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Lapeer board hears Roland Warner presentation; approves bus and firewall purchases and budget resolution
Summary
Board members heard a presentation on Roland Warner's blended "whole child" instructional model and student outcome data, and approved purchases of two used buses and a new enterprise firewall and adopted the 2026-27 general fund operating budget. A public commenter criticized Trustee Van Wagner for mixing personal religious views with board duties.
The Lapeer Community Schools Board of Education on 2026-05-04 heard a presentation from Roland Warner school staff about a shift to a blended elementary/secondary model aimed at "maximiz[ing] student learning," received committee updates on budget and facilities, approved two used buses and a district firewall purchase, and adopted the district's 2026-27 general fund operating budget.
Presenters led by Mr. Stevens and math learning coach Mrs. Gandon described a team-based model in which students are assigned to two- to three-teacher teams, teachers hold daily common planning time and twice-monthly professional learning community (PLC) meetings to place students into enrichment or intervention, and students receive 90-minute blocks of ELA and math instruction. "We are maximizing student learning through the different processes," Mr. Stevens said. Mrs. Gandon summarized NWA test percentile results the school reported: ELA rose from about the 55th to the 58th percentile with growth above the 61st percentile, and math rose from about the 47th to the 57th percentile with growth at the 62nd percentile.
Mrs. Parks outlined extracurricular offerings and family-engagement activities that district staff said support the whole-child approach, including new clubs (bike club, needlecraft, problem solvers), after-school sports and electives that give fifth- and sixth-graders daily intervention or enrichment time. Board members praised the presentation and asked about replicability across the district; presenters said the staffing structure and collaborative teams make expansion feasible with continued refinement.
During public comment a resident criticized Trustee Van Wagner for speaking at a Tea Party meeting "in his role as a trustee," alleging he mischaracterized Benjamin Rush and advocated introducing New Testament and Old Testament coursework similar to a Texas proposal. The commenter said trustees should not "inject religious ideology into our public education," adding, "I would certainly never vote for you." The board did not respond during public comment, consistent with the board's stated practice.
In business items the board approved the consent agenda, set a public hearing on the proposed budget for 7 p.m. on June 24, 2026, and approved overnight out-of-state trips for the high school wrestling team and the robotics team. The board voted to purchase two used buses for an amount not to exceed $185,750 and to award Delta Network Solutions the installation of an enterprise-grade Fortinet firewall; the finance committee had recommended both purchases. The board then adopted the ISD 2026-27 general fund operating budget resolution as presented. Motions were seconded and recorded in the transcript as "motion carries."
Superintendent remarks included an announcement of two community forums on the district strategic plan on May 11 and May 21 at 6 p.m. at the high school performing arts center. Board members also offered condolences for the death of district employee and coach Brian Moore and shared details about a memorial service.
The board's next formal action on the district strategic plan is scheduled for the June board meeting; a public hearing on the budget was set for June 24, 2026.
