[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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],{"_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",6454866,"mediaKeyId","5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d","parentId",5857812,"title","Votes at a glance: Bloomfield Hills Board approves generator, furniture, robotics move and a class reading adoption","audioSeconds",130,"startMs",7192000,"endMs",7322000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d&start=7192&end=7322","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d/thumbnail_7192000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6454866/Michigan/Votes-at-a-glance-Bloomfield-Hills-Board-approves-generator-furniture-robotics-move-and-a-class-reading-adoption","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6454866-d71e54501f351d31158cbbee53e468c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770797029&Signature=Ofzgnyc452BgSm72W5xJzXE01epk-Odxt9ITPQgKNWOqZEp-S4G~CAx8ouW5OXmgyarTfRlZHyAmVCRF6qCkEuAhX-MtV61iL8O7I71cndSI9jM9gq1Qk4VAHThznhIOueVktHtAqdEt5jIfzFebism5LxbMWBU1WLLT-hamuEoNjNzqYgftLKIHhO-8ruoZ8vhEJBe1GzrJnriY4FdnTsvEqQf8TTW2y12irTtJJKnJA8bRgnUvJQA63Avr3Hn8FyvBB0kqdxnK7BZkJsZBT6vHIFB1ubEVUjgIH8NoNteFsk4wOAlVUh-A4cmVUZU~B5CcQQFFLqng3Y-U5-5kng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bloomfield Hills Schools","date","2025-09-30T01:49:46Z","article","The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education approved multiple operational items during its Sept. 29 meeting. Below are the formal actions taken, as recorded in the meeting minutes and motions.

Votes at a glance (each item was approved 5–0 unless otherwise noted):

- Consent agenda — Outcome: approved (5–0). The consent agenda included routine minutes and business items as listed on the board packet; no separate debate recorded.

- Booth Center generator replacement — Motion: approve replacement of the Booth Center generator in the amount of $87,000 to be paid from bond funds. Outcome: approved (5–0). The superintendent said the generator powers critical technology infrastructure and was on its last legs; the replacement payment will come from bond proceeds.

- FF&E for Model Center and elementary buildings — Motion: approve purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) not to exceed $152,866.07 for elementary buildings and the Model Center; to be paid from bond funds. Outcome: approved (5–0). (Committee materials explained the total combines several line items that were discussed in committee.)

- Robotics physical move (premier relocation) — Motion (amended): approve contract to Premier Relocations for physical move services for the robotics program in an amount not to exceed $124,280, to be paid from bond funds. Outcome: approved (5–0). The board added a contingency allowance to avoid disrupting the robotics season if schedule or scope shifts; staff said the vendor has relevant robotics moving experience.

- Adoption of whole‑class nonfiction (global studies / social action through literature) — Motion: approve purchase/adoption of the listed nonfiction resource for the course at a district cost of $650 (purchase from approved vendors per board policy). Outcome: approved (5–0). The resource will be placed in school library/class sets.

- Appointment of MASB voting delegate — Motion: appoint Carolyn Noble as the district voting delegate to the Michigan Association of School Boards delegate assembly (meeting 10/23/2025). Outcome: approved (5–0).

What the votes do not show: none of these items created a new policy; they were operational approvals (procurement, book adoption and a delegate appointment). Several items were previewed and discussed in committee prior to the meeting.

Ending: All listed motions passed by voice vote with the board indicating unanimous approval; no roll‑call dissenting votes were recorded in the public minutes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BHS: Board of Education Meeting September 29,2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved multiple operational items including a Booth Center generator replacement, elementary and Model Center FF&E, a physical move contract for the robotics program, and a whole‑class nonfiction adoption. All motions passed unanimously (5–0).","taxTitle","Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education, School Boards, Michigan","taxId",38547,"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},6454871,"Public speakers urge partnership with Oakland County Parks as Bowers Farm reports multiple staff departures",1042,5764000,6806000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d&start=5764&end=6806","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d/thumbnail_5764000.jpg","/articles/6454871/Michigan/Public-speakers-urge-partnership-with-Oakland-County-Parks-as-Bowers-Farm-reports-multiple-staff-departures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6454871-ae0668d6a25025e55ad8d315b48617d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770797029&Signature=IwOPWzpZJJo6I46LeB3I3CuaKCIKDYWUN~h3zFp8aWIV3NhcpZbZ6iSOazz-ldbuRh61EQiXuvJErxLNJXQqriEkehKuOOPndTSnAv4RvE~Uwhj-X2UToFSKxGfJ2-kjBXf5-9xl5yKWu~0KQpAB6ufdQi918v4nwwxIdytzSXps0PKSNc7AupWhGbMk8SI7pRtp~u6gV8AfQeF9GO3kLIslL4cUbAhxNlZ6iF8W0pky~u4Vf3pWdBb-B8BatVcFDc6h22qOsiZFExf18FzY~krYm~cwcbZT6JSphzdQq2sgv88JBsFAi7xxyv2T2wrMf10PD9FPo-3BsiPdwp5RpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education meeting the district announced it will solicit public feedback on a possible partnership with Oakland County Parks for two properties: Bowers Farm and the Johnson Nature Center. Superintendent Rick West said the district will send a survey early next week and hold two in‑person community sessions at the farm and the nature center (scheduled October 18 and October 20). Findings will be shared with the strategic planning committee and the full board in November.

Why it matters: community speakers said the properties are unique educational assets for district students and argued a county parks partnership would help secure long‑term stewardship and capital support.

Public comments and community concerns: several residents and nonprofit leaders addressed the board during public comment. Amy Carden, who identified herself as a long‑time Bowers Farm volunteer and former 4‑H parent, said six key farm staff members have left recently, including farm manager Kate Bell; operations team member Ken Wallace; education specialist Brooke Larm; learning‑expedition leader Megan Isabelle; and instructional guides Christy McGraw and Lydia Verzi. “That’s 4 out of 7 members of the education team that have resigned,” Carden said, adding that the farm is operating with three part‑time guides while fall field trip season is underway.

Michael Sosa, president of Friends of the Johnson Nature Center, urged continued exploration of a county parks partnership, saying Oakland County Parks “has the resources and expertise to help maintain trails, ponds, wildlife areas, while Bloomfield Hills Schools can continue to provide the strong educational programming.”

Margaret Baxter, president of Friends of Bowers Farm, told the board the nonprofit supports exploring a partnership and called it “a great match” to protect the farm and nature center’s educational mission.

District process and next steps: Superintendent West said the district has been working with friends groups and with Oakland County Parks and will publish an informational landing page and a survey link. The district will solicit feedback in three channels: staff surveys for Bowers/Johnson employees, surveys of district students/families/staff/residents, and two in‑person engagement events on Oct. 18 and Oct. 20. The administration intends to digest community feedback and report back to the board’s strategic planning committee and then to the full board in November so the board can decide whether to continue formal partnership exploration.

Ending: supporters and several board members framed the partnership discussion as a preservation step intended to maintain education‑focused use of the sites. The board stopped short of any formal agreement and will use the public feedback to inform next steps.","Community members and Friends groups urged the board to pursue a partnership with Oakland County Parks to preserve Bowers Farm and the Johnson Nature Center. Public speakers described recent staff resignations at the farm and asked for community input before decisions are made.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6454876,"Bloomfield Hills board launches eight‑month strategic planning process, tables measurable for “sense of belonging” goal",0,1983000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d&start=1983&end=1983","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5857812-47a493e1a0124c9979cd1d40fd7d182d/thumbnail_1983000.jpg","/articles/6454876/Michigan/Bloomfield-Hills-board-launches-eightmonth-strategic-planning-process-tables-measurable-for-sense-of-belonging-goal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6454876-b21ee9a242fe07d930f65aed34869dcd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770797029&Signature=IS8VcgVYJ96dzcXAdh6435WEbq01OAeRyfMLohyV6pfFMgvcMlxZgt0iS8K~4oNzVzblvtW7RpxHK6zllE16mMa-sH5w81NhEpMj~ziW~vYt1qm0usL5ZBfNadoCjZuUhBwZlYHN-4dhNwV1pAv8mWmP7rsPBBlQaqwMMLflPv1m1lbm-H4KBmd5YkyXT7sFdtIrCZzXO60zL0PIbYI1PdrnBrYVSWa2hvWnemE27en5b4maUf-ZyKArt-D1MvyupA4F457ugEY33I6GlGx0uUh4cjsOHmrP297LaBg~vr46OV5fcVY9URTpP0kE-A3lrqbRsdjjnGIxHlmaUPZDvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Rick West told the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education that the district is beginning a multi‑phase strategic planning process with Thru Consulting and expects the work to take about seven to eight months, with stakeholder meetings starting immediately and a draft plan aimed for adoption before the next school year.

Thru Consulting consultants David (last name not provided), and Daniella (last name not provided), presented the firm’s seven‑step approach, which the board and staff described as: stakeholder engagement, current‑state data analysis, implications and priority setting, identification of three to four plan pillars, initiative drafting, a multi‑year roadmap, and an activation/monitoring plan. “The idea is that it will be done before, really hopefully, by around the summer,” Daniella said, describing the target timeline.

Why it matters: the strategic plan will translate the district’s recently developed mission, vision and “why” into implementable initiatives — including measurable targets the board can track and use to guide resource decisions.

What the consultants will use and how they will engage the community: Thru Consulting said it will build on prior engagement by Galapagos (the district’s earlier vendor). The consultants reported more than 2,200 survey responses and more than 100 focus‑group participants from Galapagos’ prior work and said they would re‑use that data where appropriate rather than duplicate efforts. The consultants and district staff described a roughly 30‑person advisory/working group as a primary steering cohort; that group will be supplemented by broader surveys, focus groups and targeted outreach. “We were kind of put into a 30‑person limit, so we wanted to make sure we had representation from each of the levels,” Superintendent Rick West said of the advisory group process.

Board members pressed on outreach to non‑school community members and on tactics to reach groups that historically do not attend school‑district meetings. Thru Consulting said best practice is to “go to the places where people already gather” (examples cited: faith‑based organizations, homeowners’ associations and community groups) rather than simply announce meetings at schools. The consultants and staff also said a project landing page and a short superintendent video will be published to publicize the process and that two or three in‑person advisory kickoff sessions are planned, with a tentative advisory meeting on Dec. 15 to collect initial findings.

Sense of belonging: board pauses next step on superintendent evaluation metric. Board members spent substantial time discussing a proposed “goal 6” tied to sense of belonging (students and staff). Trustee Michelle (last name not provided) urged that the board not “hide” the topic inside other work and called for an explicit measure. At the same time, administration requested more time to formulate measurable indicators that would be appropriate for both students and staff. “I’m not comfortable with not addressing belonging,” Michelle said; administrators replied they are forming a task force and evaluating existing instruments (culture/climate surveys, EOS questions and state examples such as Oregon Department of Education guidance) to derive valid, longitudinal measures.

Administrators explained the operational difficulty: different strategies and measurement instruments are likely needed for students versus staff. Todd (staff member, role not specified) and other staff said the district paused some climate surveying last spring because they planned to combine those questions with strategic‑planning engagement; they now plan to synthesize multiple data sources (district climate surveys, EOS questioning and assessment dashboards such as i‑Ready) so the district can track change over time. The administration asked the strategic planning and governance committees to continue work and return recommendations on measurable options in the fall (staff proposed updates in October/November and noted contractually specified superintendent goals must be set by February).

Board oversight and next steps: the consultants said they will return to the full board with a workshop after the advisory group has generated initial findings and a draft roadmap. Superintendent West said the district will launch the project landing page and video within days and will circulate the advisory‑group list to the board once invitations are confirmed. Board members were asked to forward names for the working group to the superintendent.

Ending: Thru Consulting and staff said they will prioritize a robust engagement plan to reach community members not normally connected to the district’s meetings and will return to the board with draft metrics and the advisory‑group findings in the coming months.","Consultants outlined a seven‑step, roughly eight‑month strategic planning process using prior Galapagos data and a 30‑person advisory working group. The board agreed to pause a superintendent evaluation goal on “sense of belonging” while staff develops measurable criteria.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Bloomfield Hills Board approves generator, furniture, robotics move and a class reading adoption

Public speakers urge partnership with Oakland County Parks as Bowers Farm reports multiple staff departures

Bloomfield Hills board launches eight‑month strategic planning process, tables measurable for “sense of belonging” goal