Ferndale Public Schools board elects officers, sets 2025 meeting calendar and administrative roles

Ferndale Public Schools Board of Education members elected their 2025 officers and approved several administrative housekeeping items at an organizational meeting held Jan. 6, 2025 at the Ferndale Administration Building Media Center.

The board, presided over under the organization-meeting format described in board bylaws, elected Sandra Dookie as president, Lisa Kaiser as vice president, Jonathan Turner as secretary and Jackie Hart as treasurer. The motions to elect each officer were carried by roll call with seven yes votes for each office.

The meeting also set the district's regular meeting calendar for 2025. Using the third Monday of each month as a basis, the board approved a schedule (with exceptions for Monday, Jan. 27 and Monday, Feb. 24) that establishes regular meetings beginning at 7:00 p.m. and committee-of-the-whole sessions at 6:00 p.m., to be held at the Ferndale Administration Building Media Center.

Under bylaw provisions discussed during the meeting, the board authorized the district's Director of Finance to perform the day-to-day functions of the board treasurer, and designated the superintendent's executive assistant to serve as recording clerk for board meetings and to record minutes. Both administrative designations were approved by unanimous roll call votes.

The board additionally approved continuation of the annual bond for the treasurer of the board as required by board bylaws; that motion also passed with seven yes votes.

President Dookie outlined appointments of board representatives to external associations and standing committees for 2025. Assignments noted included David as lead (and Mark as alternate) for the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) liaison role; Jonathan as lead (and Mark as alternate) for the National School Boards Association (NSBA) legislative liaison; Lisa as lead (and David as alternate) for the Oakland County School Board Association (OCBA); Aaron as lead (and Lisa as alternate) on the Head Start committee; and Jackie as lead (with Jonathan and David) on the student representative advisory committee.

Before opening public comment, the presiding officer summarized the board's public participation rules: "each person will have one opportunity to address the board for up to three minutes," and speakers should provide contact information if they want a follow-up response. The board said public comments will end at the close of that agenda section and may be postponed if more than 30 minutes of speakers are queued.

The board announced its next regular meeting for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and recessed toward a committee-of-the-whole session to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.