Board members spent the Nov. 11 meeting reviewing several non-action items that affect curriculum and district policy and heard a financial update that highlights enrollment and benefit-cost pressures.

Curriculum: Mr. Baron introduced a proposed AP Comparative Government and Politics course intended for juniors and seniors. The course would be a full-year AP-weighted offering that meets Michigan Merit civics requirements and could be used for Early Middle College credit; Mr. Baron said projected first-year enrollment is "about 30 students" with a potential cap near 60. The proposed textbook for the AP course was listed at roughly $113 plus a $41 six-year digital license, and Mr. Baron said final materials and any additional training costs would wait until the district confirms enrollment and master-schedule impacts. Mr. Stewart from the social studies department was noted as available for follow-up questions.

Arts curriculum: Mr. Baron also presented two proposed choir-course name changes to better reflect voice parts and competitive expectations: renaming "Chamber Singers" to "Developed Voice" (sopranos/altos) and renaming "Concert Choir" to "Red Hawk Singers" (tenors/basses). Mr. Baron said there are no curricular changes, no budget requests and no prerequisites attached to the name changes; the board acknowledged the change and had no further questions at this meeting.

Policy updates and AI guidance: Administration presented a routine bundle of fall 2024 policy updates (primarily grammatical or to reflect legislative changes) and specifically called out a recommended student-conduct policy update (PO 5,500) and a draft policy 75-40.09 on artificial intelligence. A board member urged teaching both uses of AI and its limits; during discussion another member warned that generative AI can "make stuff up," a point administrators said should be covered in classroom instruction and policy guidance.

Financial briefing: Scott Smith, substituting for Monty, presented three finance artifacts: a general fund report through Oct. 31, 2024, a bond budget through Oct. 31, and the certified state-aid membership count. The certified count was 2,999.4 students compared with a state-aid membership projection of 3,006.43 (a difference of roughly 7 students under the projection but 94.08 fewer than the district's prior membership). Smith estimated the district's share of a state set-aside to offset enrollment declines at roughly $452,000, noting the final payout depends on how many districts file claims and the state's payment percentage (last year payments were 77.4% of requests). Smith also warned that the state's hard cap on health-benefit contributions rose only 0.2% while the district's insurance rates increased 7.95% (West Michigan Health Insurance Pool average 8.7%), driven in part by higher prescription costs.

Other planning items: Staff noted a competitive-bid threshold adjustment to $30,512, reminded the board that a voter-approved sinking fund from 2012 expired in 2022 and suggested considering a capital-projects fund for large upcoming needs (for example, turf replacement within 7–10 years), and announced an updated district events list and upcoming board orientation (Jan. 6) and organizational meeting (Jan. 11).

What’s next: The AP course and choir name changes will be scheduled for formal action in a future meeting if the board chooses; financial follow-up items (state-aid payout, sinking-fund options, and detailed contract amounts) will be handled administratively and returned to the board as needed.