BCPS board approves superintendent evaluation; superintendent urges public to oppose cuts to after‑school funding

The Battle Creek Public Schools Board of Education on Monday approved the superintendent’s 2024–25 evaluation following a closed‑session review and later heard public remarks from the superintendent urging community advocacy on state funding.

After the board reconvened in open session, trustees moved and approved a motion to adopt the superintendent evaluation for the 2024–25 school year. Board members thanked the superintendent for her work over the past year when the motion passed by voice vote.

In superintendent comments, Doctor Carter asked the public and board members to contact state representatives regarding a House budget proposal that would eliminate funding for after‑school programs. Carter said the Senate and governor’s budgets had preserved the funding, but the House budget the district had seen removed it. Carter said that after‑school funding is essential to the students the district serves and asked viewers and community members to reach out to representatives to urge continuation of the dollars.

Carter also noted that summer programs—including Bearcat Blast, kindergarten success programming and free summer meals through the district’s participation in the federal Meet Up and Eat Up program—were underway and encouraged families to use those services. She thanked the community for attendance at a recent open house for the Northwestern Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and said the building will open this fall.

The board’s formal record shows the evaluation motion passed in open session after the prior closed deliberations; the evaluation itself was discussed in closed session and only the approval action was read aloud in public as required.