Christopher Gerlach

The meeting commenced with a demonstration by the Baseline Middle School Robotics Team. District updates included discussions on the Parent Book Club and Professional Development at Baseline Middle School, recognition of staff and student Pride Award recipients, and an update from the Student Representative on various school activities. Discussion topics involved reviewing the vendor list, considering a change to the semester end date due to snow days, approving Key Club overnight travel, and reviewing bids for Admin and Transportation Technology Renovations and Districtwide Wireless Upgrades. Action items included approving the payment of bills (excluding the January 21, 2026 minutes per instructions), approving the hiring of Jaclyn Quintero as a Multilingual Teacher and Natalie Beckman as an English/Language Arts Teacher, and approving several overnight travel competitions for the Robotics team, as well as a trip for the High School Band and Orchestra. Committee reports summarized previous Finance and Facilities meetings.

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance and the approval of the agenda. District updates included a high school update covering end-of-semester exams and an upcoming musical, as well as the presentation of Staff and Student Pride Awards. Key discussion items involved the details regarding upcoming Robotics overnight travel competitions scheduled for March and April 2026, the proposed High School Band and Orchestra Trip for 2027, and a presentation on the tentative agreement for the SHEA Teachers Union Contract. Action items included the approval of the SHEA Teachers Union Contract.

The meeting included district updates from the high school and Pride Awards presentations. Updates were given on winter sports, musical auditions, and the district Collage Concert. The board reviewed the vendor list and approved the purchase of wireless document cameras for North Shore Elementary. They also approved Neola Policy Updates, the Organizational Meeting of the Board of Education for 2026, the SEIU Food Service Contract, and the Bus Drivers Contract. A committee report from Finance & Facilities was summarized. The Superintendent discussed strategic planning and school walk-throughs. The board discussed a personnel investigation and upcoming Hero nominations. The board entered a closed session and then approved the Superintendent's Evaluation.

The meeting included a Lincoln Elementary building update focusing on a food drive and math fact fluency goals. Student and Staff Pride Awards were presented. Updates were provided on the Ax of Murder Play, Miss South Haven Pageant, upcoming events, winter athletic tryouts, and girls' swim heading to state. The MASB Fall Conference was discussed, highlighting the keynote speaker's topic of Innovation. The board reviewed the vendor list, discussed the purchase of wireless document cameras for North Shore Elementary, and reviewed the new requirements for 31aa funding. The board also discussed engaging Fielding International for Strategic Planning. Amy Cockburn was approved as the Principal at South Haven High School. The Superintendent announced a new Community Connection Council and a Student Voice group, and that 2 bus drivers passed their testing this week.

The meeting addressed follow-ups from the last meeting, including K-12 training in implicit bias and cultural agility, and special education sex education materials for 7th and 9th grades. There were discussions on introducing birth control lessons at the Middle School level, based on increased sexting occurring within the student body. New business included Repro Health News, Status Report on Reproductive Health classes, and group discussion on speaking to HS Admin about making an all 8th grade class presentation. The meeting also included a review of notes on a sextortion webinar from the Detroit FBI.