Wayne-Westland board votes to appoint Dr. Catherine Cost as superintendent; 3-year contract talks to begin

The Wayne-Westland Community School District board voted 4–3 to appoint Dr. Catherine Cost as superintendent and instructed the district attorney to begin contract negotiations for a three-year contract.

The motion, offered by a board member and seconded, asked the board to "give the superintendent assignment to doctor Catherine Cost and immediately instruct our attorney to begin contract negotiations with her for a 3 year contract," and was followed by several board members urging prompt action because, they said, the candidate had demonstrated the experience and presentation the district needs.

John Saviri of the Michigan Leadership Institute — the facilitator for the finalist interviews — had earlier advised board members to use the candidate profile and to be thoughtful when they make their selection; he also summarized community engagement during the search, saying the process included building tours, question-and-answer sessions and meet-and-greets, and that recordings of the interviews would be available for additional public feedback.

During the citizen-comment period before the vote, Jennifer Owens read anonymous staff remarks alleging favoritism in hiring, claims that a candidate had been hired as a favor and lacked HR qualifications, and that staff fear retaliation if certain candidates are hired. "He was hired by Dignan as a favor, without qualifications," Owens read. Owens and other commenters urged anonymous staff surveys and said some employees would quit if that candidate were chosen.

A district teaching assistant, Nicole Holland, spoke in support of the candidate the motion advanced and criticized some publicly stated numbers about program enrollment. "Costa's got my vote," Holland said, noting she had seen the candidate engage directly with students and staff.

After discussion, the clerk called the roll on the appointment: Cox—yes; Weaver—yes; Hines—yes; Ambrose—yes; Ebony Mitchell—no; Rashawn—no; President May—no. The chair announced, "Motion carries."

Next steps announced at the meeting were for the district attorney to begin contract negotiations; the board did not provide a timetable for final contract approval in the meeting record.

The meeting included repeated reminders from the facilitator and chair that the board had encouraged public feedback via posted recordings and a QR code, and several board members noted the unusually large applicant pool (36 applicants) and the need for steady leadership in buildings that have lacked consistent principals.