Grand Ledge Public Schools board elects Kuykendoll as president, confirms officers and 2026 schedule

The Grand Ledge Public Schools Board of Education elected Ashley A. Kuykendoll as its 2026 president and unanimously approved a set of administrative actions at an organizational meeting on Jan. 12.

President Denise DuFort called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m., Superintendent Bill Barnes conducted roll call confirming seven board members were present. Board Secretary Nicole Shannon ran the election process; Board Member Denise DuFort nominated Ashley A. Kuykendoll for president and, with no other nominations, the nomination carried unanimously.

Nicole Shannon nominated Toni Glasscoe for vice president; that nomination also carried unanimously. Kali Stevens nominated Coban Holmes for secretary, and Holmes’s nomination carried unanimously as well. The board recorded no votes in opposition or abstentions in the minutes.

The board approved the organizational consent agenda in a motion by Denise DuFort, seconded by Toni Glasscoe. The consent items included setting the board compensation rate; reaffirming and adopting the district’s Legal Reference Note; approving depositories for school funds; designating the superintendent and the chief financial officer as authorized signatories for checks, contracts and purchase orders; naming the Lansing State Journal as the district’s official newspaper for publication purposes; designating the superintendent (or designee) to post official business notices; assigning the chief financial officer as the district’s Electronic Transfer Officer; establishing a fee for mailed meeting notices at the current U.S. postal rate; delegating election duties to the superintendent (or designee); and retaining The Thrun Law Firm for legal counsel, Maner Costerisan & Ellis, PC as auditors, and the Michigan Association of School Boards for labor relations consulting.

In a separate motion by Matt Oppenheim, seconded by Nicole Shannon, the board approved its standing advisory committees for 2026: the Bond and Sinking Fund Committee, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, the Finance Committee and the Governance Committee. Board members discussed whether to create a Curriculum or Academics and Technology committee and reached consensus to continue with the current committee structure.

President Ashley Kuykendoll announced board appointments for 2026, naming John Ellsworth as parliamentarian, Coban Holmes as legislation liaison and Nicole Shannon as the board representative to the Grand Ledge Education Foundation. Committee membership rosters were also set: Bond & Sinking Fund Committee (Denise DuFort, Nicole Shannon, Kali Stevens); Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (Ashley Kuykendoll, Denise DuFort, Kali Stevens); Finance Committee (Ashley Kuykendoll, Toni Glasscoe, Matt Oppenheim); Governance Committee (Toni Glasscoe, Coban Holmes, Matt Oppenheim).

The board approved the 2026 meeting schedule in a motion by Nicole Shannon, as amended by Ms. Shannon to correct the May work session date to May 11 (rather than May 12) and to add a special meeting on Oct. 19 to conduct the superintendent’s annual evaluation; the amended motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:31 p.m.

(For full details of motions and committee assignments, see board minutes.)