Chelsea School District (CSD) Board of Education meeting on May 6, Superintendent Mike Kapolka said the district officially began accepting School of Choice applications for the 2024-25 school year that morning.
Applications will be accepted until 3 p.m. on June 5. Information and the application can be accessed through the district website or directly here.
May 3 was School Lunch Hero Day. Chris Simpson, director of food services, and his team of 15 employees have prepared breakfasts and lunches to serve students at a 60% participation rate. In his written report to the board, Simpson said, “[The staff] have done it while battling staffing challenges, product shortages, and an insane volume as a result of the Michigan School Meals program.”
Kapolka said the food service team did their job “…really well and at a high level.”
May 6-10 is Teacher Appreciation Week. Kapolka said the district’s teachers’ work and connection with students and families are appreciated. Board members added their words of gratitude near the end of the meeting.
Due to the closure of the McKinley Street railroad crossing and related detours, buses were delayed leaving the district by about 15 minutes on May 6. Kapolka said Rick Boham, transportation director, is working with the Chelsea Police Department to “find the path of least resistance to get places quicker.” The crossing is expected to remain closed through May 10. As the district continues to work through this issue, Kapolka requested families’ patience.
The school board approved the purchase of laptops for staff at Beach Middle School (BMS), along with devices for staff in central office, transportation, and community education. The purchase includes 20 Apple laptops from the REMC SPOT statewide contract bid directly through Apple, and 50 HP laptops from InaCOMP, the lowest bidder for the HP products. The cost for all laptops is $56,522, paid for with the 2019 technology bond replacement cycle.
The board approved purchasing 800 each of Apple 9th Gen iPads, Logitech cases, and Jamf Mobile Device Management (MDM) licenses for use at BMS. The iPads and cases will cost $307,160 using the 2019 technology bond. The Jamf MDM licensing costs $14,000 and will be paid for from the general fund because software licensing is not a permittable bond fund expense.
Because the district has added 225 security cameras over the last year, there is a need for additional camera servers. The board approved the purchase of two HPE DL345 Gen 11 security camera servers from the REMC SPOT statewide bid through InaCOMP. Paid for with the 2019 technology bond, the servers will cost $44,963.44. The CSD tech team will install the servers and configure the operating system, thus saving the cost of installation.
The board approved the CSD Strategic Plan as presented at the April 22 meeting. (Related story here.)
A videorecording of the meeting is available for viewing here.
In other board news:
The May Beach Middle School Student of the Month, Bohdan Heller, was introduced. The Chelsea High School Student of the Month is expected to be introduced at the next board meeting. The related story about both students will be published later this month.
Jordan Nelson, the Class of 2025 school board student liaison, commended choir director Ken Davis. “Revitalizing the Co. C program after so many years of being out is not a small undertaking at all,” said Nelson. “He’s gone at it with gusto and he’s in it for the kids. It’s been an awesome experience.”
Keegan Van Batavia, the senior school board student liaison, said the CHS Mini-VictorThon held May 3-4 raised $4,965. The funds raised are donated to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to provide financial aid for hospitalized children receiving treatment for life-threatening illness. The goal is to eliminate the fear and stress the parents feel about paying for their children’s treatment, he said.
Upcoming dates:
The next school board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on May 20 in the board room at the Washington Street Education Center (WSEC).
There is no school May 27 for Memorial Day.
