• From: Sean Cotton <cottons@gpschools.org>
    Date: Sat, Jan 4, 2025 at 1:58 PM
    Subject: Re: Notes regarding upcoming 1/7/25 BoE Meeting
    To: XXXXX
    Cc: Schoolboard Email <schoolboard@gpschools.org>, Roy Bishop <bishopr@gpschools.org>, Moussa Hamka <hamkam@gpschools.org>, Christopher Stanley <stanlec@gpschools.org>, Andrea Tuttle <tuttlea@gpschools.org>


    XXXXX, could you please elaborate on which board business you believe was not addressed in a timely manner? Specific examples would help clarify your concerns.  Regards,

    On Saturday, January 4, 2025, XXXXX wrote:
    Good afternoon,
    Happy New year! I'm glad to see the School Board meeting on the calendar for January 7, 2025. I wanted to share a few points, questions, and notes in relation to the meeting:

    1. Access to GAAA 1 Document  
    Could you please share a link to the GAAA 1 document online in the Agenda? It's helpful to have all materials readily available for reference as agenda items are discussed.

    2. Meeting Structure Before Officer Elections  
    I'm curious why there is scheduled activity, such as the Superintendent's report, before the election of officers. Traditionally, beyond the swearing-in and public comment, officer elections take precedence. While it's customary for the previous board's highest ranking officer to preside until the new president is elected, having substantive reports before the new board is fully established seems unusual. It would be great to hear succinct updates about the budget, the Special Education LOA status (as well as other ideas to address concerns there), new administrative positions, the CFO etc. However, it seems like that should all be after the required organizational items.

    3. Election Process Memo
    The election process memo linked in the agenda appears atypical. Could you clarify who authored it? The use of the first person without an identified author is unusual, and the memo references a "reminder" about a nomination process involving steps that has not been used in our district (at least in recent history). Additional context on this would be appreciated. It has always worked so well in the past (with just two years ago being in a similar situation) I'm wondering why the shift?

    4. Meeting Minutes
    There seems to be an error in the December 9, 2024 meeting minutes. The minutes indicate that a second motion to extend the meeting was made, seconded, and voted on to continue after the closed session. However, during the meeting, it was unclear whether the board would return to open session, and no formal motion or public vote occurred. In fact, some attendees left after midnight, assuming the meeting had adjourned. The recording from approximately 5:12:18 to 5:12:50 confirms this.

    It also would be appropriate to approve meeting minutes for the Closed Session at that 12/9/24 meeting as well as the "special meeting" that occurred over the holiday break. As you know, the OMA requires minutes of a meeting with a quorum to be approved and posted at the next full board meeting.

    5. Benchmark Report and Meeting Calendar Links
    The link provided in the agenda for the "Benchmark report" appears to be another copy of a draft memo of the calendar of some proposed meeting dates and there is no Benchmark Report.

    This draft calendar references a "Finance & Facilities committee", which I understand was a committee under the last Board, but does not currently exist. The draft also outlines only one meeting per month for several months. While the legal minimum is one meeting per month, as we've all seen for years, the board typically holds two meetings per month (except July and December in the past) to manage its business effectively. Additionally, working meetings are vital for information sharing and first reads of motions. Hopefully this draft is updated before the meeting Tuesday to account for meeting dates.

    6. Agenda Efficiency  
    Part of the nearly 7-hour meeting and need for a last-minute Special Meeting may have been due to the fact that a couple meetings were cancelled in the Fall and  Board business wasn't addressed in a timely fashion. I hope the board leadership considers efficiency and clarity when crafting agendas moving forward. Sticking to a clear schedule as much as possible, reducing meeting length, and maintaining professionalism would benefit everyone involved.

    I'm looking forward to the upcoming meeting and the work you will all undertake ahead. Thank you all for your service.

    Best regards,
    XXXXX
    Grosse Pointe Farms

    Sent from my iPhone