Tara Armstrong

The organizational meeting commenced with roll call, followed by a check for agenda additions or changes. Key actions included the election and unanimous approval of officers for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Subsequent business involved motions to establish the regular meeting time as the second Monday of each month at 6 pm at the board of education building, and the approval of Huntington National Bank and Michigan Liquid Assets Fund as depositories for all school funds. Further motions approved the designation of authorized signatures for paymaster functions, the appointment of deputy secretaries, and the designation of the Director of Business and Finance as the electronic funds officer. Additionally, the executive administrative assistant to the superintendent was appointed as the FOYA coordinator, and the director of human resources and employee relations was approved to serve as the Title 9 Officer. The board also approved continuing memberships for various Michigan educational associations for 2026 and the appointment of Truan Law Firm, PC, and Clark Hill Law Firm as legal counsel for 2026. Finally, the establishment of standing committees for Technology, Curriculum, Personnel, Finance, Negotiations, Buildings, Grounds, Transportation, and Policy was approved, despite one dissenting vote regarding the shift from a committee of the whole structure. An amendment to policy regarding board member stipends of $40 per meeting, workshop, and regular board meeting was also approved.

The meeting commenced with a roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for armed services personnel and first responders. Key discussions included correspondence, which involved acknowledging donations of plaques and recognizing culinary arts students for Board Appreciation Month, including details of their upcoming ProStart competition. Building updates focused heavily on community partnerships supporting students, such as grants for preschool scholarships, toy donations, and supply drives. Specific initiatives highlighted across various schools included the use of therapy dogs (Frankie Fridays), new one-on-one counseling contracts, incentives for improved recess behavior resulting in zero referral weeks at one building, the introduction of volunteer literacy tutors, repurposing former pod spaces, and strong peer-to-peer programs. Furthermore, staff training opportunities were detailed, specifically for Instructional Assistants to attend Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) sessions. Middle school updates covered the High-Five recognition program, Student of the Month, quarterly academic and attendance raffles, and revamped student council activities promoting school morale. The importance of community partnerships in providing student incentives was also emphasized.

The meeting began with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence for armed services personnel. Key agenda items included correspondence acknowledging a donation of caramel apples. Building updates focused heavily on sex education curriculum and standards. The update reviewed the established lenses for curriculum adoption, confirmed that current Gaylord Middle School (GMS) and Gaylord High School (GHS) curricula are abstinence-based and align with existing lenses, and noted that the Department of Education is proposing updates to state sex education standards, which will not be implemented until the 2026-2027 school year. It was emphasized that local districts retain control over curriculum content and parent opt-out rights remain intact. Updates from South Maple highlighted strong student attendance metrics, the initiation of a Teddy Bear Clinic in partnership with the high school MEDOC program, and the commencement of the therapy dog Frankie's visits. North Ohio reported on its Artist of the Month program and high student attendance rates, alongside a successful, well-attended family game night involving over 250 attendees. Gaylord Intermediate School (GIS) recognized its student of the month and celebrated high attendance data, noting the establishment of a new parent board. Furthermore, GIS acknowledged Riker Hicks for leading a service project to build a new Gaga ball pit. The middle school report also detailed academic recognition for high-achieving students and preparations for a Veterans Day assembly.

The meeting commenced with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence for armed services personnel. Key discussions included correspondence and commendations, featuring a thank you card to culinary arts students and staff for preparing lunch for LOC students. Recognitions were given to the Gaylord robotics team, Team 3198, the Titanium Trident, who presented their robot's capabilities, including build structure, programming teamwork, and shooting accuracy. The board recognized several staff members for their dedicated service upon retirement, including Shantel Fenel, Lisa Stempkkey, Rhonda Davis, and Cindy Huff, highlighting their significant positive impacts on students and the school community. Building updates detailed activities at the preschool (parent-teacher conferences, Thanksgiving balloon float, planned Christmas parade), South Maple (Kids Night Out event, winter concert planning, staff recognition for literacy and math specialists, and the implementation of a 'Caught Being Kind' movement), and North Ohio (Kids Night Out event and Lego Club participation).

The board meeting commenced with the roll call and pledge of allegiance. Agenda changes included having Rachel Olsson present building updates instead of Sean. Personnel announcements covered new hires (Lucas Ramsay, Christina Van Siver, Melissa Wall) and resignations (Aaron Bloss, Daniel Dorance), along with retirements (Heidi Weieber, Lesie Girth). Awards recognition included Lori Huitt completing a level one certification and Jeff Weber receiving a level three award of distinction. Building updates focused on positive student performance data from recent assessments at Gaylord Community Schools preschool, South Maple, North Ohio, and GIS, highlighting growth and achievement percentiles in reading, math, and usage, with specific attention to reducing the number of students in the lowest achievement percentiles. High school updates showed an 11% decrease in failure rates compared to the previous year, attributed partly to the new semester structure and the initiation of ARC peer-to-peer tutoring. The board approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from a special board meeting/workshop and the treasurer's report detailing fund bills. The board also approved the long-term suspension of two GMS students following a confidential policy and disciplinary committee meeting.