Edwardsburg superintendent outlines district goals, safety upgrades and warns of state budget risk

Dr. Suetsch, superintendent of Edwardsburg Public Schools, told the board the district will continue three strategic goals this year: recruiting and retaining staff and updating curriculum; expanding communication and stakeholder input; and overseeing facilities, bond and grant dollars while pursuing new funding.

The superintendent summarized implementation steps, including continuing the curricular cycle (social studies followed by ELA work), strengthening higher-education partnerships and alternative-certification pathways, using third-party perception surveys in spring, and offering more family learning opportunities tied to a new website and communication app. “I will work with our EPS leadership team and the board of education to recruit, hire, and retain dedicated staff,” Suetsch said.

Suetsch detailed new safety requirements and district responses. The district is preparing an updated emergency cardiac response plan that aligns with recent state requirements and places automated external defibrillators (AEDs) where a three-minute response is achievable. School nurse Mikayla Settle and staff maintain AED readiness and staff CPR training; Suetsch said the district is “pretty close” to the roughly 10% staff CPR-training threshold needed to apply to become a Michigan Heart Safe School. “We have proven a couple of times that we're able to do that,” Suetsch said, referencing past cardiac interventions supported by district AEDs.

On broader safety policy, the district has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) framework and trained building trainers under a “train the trainer” model. Suetsch said SRP terminology—hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter—will be used consistently across staff, students, families and local law enforcement. She described examples used in training, including controlled-release procedures after a secure call and how lockdowns require law enforcement or an administrator to clear the building before releasing students.

Suetsch also told the board about grant activity and other funding. Primary school teacher Tracy Spalding won a Heart of Cook grant and will use $4,700 to purchase a materials shed for a loose-parts outdoor play project (Spalding presented to the board later in the meeting). In addition, the district learned it was awarded a competitive K–3 literacy grant worth over $180,000; Suetsch credited staff training in Orton-Gillingham and other literacy foundations for the award.

But she warned of a fiscal risk: the state had not passed a required budget by July 1, delaying expected state funding and complicating the district's cash flow planning. Suetsch said district financial staff have modeled cash flow and that, if the impasse continues through November, the board may be asked next month to authorize short-term borrowing to meet payroll. “This is the first time where ... we had to sit down and really look at, okay, what does our cash flow look like and how long can we go before we have to borrow to make payroll,” she said, urging state legislators to act.

Board members asked no substantive follow-up during the presentation. The superintendent said the district will report back as actions (grant applications, trainings, bond-phase open houses and facility work) progress.

Ending: The board will receive continuing updates on implementation of the strategic goals, safety drills and SRP training, and on any action related to district cash flow should the state budget remain unresolved.