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Board of Education Meeting Highlights

June 9, 2026: Regular Meeting

Agenda | Recording

Superintendent’s Report

• Dr. Bishop expressed gratitude to families who attended the listening session about the responsible use of technology in the district. Vice President Worden also acknowledged the 50-60 community members who attended the listening session and appreciated the thoughtful questions posed and concerns raised by parents.

• Dr. Delgado, Asst. Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, shared steps the district has taken since February to address concerns about screen time usage in the middle schools. Teacher surveys have been done to determine which resources are providing meaningful instructional value. The results will be shared with the board and community once analyzed. The district will continue holding community listening sessions and teacher committees to develop technology guidance along with digital learning coordinator positions to support educators.

Note: After the meeting, the district provided the following update for incoming 5th graders:

• Mrs. Lillie Loder, retiring Executive Director of Student Services, celebrated the 256 members of the student services team as the true heroes in the district's largest department. The team strives to meet unique needs of every student, particularly the district's most vulnerable learners through collaboration and individualized support. Educators are the greatest educational resource in the age of artificial intelligence.

• Dr. Bishop provided information about his plan for Central Office Organizational Alignment emphasizing that the changes reassign existing responsibilities rather than adding administrative positions, bureaucracy, or costs. The goal is to better support students, staff, and district priorities and focus on individuals' areas of expertise. Citing Board Policy 2.01, Dr. Bishop stated that the board establishes policy and strategic direction. And the superintendent serves as the CEO of the district and is responsible for administering board policy and implementing district priorities. The organizational alignments are intended to support that work and the new strategic plan.

  • Rather than replacing the Deputy Superintendent position, Moussa Hamka will serve as Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Compliance, and Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Sara Delgado will be responsible for other aspects of the deputy superintendent role such as for principal support, student discipline, and instructional leadership.

  • Trustee Jeup commented that “although these suggestions make perfect sense, the decision about newly created positions should not be made without a board vote.” Trustee Cotton made a similar objection.

  • Trustee St. John disagreed that a board vote is required because the position is budget neutral and it is the superintendent’s “prerogative to assign duties in central office as necessary.”

Agenda Action Items

• Administrative matters and designations on the consent agenda were all approved with a 7-0 vote.

• Elementary Program of Study was approved 7-0 after discussion. Trustee Jeup questioned whether the district is following the “science of reading” to improve literacy. Dr. Delgado reminded her that the board approved the Arts and Letters and Really Great Reading curriculum last July, which are state-approved science of reading programs. Further, the district’s literacy coach has done extensive research and intensive training to help prepare educators to implement the reading programs.

• Resolution to Decline School of Choice was approved 7-0 after discussion. Trustee Jeup stated that she is concerned about school of choice because of the Great Start Readiness Program [GSRP/PreK for All] coming to the district.

  • Trustee Worden responded that in her experience, trustees have never voted in favor of school of choice. Allowing students from out of district to attend preschool has no impact on school of choice.

  • Dr. Delgado shared legal advice from counsel: “The information that we received from our legal counsel is that in order to be counted under the 105C language, which is the School of Choice language through the state of Michigan, the pupil must meet the minimum age requirements to be eligible to attend school under Section 1147 of the Revised School Code, which is five years of age. And so since the students in GSRP do not meet that requirement, it does not fall under the School of Choice law. That being said, just to point out again that all of the interest forms that we've gotten from the community, out of all of them that I've continued to monitor,only three of the students who have replied with indicating interest are from outside of our community, and two of them are employees' children.”

• All other Action Items were approved with a 7-0 vote, including the Teacher Layoff Resolution, which resulted in 3.5 FTE positions being reduced; and the Leadership Transition Plan naming Dr. Bishop as Acting Superintendent.

Other Discussion

• First read of GAAA#2 for 2025-26 Budget. The budget ends with a $2.2M surplus and fund balance of $16.8M. Grant funding and key adjustments to MPSERS and health insurance represent a one-time boost.

• First read of 2026-27 Proposed Budget. CFO Andrea Agrusa presented a balanced budget with the assumptions below:

• Trustee Cotton thanked Dr. Tuttle for meeting with him on the budget. He took issue that an assumption for teacher salary raises was not included. He asked if the administration could figure out what to include “as a realistic increase to spend based on an estimate of what could be a settled amount with negotiations, just so it's a realistic budget and it's not one where people could say, ‘Well, it's balanced.’ Well, it's not balanced unless we say this is fine to only give steps.”

• Trustee Worden objected to the line of inquiry, “[i]t seems really improper that we're talking about salary increases and raises in a budget when we're in the middle of negotiations.”

• Dr. Tuttle stated that there was no finance committee so the information could not be provided as with past budgets. There was additional discussion about unfair labor practices and what could be discussed and included while bargaining contracts.

• Watch the full discussion here.

• First read of Food Service Management Company Bid. Four proposals were received. The current provider, Taher, was selected for a one-year renewable contract. Under the contract, an additional chef/director position will be added to address special dietary needs.

  • Trustee Jeup commented that the process was “a lot of rigmarole for nothing” since Taher was selected. Trustee Worden responded that as a public body, it is never a waste of time to seek the best company at the lowest price.

  • President Derringer noted that the competitive bid process resulted in $200K savings to taxpayers in the community, which is an identifiable value.

• First read of Revised Administrative Guideline for Use of District Facilities. Policy revised to include a classification for youth use (bulk) for high volume groups exceeding 100 events per year with a provision for additional fees. Mr. Matteson also noted that the district incurs significant overtime costs and that it is taxing to manage events on weekends and holidays. The purpose of the revisions is to help offset costs to the district.

June 22, 2026: Regular Meeting

Agenda | Recording

Stakeholder Engagement Report

Superintendent’s  Report

• Discussion of Chromebook purchase. Garrett Kelley, Director of Technology, explained that Chromebooks are being replaced due to age and to support student needs. The reason for seeking approval now is for better pricing and to ensure timely delivery and configuration of devices for the school year. Dr. Delgado also reviewed the district’s guiding principles for technology use. The board approved the purchase with a  4-1 vote (Trustee Jeup voted no, Trustees Cotton and Hull were absent).

Public Hearing on 2026-27 Budget 

• Trustee Colleen Worden moved to amend the agenda to add an item authorizing the disclosure of legal advice in response to Trustee Jeup’s allegations that the Board and Superintendent violated the Open Meetings Act during a May closed session in which collective bargaining was discussed. The motion to amend the agenda and waive attorney-client privilege passed with a 4–1 vote, with Trustee Jeup voting against the motion.  

  • Attorney Kava advised that there was no violation of the Open Meetings Act. Collective bargaining discussion that involves limited budget discussion is permissible and necessary to determine parameters. See discussion here.

  • Attorney Kava further advised: The board may discuss budget assumptions as long as there are no directives about limitations on bargaining for teacher salary increase. All bargaining must be done in good-faith. School districts handle budgets differently, in some districts an assumption for salary increase is included and others do not include. The landscape of contracts and negotiations have changed in the past two years because step increases must be included due to a change in law.

  • He also stated that the tentative agreements that have been reached since the initial proposed budget are not legally required to be included, it may be included at the Board’s discretion. Trustee Jeup proposed a motion to include the tentative agreements in the budget. The motion did not receive support and failed. Watch the full discussion here.

• Budget Amendment GAAA#2 for 2025-26 was approved 5-0 (Hull and Cotton absent).

• After budget review and discussion, the 2026-27 proposed budget passed with a 4-1 vote (Jeup voting no). Dr. Bishop and CFO Agrusa created an addendum showing the potential scenarios and impact of salary increases on the budget. They also provided the impact of the proposed tentative agreements that have been reached. There will be a $1.8M impact over four years for the paraprofessional contract. The cumulative impact of the office association contract is $375K over four years. The plant association contract would have a $503K cumulative impact. All contracts were approved with a 5-0 vote.

Agenda Action Items

• The following agenda action items passed unanimously: meeting minutes, tuition rates, food service management contract, and four-year contracts with the paraprofessional, plant association, and office associations, and the relinquishment of unused grant funds that could not be used for its intended purpose.

• After objections by Trustee Jeup, the Revised Administrative Guideline 8.06 for Use of District Facilities was approved 4-1, with Jeup voting no.

• There were 20 applicants for the Chief Personnel Officer position. Nicole Pilgrim, former GPPSS administrator, was approved for the role with a 4-1 vote, with Jeup voting no.

• The Chromebook purchase was approved 4-1, with Jeup voting no.

Source: All slides from GPPSS board presentations.

Committee Corner

June 10, 2026: Facilities Meeting

Agenda | Recording

• Based on feedback from the Bond Advisory Committee and the Parcells STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Commons Committee, architects presented two primary design concepts for transforming the Parcells pool area into the STEAM Commons:

  • Focused Learning Concept - Allocates more square footage to dedicated, programmed learning spaces rather than open areas.

  • Collaboration Exchange Concept - Prioritizes open collaboration and flexible, non-defined spaces over dedicated classrooms.

• The architects will use committee feedback to refine a final recommendation for the board.

June 23, 2026: Policy Meeting

Agenda | Recording

• The committee found current policy manual does not allow for board members to direct their stipends to specific school organizations, as has been practice for some members. District counsel recommended that board members receive their compensation and make a donation back to the school if they wish.

• There was discussion on revising enrollment guidelines to make the district more welcoming and accommodating with residency documentation when there are special circumstances. There may be a conditional enrollment allowance until all paperwork is provided.

• Review of proposed updates to high school handbooks: better alignment in policy between schools, adding a requirement of personal finance credits, and an update to the personal devices policy once board approves.

• Another proposal: While campuses will remain open during lunch periods, parents will be asked at pre-registration each August to opt-in to allow their student to leave the premises during lunch.

• Proposals will go to the board for a first read.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  June 23, 2026: Facilities Meeting

  
  

  Agenda | Recording

  
  

• Parcells STEAM committee session. There was a recap and review of the  sessions before moving on to the final discussion of planning and the 3D Fly-Through.

• There were two design variations to discuss and choose: The Focused Learning design and the Collaborative Exchange design.

• The architects will present a final package for review based on all the feedback received.

  
  

  
  

  
  

My View: Responsible Technology

By Maria Williams, Guest Writer

On Tuesday, June 9, GPPSS hosted a listening session at Brownell Middle School as part of the district’s “efforts to align classroom practices around responsible use of technology with our Strategic Plan.”

At the meeting, parents expressed concern about the gamification of education, the policing of screen use at home, the endless internet distractions, Big Tech’s priority to put profits over learning, and the lack of a bell-to-bell phone-free policy.

The subsequent announcement of a new No BYOD policy for 5th graders next school year marked a promising development and showed swift action toward a more responsible use of technology.

Tech-intentional parents now implore our school leaders to build on this momentum by adopting a bell-to-bell phone-free policy for the 2026-27 school year.

Eliminating access to cell phones for the entire school day is a best practice that improves academic performance, physical and mental health, relationships, teacher satisfaction, and safety and privacy. In addition, such a policy would align with the district’s plan to create “learning environments that maximize student engagement, minimize distractions, and support both academic success and student well-being.”

Notably, while GPPSS aims to comply with state law, the new Michigan law regarding cell phone use in schools was graded a “C” by the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card, as it weakens safety and education standards and does not include an enforcement provision.

Establishing a bell-to-bell phone-free policy would demonstrate bold, courageous leadership, a willingness to follow sound research rather than inadequate state mandates, and—most importantly—a true commitment to student success and well-being.

The school board is scheduled to vote on important cell phone and AI policies this summer. These highly consequential decisions require community input. To express your support for responsible use of technology, please contact our school leaders at schoolboard@gpschools.org. According to the district’s website, “feedback and voices of our community members play an integral role” in setting policy.

June is Pride Month

Wear Orange

Juneteenth

This Juneteenth, we celebrate Opal Lee, who is known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” Notably, before that, she was a teacher and social worker changing the lives of her students for the better. As a Texas native, she grew up celebrating Juneteenth. Lee spent five decades tirelessly pursuing national recognition of the holiday.

At 89 years old, in 2016, she famously pledged to walk from Texas to Washington, DC to champion the cause of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. Across cities nationwide, she completed 2.5-mile walks to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for enslaved people in Texas to receive the news of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

“I’ve been called the Grandmother of Juneteenth, and I wear that name with pride. But I didn’t walk for a title. I walked for justice and truth, because I know what it means to live in a country that wants to forget. My walks were my way of fighting for a country that might one day actively choose to remember.”

On June 17, 2021, Opal Lee stood beside President Joe Biden as he signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. In 2024, she returned to Washington to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, honoring her decades of organizing and activism.

Today, at 99 years old, Opal Lee continues to inspire as an advocate for education and justice. She shares her story in her memoir, Committee of One: How Faith + Action = a PurposeFULL Life.

"As a lifelong educator, I know that what we teach today shapes tomorrow," Lee said. "So if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love."

Learn more about Opal Lee here.

Photo credit: Zerb Mellish

Upcoming Board of Education Meetings

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Regular board meetings will be held on Mondays at 7:00 pm unless otherwise noted. BoE committee meetings will also be on Monday evenings; times vary.

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