Westwood Heights Board approves personnel moves, extends First Student contract and renews MASB membership; discusses two electric buses and data hub

Westwood Heights Schools Board of Education members approved multiple personnel actions and a three-year extension with First Student Transportation, and renewed their Michigan Association of School Boards membership during a regular meeting. Board members also discussed the arrival of two electric buses obtained through a grant and plans to integrate student-performance data with a shared data hub.

Board action and votes

The board voted to approve a motion to accept the recommendation of the administration to approve unspecified termination(s). Miss Turner, board member, moved the motion and Mr. Walker, board member, supported it; the motion passed with the board recording four ayes and no opposing votes. The board did not specify the identity of the terminated staff or additional termination details in the discussion or the motion record.

The board accepted the administration27s recommendation to appoint Janelle Rowe as head cook/manager at Hammond Elementary beginning this fall. Miss Johnson, board member, moved the appointment and Mr. Walker supported it; the motion passed and the chair said the motion carries.

The board moved to accept resignations from Miss Jackson, effective June 6, and Miss Miller, effective June 5, 2025. Miss Johnson moved the acceptance, Miss Roberts supported it, and the board approved the resignations by voice vote.

The board approved a three-year extension of the district27s transportation agreement with First Student Transportation. Miss Johnson moved to accept the administration27s recommendation for a three-year extension; Mr. Walker supported the motion and the board approved it.

The board approved renewal of its Michigan Association of School Boards membership for $3,669.88. Miss Johnson moved the renewal, Mr. Walker supported it, and the board approved the payment.

Why it matters

The personnel actions change district staffing and will affect operations at Hammond Elementary and other sites once resignations and the appointment take effect. Extending the contract with First Student maintains the district27s existing transportation relationship; public remarks at the meeting indicated the district has begun receiving electric buses tied to that vendor and a related grant, which may affect daily routing and maintenance arrangements. The MASB renewal preserves the board27s membership and access to training and services provided through that association.

Discussion and public/staff remarks

During the public-comment portion and an information update, the superintendent (unnamed in the record) described two electric buses arriving for the district27s fleet. The superintendent said the buses were obtained through a grant and that the vehicles "belong to First Student" and that First Student "will maintenance and do all the things." She said the buses "should be housed here" but that she had not yet seen them. The superintendent said there will be two electric buses and that the district expects to use them for local runs, not long out-of-county trips, because of range considerations: "We know we can't take kids to far places and expect that bus to come back. So all local runs, we're expecting to use those buses." She stressed the importance of ensuring the vehicles are charged, saying, "I do not wanna get a call saying that our bus is just paying out of battery."

Board members and staff also discussed the district27s work with a data hub labeled in the record as Unetrix and a related purchase referred to as Munetrics. The superintendent said the district is part of a consortium with the intermediate school district (ISD) and is working to integrate information so the board will have baseline metrics to review before fall. The superintendent said staff members Miss Ennis, Miss Richards and Keila are included in that data-integration effort. Board members noted Munetrics had been previously approved at a cost of about $11,000.

Process and limits noted at the meeting

Board members repeatedly used voice votes and did not provide a roll-call record naming how each member voted; the meeting record shows motions were moved and supported and then approved by voice. Several agenda items were presented as administration recommendations and approved by the board without extended debate. Where the transcript did not specify details (for example, the identity of person(s) involved in the termination motion), those details were not provided at the meeting and remain unspecified in the public record.

Other items

At the end of the meeting board members shared community announcements, including a notice that a memorial service for Mr. Coleman is scheduled for July 11 at 11 a.m. at House of Prayer. The meeting was then adjourned.

Ending

The board took multiple routine administrative actions and approved ongoing vendor relationships; staff updates flagged two new electric buses and work to centralize student data ahead of the fall term. The district did not provide further operational details about the electric-bus charging plan or the location where the buses will be housed during the meeting.