Cedar Springs Public Schools board formalizes superintendent evaluation, files annual bond-loan application

The Cedar Springs Public Schools Board of Education on July 13 voted to adopt the 2024–25 superintendent performance rating and approved the district’s annual application to participate in the state school bond loan program.

The actions were the principal formal items at a roughly 34-minute meeting that also included a finance update, a bundle of policy revisions recommended by NEOLA, and progress reports on construction projects at several district campuses.

The board unanimously approved the superintendent’s 2024–25 effectiveness rating following a closed-session review and facilitator-led discussion earlier in the process. Board members who were recorded voting in favor included Vice President Schachner, Secretary Slager, Treasurer Gilmore, Trustee Lund, Trustee Patton and President Reed; the motion carried. The vote formalized feedback the board had already discussed in closed session and completed the state-required public step of the evaluation process.

Also approved by unanimous vote was the district’s annual school bond loan application, a routine submission required by the state for districts that use the school bond loan fund to smooth debt-service cash flow while holding a promised millage rate to voters. The bond package presented to the board included a draft board resolution, the annual worksheet and the June 30 bank reconciliation; the district’s financial advisor, Baker Tilly, provided a mid-bond millage calculation that accompanied the packet. The application is due to the state by Aug. 1.

In a finance briefing the board was told the district is transitioning its reporting from cash to accrual basis while closing the books for year end, which delayed inclusion of a complete general-fund budget-to-actual in the packet. Staff warned that the state has not finalized the school-aid budget and that uncertainty may persist for weeks or months; the district may begin the 2025–26 school year without final state aid figures. On federal funding, state education departments were described as responding to a U.S. Department of Education review of certain Title programs; the district’s largest Title allocation (Title I) was not listed in that review. The finance presentation said the district budgeted about $85,000 combined for Title II and Title IV for 2025–26, and approximately $350,000 in Medicaid revenue, both of which the district will monitor as federal actions and a recent federal law change work through implementation.

Board members received a summary of 23 policy revisions proposed in NEOLA’s 2025 spring and summer update. Staff stressed that the recommended edits largely streamline language and add clarity rather than change substantive policy and that any formal adoptions would be delayed until the board’s October meeting to allow months of review and discussion. One policy not included in the NEOLA package, Policy 5610 concerning emergency removal, suspension and expulsion of nondisabled students, was highlighted for separate consideration; staff presented a draft approach that would allow the superintendent, in consultation with the board president, to approve suspensions longer than 10 days but shorter than 45 days, while suspensions longer than 45 days would still require a full-board hearing. The board did not adopt policy language at the July meeting and will revisit proposals in August and September before acting in October.

Facilities staff briefed the board on multiple construction projects across the district, including new work at Cedar Trails, improvements at the high school and upgrades at Cedar View. Buildings and campus work remain on track, contractors have moved into punch-list and interior finishing phases, and the district reported that projects are tracking under budget. Staff said priority remaining items include road repairs, additional parking options and pedestrian/walkway improvements; the district will prioritize two or three projects that deliver the greatest return within remaining budget constraints.

There were no registered public commenters at the meeting. The board adjourned with the district scheduling departmental update briefings across the school year and offering campus tour opportunities for trustees.

Votes at a glance: the board approved (1) the 2024–25 superintendent effectiveness rating — outcome: approved, recorded votes: Vice President Schachner (yes), Secretary Slager (yes), Treasurer Gilmore (yes), Trustee Lund (yes), Trustee Patton (yes), President Reed (yes); (2) the annual school bond loan application — outcome: approved, recorded votes: Vice President Schachner (yes), Secretary Slager (yes), Treasurer Gilmore (yes), Trustee Lund (yes), Trustee Patton (yes), President Reed (yes).