Milan Area Schools board elects Tom Farrow president, Carrie Gutierrez vice president in organizational meeting

At its Jan. 14 annual organizational meeting the Milan Area Schools Board of Education elected Tom Farrow to serve as board president and Carrie Gutierrez as vice president for one‑year terms, approved secretary and treasurer appointments, and confirmed committee assignments.

The chair opened nominations for president and nominated Tom Farrow; the motion to elect Farrow was moved by Burdette and supported by Gutierrez and carried 5-0 at the time of the vote. Carrie Gutierrez was nominated and elected vice president (motion by Pryor; support by Farrow), and Sarah Marie was elected secretary and Michelle Haika elected treasurer (motions and votes recorded during the organizational portion of the meeting).

The board also approved appointments for external representative roles: Carrie Gutierrez as Washtenaw School Board Association representative and Cassie Pryor as the Legislative Relations Network representative. Committee assignments—academics & programs; learning environment & culture; communications & community engagement; personnel & leadership; finance & operations—were read and left largely unchanged, with chairs identified for each committee.

Why it matters: Organizational votes set leadership and committee chairs who will guide agenda priorities over the year, affecting policy review, contract negotiations and community engagement. Those elected assume their roles at the next board meeting.