[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6066514,"mediaKeyId","3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717","parentId",3166687,"title","Votes at a glance: Board approves consent agenda, easement for Beverly Hills pathway and other routine measures","audioSeconds",1762,"startMs",4769000,"endMs",6531000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717&start=4769&end=6531","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717/thumbnail_4769000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6066514/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Board-approves-consent-agenda-easement-for-Beverly-Hills-pathway-and-other-routine-measures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066514-72b189ad5805ef2808154ffdcc872fff/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947333&Signature=nTbBxbOa4uQIE8tN9qyi20pUuPUXrwGa61MLSIO4JqpR2pU2JUslJnHASFewmW9R71zqvsN1AW5GNN2ZCfPqteyH0qFQNUQYS1EPb7XwQ0NX2l70uBDSgZbNg-sd3kM94iIarFSHbK7tBgVWrfeZHYE3HpJOLtlyeEMTsPrMg4QKfKgHWJqsDX6fFhs5smqQ-zumtB0-EbCTCHqY-gHI3QLbjtUmsNiZbI0vIpwLD~-pT~FCH-Bcez-NpLSwSaYv3E5u3G9Ghc4xNhPcD3Y2yq~wJ0RWuMIbG5vYMr0TwZ30lsPkPXUQvu8lXLB3Ws2Zy5dR8UoMMMBy6WN3N3kd9g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","BirminghamPS","date","2025-04-15T00:00:00Z","article","At its April 15 meeting the Birmingham Board of Education approved a set of routine and project‑related measures. Highlights:

- Resolution 72 (Consent agenda): Passed 6–0. The consent agenda included personnel reports, financial statements and minutes from prior meetings. The board approved the consent agenda by voice vote.

- Resolution 75 (Village of Beverly Hills Pathway Project easement): Passed 6–0. Trustees agreed to authorize the district’s easement arrangement with the Village of Beverly Hills for a pathway/sidewalk construction project near Groves High School; the board amended the resolution language verbally during the meeting to correct the municipal name.

Also during the meeting the board had earlier approved Resolution 71 (IDEA advocacy), Resolution 73 (K–8 ELA adoption) and Resolution 74 (9–12 ELA pilot). All noted votes recorded at the meeting were 6–0.

Motions were moved and seconded by trustees as announced on the record. No items were tabled or failed during the session; trustees used standard parliamentary procedure and voice voting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education Meeting 04/15/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Board passed a package of routine measures including the consent agenda (Resolution 72) and approved an easement for a Village of Beverly Hills pathway project (Resolution 75); several other resolutions passed earlier in the meeting.","taxTitle","Birmingham Public Schools, School Boards, Michigan","taxId",38788,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066519,"Superintendent warns sudden federal cut ends districtwide nurse; parents press board on adaptive programs and equity in athletics",1698,2632000,4330000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717&start=2632&end=4330","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717/thumbnail_2632000.jpg","/articles/6066519/Michigan/Superintendent-warns-sudden-federal-cut-ends-districtwide-nurse-parents-press-board-on-adaptive-programs-and-equity-in-athletics","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066519-337c2182bd05914749371a31d9e17aa2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947333&Signature=LeA9BqZOdqL8hHBq-rDfJmotu~e~mcG934T5Do3au4jolsXkshZhrNDzu83ZSDfbxsuvjAEC8CCtuVbqCo7OxU16uXUZmwUju3F-DNlQimAVRCn15amX5elTm69D5ClBDmCdmc~S98RmfPVV7nVPJYjAQmOw6~1Fj2fe4m914uEeQrWfjSIgRva6VNQUBdnYsVC7galG4HpFbTD-2IT2MRNoEBgLNO~0stfQSgEtsVT6v-XUB~AVlA4FXkDRdLe3q~ngfMVFYdn7TxpgRZ46beUSj1qJJnsLuBmjyDHIlv8kkC3TI28iTaEKdvdvCVx0bIMHvxL~c8zKVJoKcZYQmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During her superintendent’s report, Dr. Roberson informed the Birmingham Board of Education that federal funding for a district‑wide nurse was cut retroactively. \"We received a memo dated April 2 saying that federal funding would be cut for our nurse effective March 24... The last day we would receive funding was April 4, so a 48 hour notice,\" she said, and added Oakland County ISD has temporarily paid for the nurse through the end of the month.

Roberson characterized the cut as a decision from the Department of Health and Human Services tied to funding that began during the COVID pandemic; she said the district’s concern was the retroactive timing and the district’s limited ability to plan during the current budget year.

Roberson also briefed the board on a state request for a DEI certification letter and subsequent clarification: the state extended the deadline for districts; Michigan’s Department of Education said it would not sign an additional letter because existing assurances were in place.

Public comment included two sustained appeals about services for students with disabilities and one parent complaint regarding a high school athletic program.

Ann Roberts asked for transparency on junior‑kindergarten capacity at Greenfield: she requested numbers on how many Greenfield children are currently enrolled in junior kindergarten, the district wait list totals, and thresholds for when an aide is required in a junior‑kindergarten classroom.

Stephanie L. Jones, a special‑education parent and organizer of the advocacy group ItCan'tBeZero, said district extracurricular offerings for special‑needs students were effectively absent this year. “In 2024–25 winter break, 0. 2025 mid winter break, 0. 2025 spring break, 0. Out of 180 camps offered this coming summer, there's 1 adaptive course,” she told trustees, and added, “The money is there. The money is here.” Jones said parents brought vendor lists and survey data and urged the district to provide adaptive programming.

A Groves High School parent (first‑time commenter) described an ongoing complaint alleging racial bias and retaliation in the boys’ varsity basketball program. The parent said she followed school protocols and sought responses from administrators without timely follow‑up. “I expressed that I felt like it was discrimination... he cut him from the team,” she told trustees and asked for the district to investigate and follow up with parents.

Board members acknowledged the comments. Dr. Roberson said the special education team will present more information on adaptive classes and community education offerings at a future meeting when special education leadership appears; she also said the district would follow up on public‑comment complaints according to district procedures.

Separately, a public commenter and district advisory member warned the board that federal IMLS funding that supports Michigan’s MELCAT/mel.org databases is at risk. “We're looking at $4,000,000 that we are trying to find in our state funding to make up the loss of federal funds ... We would know by September 30 if the state of Michigan is fully funding mel.org and Melcat,” she said and encouraged contacting legislators.","Dr. Roberson told the board a federal COVID‑era grant for a district nurse was cut retroactively with 48 hours' notice; public commenters urged transparency on junior‑kindergarten enrollment and pressed the district to expand adaptive extracurriculars for special education students and to address a discrimination complaint at Groves High School.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066524,"Board calls for full federal funding of IDEA, pledges advocacy in Washington",243,3112000,3355000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717&start=3112&end=3355","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717/thumbnail_3112000.jpg","/articles/6066524/Michigan/Board-calls-for-full-federal-funding-of-IDEA-pledges-advocacy-in-Washington","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066524-8971785f67641ad884fdabd8fc408f52/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947333&Signature=bne63-dELpRNXom~AmA7ACWicn88mO2pPdqn0qoCaYNcO1HjtmZw9qZeavlWqBet3vne4fMCm09sYh1VqQRhK1zB0x094IS7j1rDOmaK~Xrndja6S9Eg8~sSezSErT92ci-bF2GghwJ09daGRE-N7pY5xnBBQ4~WwJ1o~Ax4xM4Vd5RLkNTYtuucU-Fyey7urM4QoUBmy-EoZVzI~aWZ3CRCI0xZwhooXJdeI7DC9k9cxIyQ-5hBG7HP0t6xOWpPNzMBD53CTxRypp1BlX~Ldf2wMJ8sXabvtJF1XKOFGf591KmRzCr4KKdwe-ZKQQS3pj~rAu4wwqfWr-rKi581GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham Board of Education unanimously approved Resolution 71 on Tuesday calling for full, permanent funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Dr. Roberson introduced the resolution and a trustee moved it forward for board consideration. “IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” a trustee explained during discussion, and speakers described the program as an underfunded federal mandate. Board members noted that while the federal law pledged full funding in 1975, Congress has never reached that level.

A trustee with experience advocating in Washington told the board that national proponents support full funding but congressional action has been limited: “we have never even been able to get a hearing to have this passed,” the trustee said. Trustees urged community members to contact Congressional offices in support of increasing IDEA funding; Dr. Roberson and Audra (Holdreff) said they will travel to Washington, D.C., in two weeks to press for increased IDEA funding on behalf of the district.

The motion passed 6–0. Following the vote, trustees reiterated that increased IDEA funding would expand services and programs for students with disabilities but noted that securing congressional action will require sustained advocacy.

Resolution 71 will be used by district leadership as part of planned advocacy outreach to federal representatives.","The board unanimously passed Resolution 71 urging Congress to fulfill the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding promise; trustees discussed longstanding shortfall and planned advocacy trip to D.C.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066530,"Board approves districtwide pilot of StudySync for grades 9–12 ELA",242,5298000,5540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717&start=5298&end=5540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717/thumbnail_5298000.jpg","/articles/6066530/Michigan/Board-approves-districtwide-pilot-of-StudySync-for-grades-912-ELA","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066530-2023a1b7e78934905c5e6cb6af338cc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947333&Signature=VIXNNlcXhopRiVX2T9iI4mslwXuzmB69qqV9iu45JXtwzl9pxvCpZgiguBo~Nziqpm9xkApj7PVw4GBUjhW4STnlylFvRsrIcwjt4iyIAPY6xkn1NXinxCRC-yFluW9tT4MylfMRapfxnAUEZKOstUsnk8tBCjaZX-PnCk2GVOU8v0K4LQTM0z70FPl8FkZq4Gzvwmd5VYPJBMcnSBHMhGZ7kxZ9UQiydpgz~XF-Ny7d~1xQ8CMM1wZm7~Su7hjDYsh0Q6cuo~qwnvHE5gfkf07ckjLwXvAQlDFhk~zL~XcaF~L3FVDKunEcP3gTpadgEYUZ8Rzk527wG0QccBwfkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham Board of Education voted 6–0 to approve a districtwide pilot and payment plan for StudySync as the recommended 9–12 English language arts program.

District staff told the board that the high school curriculum design team evaluated multiple options and recommended StudySync for its comprehensiveness, availability in print and digital formats, and perceived value for a range of learners. The recommended pilot will include English 9, English 10 and English 11 (and 12B); English 12A will remain a choice option under the district’s current offerings.

Staff said they negotiated a three‑year payment schedule with the vendor to cover a six‑year adoption cycle. “We will be working with McGraw Hill, to make a 3 year payment plan,” the presenter said, noting that the district would pay in three installments and not again until the end of the six‑year adoption.

Trustees asked whether full purchasing for a pilot year affects the district’s ability to gather pilot feedback. The curriculum lead clarified that the district still treats the first year as a pilot because it intends to gather classroom‑level data, stakeholder feedback and curriculum mapping information during implementation before finalizing long‑term curriculum guides.

The board approved resolution 74 unanimously. District staff will monitor pilot fidelity, collect teacher and student feedback and report back to the board as part of the curriculum adoption process.","Trustees voted 6–0 to pilot StudySync across high school English classes, with a three‑year payment plan for a six‑year adoption cycle; board discussed pilot scope and costs.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6066535,"Board approves new K–8 ELA materials after yearlong pilot",1423,4830000,6253000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717&start=4830&end=6253","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3166687-2b5d81028e48e9e10a4ff40c23a88717/thumbnail_4830000.jpg","/articles/6066535/Michigan/Board-approves-new-K8-ELA-materials-after-yearlong-pilot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066535-25e65652c3a6c7524b0d1cc07ae22e91/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947333&Signature=XXe0KC4HnjeY7~LnIze2e9F1NUSg1e-IhZJTudAN7ECpjRBtbpOwjX7lepyAhhSfelaenoTrQFUs51-PMfhCpSnGa7wKyUok35OFXVxB7mhmAXhQ8TKSw9RNYwekFR41PT5IipcxOwgEqRLglMgY84FucW9BzgIvTAv6V-f9MMrdtje9WbKijA-TcMG~qxpfkx95lhC-3XDlG~YC-ZPw9tRhIwYLYByz5zoLcPh1AD3AefsxREF1Whxm9Ryq4X1vB-hXJZXZCZ9f3IMguyG1-hKIeaKL~ZOw5s1zcvNUTOD-jsQBt3jr~fvKZwRdCfUd0XS-I8UDAPD3AmOFmT3UmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham Board of Education voted 6–0 Tuesday to approve new K–8 English language arts instructional materials, adopting Arts & Letters (the updated Wit & Wisdom curriculum) and Magnetic foundational skills for kindergarten through grade 2.

Board members heard a detailed presentation from the district curriculum team that framed the adoption as the end of a three‑phase selection process and the start of a planned implementation period. “We analyzed student achievement data, we review[ed] our current curriculum, we gather[ed] feedback from educators [and] families,” the presenter said during the presentation.

The district piloted the materials during the 2024–25 school year in multiple configurations (Magnetic only; Wit & Wisdom only; both together; and existing materials) across grade levels and schools. Mid‑year iReady results presented to the board showed mixed, grade‑specific changes after one semester of use: pilot classrooms in K–1 that used Magnetic (foundational skills) outperformed peers; second grade results reflected stronger comprehension where Wit & Wisdom was used; middle grades (6–8) showed notable midyear improvement where teachers taught dedicated ELA. Presenters cautioned that a short‑term “implementation dip” is possible the first year as teachers and students adapt.

The curriculum team said Great Minds released a revised version of Wit & Wisdom, branded Arts & Letters, during the pilot. The district reconvened its curriculum design team to compare versions and reported that Arts & Letters scored higher on teacher usability, lesson design and stakeholder satisfaction because it shortened lesson time, updated texts and improved student journals (adding color, page numbers and more writing space).

Trustees and staff emphasized that instructional materials are only one part of a successful literacy program. “Instructional materials paired with research‑based instructional practice from our excellent teachers ... ongoing professional learning is truly what will improve student achievement outcomes,” the presenter said.

The board approved resolution 73 with a unanimous vote. The district will move into phase 3 of its curricular rollout, using the pilot year to collect classroom data and stakeholder feedback and to develop curriculum maps and implementation supports.

Implementation details, including consumable renewals and vendor payment schedules, were presented; trustees asked about pacing, pilot fidelity and teacher support. The presentation noted the district’s plan to fund materials and to monitor year‑over‑year achievement during the six‑year adoption cycle.

Trustees closed the item by thanking the many teachers and staff who participated in the multi‑year review and pilot process.","The Birmingham Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt Arts & Letters (Wit & Wisdom v2) and Magnetic foundational skills for K–8 after a district pilot and stakeholder review; trustees were briefed on pilot results and implementation planning.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Board approves consent agenda, easement for Beverly Hills pathway and other routine measures

Superintendent warns sudden federal cut ends districtwide nurse; parents press board on adaptive programs and equity in athletics

Board calls for full federal funding of IDEA, pledges advocacy in Washington

Board approves districtwide pilot of StudySync for grades 9–12 ELA

Board approves new K–8 ELA materials after yearlong pilot