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Bloomfield Hills board debates pension'attestation tied to Batista litigation, delays vote
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about the May 2025 Batista settlement with the Office of Retirement Services, the board postponed a resolution attesting the district did not spike retirement compensation, citing uncertainty about the board's ability to attest historically; item moved to next meeting.
Superintendent West briefed the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education on July 28 about the recent settlement in the Batista litigation against the Michigan Office of Retirement Services (ORS) and recommended the district provide a resolution attesting the board did not "spike" employee compensation to inflate final average compensation for pensions.
West said the settlement created an option for boards to attest that they did not increase compensation for the purpose of boosting pension calculations and that doing so could assist individual retirees seeking ORS review. He identified two individuals who might fall within the settlement's timeframe: a prior superintendent and Deputy Superintendent Keith McDonald.
Board members expressed reluctance to sign a broad, district-wide attestation without clearer documentation and legal guidance. Several trustees said they could not reliably attest to historical intent behind past compensation changes and suggested tailoring attestations to specific individuals or adding an explanatory appendix that identified which contracts or actions trustees had direct knowledge of. Trustees also asked administration to develop normal salary schedules for nonrepresented employees to reduce future ambiguity.
Given those concerns, a motion was made to move the Batista/ORS resolution to the next board meeting for further review and committee work; the motion passed 6-0.
What happens next: administration said it will work on normal salary schedules and consult with legal counsel and the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (Mesa) on appropriate language and processes before bringing a revised resolution back to the board.
