Oak Park board amends agenda, approves union letters of agreement and bond ratification; forwards MASB nomination

The Oak Park Board of Education on Feb. 10 amended its agenda to take up a letter of agreement with the Oak Park Education Association and then approved that agreement, ratified a bond-sale resolution for the district's 2025 school building and site bond series 3, forwarded a candidate nomination to the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) Region 8 board of directors and voted to enter closed session to discuss negotiation strategy.

The board amended the agenda at the start of the action-items portion to add item 10a, “approval of letter of agreement between the Oak Park Board of Education and the Oak Park Education Association,” then approved the letters of agreement addressing dues deductions, evaluation language, PA 236 implementation language, withdrawal of grievance number 10192023 with prejudice, and modifications to work schedules. Trustee Scott moved the approval; Trustee Tyler seconded. The motion passed by roll call (yes: 6; absent: 1). Dawn Summers, vice president of the Oak Park Education Association, spoke during public comment and said the union had reached agreements on dues deductions, PA 236 and evaluation language and had dropped arbitration with prejudice; she said the association looked forward to completing remaining LOAs in March. Alnida Trice, identifying herself as the president of the Oak Park Parents Association, praised collaborative work between parents and the district and encouraged expanding programs such as book giveaways.