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Cheboygan Area Schools board accepts special education director's resignation, approves bus purchases and camera access
Summary
The Cheboygan Area Schools Board accepted the resignation of special education director Liz McNeil, approved a pay increase for homebound tutors, authorized two bond-funded buses and granted limited live access to a Compass office camera for safety monitoring. Several coaching contracts were renewed; one renewal passed with two dissenting votes.
The Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education on Dec. 15 accepted the resignation of Special Education Director Liz McNeil and approved several personnel and operational measures, including two bond-funded bus purchases and limited live access for a Compass office camera to aid safety monitoring.
During the superintendent's report the board said it had struggled to staff homebound tutoring at the district's $25-per-hour rate and moved to raise the compensation to match teachers' out-of-contract rate. The board later approved a memorandum of understanding to increase the homebound-teacher rate from $25 to $38 per hour for the remainder of the school year.
Superintendent Spencer told the board the change was necessary to recruit tutors: "We couldn't get anybody to pick it up" at the lower rate, and the MOU will allow experienced teachers to accept homebound assignments after the school day.
In a separate personnel item, Liz McNeil addressed the board and confirmed her decision to step down from administration after 22 years with the district. "I've worked for 22 years for Cheboygan Area Schools," McNeil said, adding that she planned to return to classroom teaching for health and family reasons. The board accepted her resignation with regret and offered public thanks for her service.
On transportation, district staff proposed buying one conventional 77-passenger bus for $158,979 and one 53-passenger bus for $165,507 using bond proceeds. "We're gonna purchase 1 general ed bus and 1 special ed bus, with bond money," said Steve, the district staff member presenting the proposal. The board approved the purchases and staff said the vehicles would likely be delivered in summer and fitted with radios and cameras.
The board also approved a formal resolution related to the 31aa grant process. Staff reported the district had opted in by the Dec. 4 deadline and would monitor state litigation expected to reach a conclusion Dec. 19; if the court outcome did not remove contested language the district could opt out before Dec. 30.
On safety monitoring, the board voted to allow Compass staff limited live access to a desktop-mounted camera feed in the Compass office at Inverness Connect Academy, with the board requesting written guidelines be drafted and returned for formal approval in early 2026. Board members discussed FERPA and other privacy concerns and directed the safety committee to draft explicit limitations on where and how the feed can be used.
The athletic committee presented facility updates and recommended renewals for fall coaching contracts. The board approved renewals for boys' varsity soccer (Ryan Davis), varsity football, cross-country (Sandy Stafford Roth), girls' golf (Sean McNeil) and varsity volleyball (Jordan Barrett). The volleyball renewal passed with two dissenting votes as some board members and parents expressed continued frustration about a missed all-region submission earlier in the season.
The meeting closed after the board recognized a $1,000 donation from Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union for the district's transitional living program and received no public comment.
What happens next: the district will implement the homebound MOU in January, proceed with bus orders to be delivered in summer and return to the board with written Compass camera-access guidelines in early 2026.
