Bloomfield Hills board reviews draft strategic plan, first readings of survey and NIL policies

The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education spent much of its April meeting reviewing a draft strategic plan and the first reading of several policy revisions, including survey transparency and student name/image/likeness (NIL) guidance for athletics. Superintendent Wesson told the board the administration expects to finalize plan metrics over the summer and seek board adoption in May or June.

The draft plan is organized under four goals: strengthen academics (with a multi-year emphasis on structured literacy at the elementary level), build a culture in which students thrive, root the team in care and collaboration for staff, and align resources where they will have the greatest impact. "We are working toward the adoption of the plan in May or June," Wesson said, adding that the district has collected data, convened focus groups and visited other districts to inform the draft.

On the academic goal, district instructional leadership described a two- to three-year rollout for structured-literacy curriculum at the elementary level that will include coaching supports. The plan also proposes embedding career-connected programming across grade levels and creating specialized spaces for innovation such as robotics labs. Todd, the instructional lead presenting the literacy work, said structured literacy requires resources plus coaching and estimated the elementary implementation would be a two- to three-year effort.

Board members engaged the administration on policy language during the first reading of a revised student-survey policy. The draft referenced Michigan law (MCL 388.1674K), and several trustees raised concerns that the current draft might be too broad by allowing inspection of materials "used for any student survey, analysis or evaluation." One trustee asked whether the statute’s obligations were limited to programs funded by the US Department of Education; counsel and staff said the statute applies broadly and agreed to clarify the draft language to specify "analysis or evaluation of those surveys" and to remove the limiting reference to USDOE-funded programs.

The athletics-policy update would add parameters related to student name/image/likeness authorized by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the administration said, with a focus on preventing district branding from being sold by students or third parties. "We own the name Bloomfield Hill Schools," one administrator said, and the policy is being written to avoid conflicts with existing advertising or enrollment rules.

Trustees pressed for clarity around metrics and accountability. Wesson asked the board to focus feedback on goals, initiatives and action steps, and to allow district staff time over the summer to develop measurable indicators and assign responsibilities. Board members suggested collecting written feedback and discussed options for a dedicated work session; administration said it will circulate a feedback document and proposed meeting options to collect trustees' input.

Next steps: the board will receive a drafted accountability structure and metrics this summer, with committee-level reviews and a final adoption vote expected in May or June. No final policy votes were taken at the meeting; the proposed policy edits will return with clarifications for a subsequent vote.