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Board approves transfers, hires and multiple operational items; Promise Navigator pay review tabled
Summary
At its Feb. 25 meeting the Hazel Park Board approved a series of motions ranging from a student transfer to equipment purchases and summer school; the board also approved a paraprofessional hire after a statutory review and tabled further review of a Promise Navigator/activities funding alignment requested by trustees.
The Hazel Park Board of Education on Feb. 25 approved a bundle of action items including a student transfer, personnel recommendations, program travel, safety cameras and summer-school programming. Trustees also approved a paraprofessional hire that required board approval because of an older felony conviction, and tabled further review of a disputed Promise Navigator funding/compensation item pending clarification.
Key board actions approved at the business meeting (roll-call votes noted where recorded):
- Student transfer: The board approved the transfer of a student (ID redacted in minutes) to Advantage (motion carried by roll call).
- Paraprofessional hiring: Trustees approved the hiring of Danielle Giurgenti (paraprofessional). Administration presented a resolution citing Section 1230 of the Revised School Code related to employing applicants with a prior felony conviction not on Michigan’s registry of listed offenses. Administration reported positive reference checks and recommended the hire; the board approved the resolution by roll call.
- MASB Board of Directors nomination: The board nominated and approved Randall Meissner (Fitzgerald) as the district’s nominee to the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) Board of Directors.
- Dance team travel: The board approved overnight travel for the high school dance team to a national competition; administration indicated no district cost was associated with the request.
- Edison camera purchase: Trustees approved a not-to-exceed $7,000 purchase for nine cameras (inside and outside) for Edison, funded through safety/security (31a-like) funds; IT/server capacity was confirmed.
- Summer school: The board approved summer programming for early childhood through grade 12 (credit recovery, diploma enhancement). Trustees said portions for rising first–ninth grade are grant-funded (Ballmer grant) while kindergarten readiness and some high-school electives currently lack grant funding; administrators said elective courses could be trimmed to reduce costs if needed.
- Junior high woodshop equipment: The board authorized a one-time purchase of a cabinet saw with safety fencing for Hazel Park Junior High, not to exceed $6,000, funded by a career-readiness grant.
- Therapy dog handbook: The board approved updates to the district therapy-dog handbook (motion carried 4–3). One trustee voted no pending a formal board policy on support animals; administration said the approved handbook clarifies training sources and an opt-out form.
- Board protocols: Trustees voted to table adoption of updated board operating protocols to allow further edits, including suggested language on public comment sequencing and small edits to section numbering.
- Personnel packet: After discussion and a request for additional documentation about a Promise Navigator/community-school coordinator position (funding sources and job descriptions), the board tabled specific pay-review questions and approved the remainder of the personnel recommendations; administration said the current employee’s duties and total compensation would not change pending the paper-trail review.
Several trustees and members of the public asked for audited accounting of legal and consultant expenditures tied to the district’s recent personnel investigation; the board agreed to consider requests for future agenda items to invite outside counsel or accounting information for review.
Ending: Trustees approved the operational items and directed staff to return with clarifications on grant funding, job descriptions and usage reports where requested.
