Policy committee reverses part of FOIA denial, discusses Title IX and board role on certified-teacher contracts

At a committee report to the full Gaylord Community Schools Board of Education, board members said the policy committee met Nov. 13 with the district attorney from Clark Hill to discuss a Mackinac Center Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeal and other policy matters.

The committee reported it voted to reverse the district's initial denial of the FOIA request in part, with staff instructed to redact personally identifiable student information and communications protected by attorney-client privilege before release. Board members said the Mackinac Center was provided a fee procedure; the requestor must submit a half payment before work begins and the final payment before records are released. As of the meeting, the half payment had not yet been submitted.

The committee also reviewed Title IX matters. The board's attorney advised members that four district schools are subject to an injunction that limits changes to Title IX procedures; for future Title IX investigations the district will follow 2020 Title IX regulations where applicable. Committee members discussed revising Article 5 of the district bylaws to align with those regulations where not constrained by the injunction.

A significant personnel-policy item discussed was whether the board should resume approving certified-teacher contracts. The attorney explained that the superintendent is responsible for day-to-day administration including hiring, managing and terminating noncertified staff, while the board's traditional role includes approving initial hires and terminations of administrators and certified teachers. The committee was told the district could adopt a process allowing teachers to begin work pending board approval if the board chooses to resume formal approvals. One attorney comment noted the board could override the superintendent on certain contracts, though the attorney did not recommend routine overrides.

Committee members discussed meeting cadence and recommended the policy committee move to a monthly schedule or consider a committee-of-the-whole model so all directors present once monthly to streamline information flow to the full board; the board will revisit committee structure at the January workshop.

Ending: The committee report concluded with an agreement to continue the policy conversation in January and to circulate drafted language the attorney had prepared on contract procedures.