Clintondale board adopts Roberts Rules, pauses $6,000 BoardDocs purchase and hires Michigan Leadership Institute; heated ethics debate prompts finance probe

Trustees at the May 26 meeting of the Clintondale Community Schools board moved on several governance items amid sustained debate over an ethics complaint and the administrations use of outside legal counsel.

The board voted to adopt Roberts Rules of Order as its parliamentary authority, a change trustees said is intended to bring predictability to meetings as the district begins a superintendent search. "Reinstating Robert's rules is not about control or formality for its own sake. It's about strengthening the integrity of our board's work," Trustee Mrs. Zantini said.

Trustees also considered a proposed purchase of BoardDocs (Diligent Community), an agenda and meeting-management platform. Administration recommended the package for roughly $6,000 a year, with built-in closed-captioning and accessibility features. Several trustees and members of the public asked for a formal cost comparison and a vendor sandbox so trustees could test the system before committing taxpayer funds; the board voted 5-2 to table the purchase and return with a pricing breakdown and demonstration access.

On the superintendent search, the board selected the Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) to run the recruitment process. Trustees who supported MLI said the firms experience with districts of similar size and a compact, transparent process made it the best option. The board directed the administration to invite MLI to present next month on its timeline and deliverables.

Underlying procedural votes were a more contentious set of exchanges about a proposed agenda addition under board policy 2303, the districts enforcement mechanism for alleged ethics violations. Trustee Kurt Wilson moved to add discussion of possible action under policy 2303 to the agenda, citing questions he said he had raised with the vice president and concerns about unequal treatment of board members. The motion prompted lengthy debate about due process, the privacy of complaint investigations and how the board should balance confidentiality with transparency. The motion did not pass.

Separately, the finance committee reported it is investigating the districts spending on outside legal services after reviewing invoices and correspondence tied to the Thrun law firm. Committee chair Mr. Powers said staff have requested documents and questionnaires from the recently departed superintendent and other administrators; he told trustees the committee has encountered delays in receiving some records and written answers the committee needs to conclude its review. "We were given a charge on April 27 and we've been working to gather the facts; the committee expects prompt written responses so we can determine who authorized the work and whether board policy was followed," Powers said.

What the board decided - Adopt Roberts Rules of Order (motion carried). - Table the BoardDocs purchase pending a vendor sandbox, itemized pricing and a cost comparison (motion to table carried 5-2). - Hire Michigan Leadership Institute to conduct the superintendent search (motion carried). - Finance committee to pursue documents and written answers from staff and recent administrators about outside-legal expenditures and authority for retaining counsel.

What remained unresolved Trustees did not add a formal ethics-enforcement agenda item on policy 2303 at this meeting; questions about how complaints have been handled and whether the vice president followed the policy were discussed but not resolved. The finance committee said it would return with findings and recommendations after reviewing the requested invoices and responses.

Context and next steps Board members repeatedly emphasized the districts need for clearer procedures and consistent application of rules. Several trustees urged training on Roberts Rules and proposed purchasing 12th-edition copies for trustees and scheduling a workshop. The administration agreed to return with more detailed BoardDocs pricing and a vendor demonstration and to work with MLI on a search timeline.

The finance committee asked the board to request written answers from a former district official and to authorize staff to supply requested documents promptly so the committee can complete its assessment. The board also authorized closed sessions later in the agenda to discuss ongoing labor negotiations.

A number of public commenters urged the board to prioritize classroom needs and student programming when making spending decisions. District administrators updated the board on graduation dates, summer school enrollment (reported at 180 students) and a $288,000 award to support summer programming.

The meeting closed after public comments and several routine votes. The board scheduled follow-up items, including a vendor demo and a finance-committee update.