Dowagiac board fills officer posts, approves hires and capital purchases

During the organizational portion of the meeting trustees completed standard annual housekeeping and then moved through a set of new-business approvals in the regular session.

Elections and governance: Christina Carpenter moved to appoint Rob Eis as board president; the board then confirmed Christina Carpenter as vice president, Stephanie Tucker as board secretary, and Tracy Hatcher as treasurer by roll call. Trustee Randy Tagert moved to approve the 2026 board appointments and delegates for MASB and local schoolboard associations; the motion carried.

Personnel: The board approved the appointment of Kelly Godeski as interim principal at Patrick Hamilton Elementary, pending background checks and certification verification, and approved hiring Alicia Savage as a special-education teacher. Motions were made, supported and carried by roll call.

Purchases and facilities: Trustees approved the superintendent's recommendation to purchase a maintenance plow utility truck (discussion noted a combined cost in the packet around $60,000 and that the purchase would be funded from capital projects) and approved purchase and installation of a high-school water-softener system (equipment and installation discussed at roughly $16,000 and $13,000 respectively).

Consent and other business: The consent agenda (minutes, bills, personnel actions, accepted resignations and leaves) was approved. Board members then voted to enter closed session under the Open Meetings Act to discuss student-discipline matters and a personnel issue.

All motions were carried by the roll-call votes recorded in the meeting; minutes and board packet materials are the official record for exact dollar amounts and vote listings.