Dexter school board approves consent hires, hears updates on summer tutoring, facilities and county 'My Future Fund' accounts

The Dexter Community School District board on an otherwise routine evening approved consent items including new hires and budget items and heard staff updates on summer tutoring programs, ongoing facilities projects and an outreach push for Washtenaw County's My Future Fund college-savings accounts.

Board action and procedure opened the meeting: the Chair called roll, approved the prior minutes and the meeting agenda by unanimous voice vote before turning to scheduled presentations and administrative updates.

Staff presented summer academic supports and reported participation figures. A district presenter said the virtual “Ear reading” program — targeted to kindergarten through sixth grade — served 75 students over nine weeks with 30-minute small-group sessions two to three times per week and weekly feedback passed to families. The district also piloted a Varsity Tutors partnership this summer for K–12 asynchronous and synchronous coursework; staff reported more than 100 family sign-ups. The presenter highlighted a student-led math tutoring effort by a Dexter student, Connor Masterson, who recruited NHS volunteers to tutor roughly 20 students in grades 5–8 four days a week for five weeks.

Facilities work at several sites was described as progressing toward fall openings. Staff said furniture arrived for the high school media center and finishing work is underway; lighting upgrades are partially complete and building automation systems are being brought online at multiple buildings. At Mill Creek staff reported a temporary cooling unit is in place while the district awaits a utility carrier to relocate a line; that temporary unit is maintaining warmer-than-desired temperatures and district staff said BT is scheduled to move the line this week. Staff noted underground pumps must be installed and functioning before some drainage and rerouting work can proceed, and that athletics staff will be notified once timelines are firm.

Staff also briefed the board on My Future Fund, a Washtenaw County program that establishes a $25 starter account for eligible students. The presenter said families who qualify for free and reduced lunch receive additional seed funds (reported in the meeting as an additional $475, for a reported total of up to $500 for qualified students) and that the district has seen relatively high sign-up rates compared with neighboring districts. The presenter urged additional communication so more families enroll and claim their accounts.

On finance, staff presented the year-end summary packet but emphasized the figures are preliminary pending the formal audit. The presenter noted the packet does not yet include an August state adjustment and that district auditors are still reconciling some items; the presenter said they expect an adjustment that will be positive for the district but that audit results remain the authoritative final figures.

Votes at a glance: the board approved previous minutes, approved the meeting agenda and approved the consent agenda (including new hires and budget items) by voice vote. The motions were moved, seconded and carried by voice; the transcript records affirmations of "Aye" but does not include a roll-call tally of individual votes.

The board also discussed plans to host a candidate forum in September, with student representatives proposing to ask a set of community-sourced questions, and praised communications materials (a back-to-school wayfinder) that staff said will be widely distributed. The Chair confirmed there were no closed sessions on the agenda.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach for My Future Fund sign-ups, complete remaining facilities punch-list items before the start of school and present audited financials when the audit is complete.