DeWitt Public Schools board elects officers, adopts 2025 schedules and routine governance items

The DeWitt Public Schools Board of Education elected its 2025 officers, approved meeting and work-session schedules, designated bank depositories and authorized routine financial signatories, and adopted a series of policy updates and the 2025–26 high school curriculum guide during its organizational meeting at the district office on West Herbison Road.

The board voted to elect John Tramontana as president, Brad Weaver as vice president, Brad Stoddard as secretary and Dwight Hanspike as treasurer. The roll-call vote on the slate recorded seven affirmative votes: Angelina Barnes, Hannah Carpenter, Dwight Hanspike, Jason Hanselman, Brad Stoddard, John Tramontana and Brad Weaver.

The approvals set the board’s regular monthly meetings to begin at 6 p.m. at the Board of Education office on the second Monday of most months (the motion listed specific dates for January–December 2025, and an organizational meeting on January 12, 2026) and scheduled work sessions on selected dates in April, June, August and November 2025. The board designated the superintendent to post meeting notices and named the administrative assistant to the superintendent and the board secretary as alternates for posting.

On district finance procedures, the board designated PNC Bank, Fifth Third Bank and the Michigan School District Liquid Asset Fund as official depositories for 2025. It authorized signature-card signatories for those accounts to be the superintendent, the assistant superintendent for finance and operations, the board president and the board treasurer for deposits, withdrawals, wire transfers and internal transfers. The board also approved authorization for the superintendent, assistant superintendent for finance and operations and appropriate building administrators to sign checks, contracts, agreements and purchase orders “subject to district policy,” with the assistant superintendent clarifying that building principals may sign purchase orders within their approved budgets but that all checks are issued centrally.

The board approved a resolution delegating authority for administration of district monies, appointed the administrative assistant to the superintendent as recording secretary and recorded that the assistant superintendent for finance and operations would serve as the district’s investment officer per policy 6144 (the agenda originally listed this item as “electronic transfer officer,” which the board corrected to “investment officer”).

On academic and policy matters, the board approved the 2025–26 DeWitt High School curriculum guide and took second-reading action to adopt a package of policy updates. The policies adopted on second reading included (as presented) Policy 3120.08 (employment and personnel for cocurricular/extracurricular activities), 5330.02 (opioid antagonists), 5340 (student accidents), 7230 (gifts, grants and requests), 8321 (criminal justice information security), and a set of finance- and grants-related policies including 6110, 6111, 6112, 6114, 6325 (procurement — added to the agenda during the meeting), 7310 and 7450. The board moved to add policy 6325 to the agenda and approved the full package by voice vote.

Administratively, the board noted an updated 2024–25 continuity of learning plan on the record because of outstanding federal grants; staff said the plan required no changes and that this would likely be the last time the item needed to be on the agenda. The consent agenda — including minutes of the Dec. 9, 2024 regular meeting and the treasurer’s reports and bills for December 2024 — was approved as presented.

Superintendent Kevin Rodatek thanked board members for their service and noted district music program achievements, reporting perfect scores for three choral groups and multiple soloists advancing to state-level competition.

Votes at a glance

- Election of officers (slate: John Tramontana, Brad Weaver, Brad Stoddard, Dwight Hanspike): Passed by roll call; recorded yes votes from Angelina Barnes, Hannah Carpenter, Dwight Hanspike, Jason Hanselman, Brad Stoddard, John Tramontana and Brad Weaver.

- Regular meeting schedule (dates for Jan–Dec 2025, organizational meeting Jan.…