By Crystal Hayduk
Jason Eyster and Keri Poulter accepted the oath of office at the Chelsea School District Board of Education’s meeting on Jan. 14.
The two new board members were elected to six-year terms last November. The swearing-in ceremony was the first order of business so that the board would have the required quorum to conduct the meeting in the absence of members Laura Bush and Tammy Lehman.
The board elected its officers for 2019: president – Shawn Quilter, vice-president and treasurer – Kristin van Reesema, secretary – Laura Bush. Quilter said that the nomination for van Reesema to cover two offices should be acceptable since the office of vice-president typically is a position that doesn’t carry a large workload.
Principal Mike Kapolka, Assistant Principal Luman Strong, and Lisa Nickel, director of special education services, presented an initial proposal about alternative education to the board. Currently, high school students need 27 credits to graduate, but some students cannot meet this requirement.
An alternative education plan would allow students to meet the requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum while remaining a Chelsea High School (CHS) student.
Strong listed benefits, which include but are not limited to a weekly counseling/mental health session, non-competitive community environment, family engagement, personalized programming based on student needs, career transition planning, and a low staff-to-student ratio. Students would have access to various ways to complete coursework.
Referral for the program would typically occur during the sophomore year, with an application completed by April 30. A contract signed by a student’s parent or guardian would be required to enroll in the program.
District staff plan to visit similar programs in other schools later this month and in February, with task force planning; an additional board update is expected in March. It is hoped that the new program could launch in fall of 2019.
Superintendent Julie Helber said that an alternative education program “… meets the needs of a subset population that we have found we are lacking, and we would like to provide this option.” She commended the three administrators for “…digging in and putting together a clear, organized process for moving forward.”
Helber expressed her sympathy following the death of sophomore Chris Hassett on Jan. 5. She said that staff and students have “taken it hard,” and with the district’s focus on mental health over the last two and a half years, “this death makes our attempts feel futile … and makes us wonder if there’s anything else we can do.”
She said the work, including efforts in conjunction with multiple agencies, continues to be a priority. The district will explore further prevention strategies and ways to create safe avenues for students to report concerns.
In other board news:
Since January is School Board Appreciation Month, Helber thanked the board for its service to the district. A large thank you poster from the preschool hung in the board room, and Beach Middle School (BMS) Principal Nick Angel showed a “short, cute, and humorous” video that students in his school made to thank the board.
Continued appreciation will be extended at the next meeting.
The district’s new webpage, which is ADA compliant, went live on Jan. 3. It is a work-in-progress over the coming weeks to get all information added.
Since the agreement between the district and Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) in late November, “MEC has done a fantastic job of dealing with some issues that were at risk of becoming problems,” said Scott Wooster, director of technology.
The board approved the purchase of one general passenger bus from Midwest Transit Equipment at a cost of $89,658. The board also approved updates (new, revised, and rescinded) to board policies.
The board thanked district staff for their support of students during difficult times. They also commended Jordan Jedele for his Eagle Scout project of installing a practice wall on the BMS tennis court.
Upcoming dates:
The documentary “Screenagers” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 in the auditorium at Chelsea High School, 740 North Freer Road, as part of the free Parent Education Series.
The target audience is all parents and students ages 10+. Anyone is welcome to attend, but please RSVP here.
There will be no school on Monday, Jan. 21 in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The next board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the Washington Street Education Center.
