South Lyon board approves $496,817 elementary ELA pilot funded by state Section 35m grant
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Summary
The South Lyon Community Schools Board approved a districtwide pilot purchase of Collaborative Literacy K–5 materials and professional development for $496,817, fully covered by remaining Section 35m grant funds; trustees also ratified routine contracts, personnel items and gifts during the meeting.
South Lyon Community Schools trustees approved a districtwide elementary ELA pilot and several routine items at their regular meeting. The board voted unanimously, 6–0, to purchase K–5 Collaborative Literacy instructional materials and professional development for $496,817; the district said the cost will be fully covered by remaining Section 35m grant funds under the State School Aid Act.
Miss Kudwa, who presented the curriculum recommendation, said the district began an initial pilot last year with 40 teachers and expanded it by 12 classes to gather broader feedback. "Most districts are still kind of scrambling to decide what they wanna do as a whole district pilot," she said; South Lyon administrators said the district was prepared when the Michigan Department of Education published eligible materials and was able to make more extensive use of Section 35m funds.
The ELA subject-area committee recommended the Collaborative Literacy resource after teacher feedback and an RFP process that produced a single bid. Administrators said professional development will begin May 5 so teachers can prepare instructional materials and pacing; additional training will be offered through the spring and summer. The motion to approve the purchase was moved by Mr. McGuire and seconded by Dr. Laszlo and passed on a roll-call vote recorded as 6–0.
The board also took several other actions and received updates. Trustees ratified the superintendent's acceptance of an offer to purchase the 2026 school building and site bonds, Series 1, and approved March 2026 bills and a set of prepaids. The board accepted donations for the high school robotics team: $884.62 from Tracy Cook and $1,184.62 from the Abate family, to be used for supplies, travel and food.
On personnel items, the board approved a second and final year of child-care leave for Adrian Golos for the 2026–27 school year and approved a third-year job-share assignment at Sayre Elementary for Jennifer Wilbanks and Carolyn Stallions. Trustees also welcomed Mark Buckberry as the district's new director of safety and security; Buckberry, who retired in January from the Van Buren Township Police Department, said the district’s tight-knit community drew him to the role.
Administrators gave information-only presentations on survey services for the district's 2025 bond program (program 1 recommended to ChemTec for $150,400; program 2 recommended to Spalding Decker for $125,750), the Novi Virtual cooperative agreement for 2026–27 (small per-student fee increases; Novi remains the teacher of record), summer tax-collection fees (an estimated $1,200 increase compared with this year), and the Oakland Schools ISD proposed general fund budget assumptions. The board also received an aquatics partnership update covering scheduling and weekend rental rates and discussed follow-up questions about a proposed data center including air-quality, noise and traffic concerns.
During public comment, David Price representing the South Lyon Education Association highlighted recent teacher grant awards for AP Spanish teachers, family reading-night events at Salem Elementary, the school's annual bunny hop and praise for music teacher Lee Goins.
The meeting concluded after routine board comments and the board adjourned on a unanimous voice vote. The district will bring some contract items back for formal approval at the May 5 meeting, including the Novi Virtual contract.
