Lowell Area Schools board meeting, Jul 13, 2026
49 min
This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 49 min.
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Lowell board approves consent items including three new hires, hears state budget update 0:53
- The Lowell Area Schools Board of Education approved a consent grouping of minutes, payment of bills and three new hires. 0:32
- The board also heard human resources, curriculum and superintendent updates, and public comment included concerns about the content of specific library books and parental notification. ~7:17
- A speaker reported that the state set the '26-'27 foundation allowance at $10,300, a 2.49% increase over last year, and described a new weighted funding formula and a 3-year average blended count. 11:24
Item by item (10)
- Opening and agenda 0:00
- Consent grouping 0:32
- The consent grouping covered approval of minutes, payment of bills and new hires. 0:32
- A staff member presented three new hires for teaching positions at the middle school, Bushnell and Cherry Creek. 0:53
- Asked about state revenue on the financial status report, a speaker said the last state aid payments arrive in July and August and are posted to the previous year. 2:00
- The consent grouping was approved by voice vote. 2:32
- Community service award 2:32
- The 2026 Marshall Wilcox Award, which recognizes someone who has demonstrated devotion and commitment to the students and community of Lowell, was presented to a longtime community leader. 3:13
- A staff member said the board purchased a tribute tree leaf that includes a donation to the Lowell Education Foundation, along with a plaque and a certificate, and that the honoree's name will go on the boardroom wall. 5:23
- Human resources update 7:09
- A speaker said five more certified staff hires are expected in August, with three more certified positions in the final process, and that a bid meeting for support staff positions will be July 28th. 7:17
- The speaker said new staff must complete 5 Global Compliance Network modules and current staff complete 3 to 4, with a Thanksgiving timeline. 9:05
- Asked what happens if a staff member does not complete the modules, the speaker said incomplete modules are flagged, new staff cannot start and coaches cannot begin the season until they finish. 10:10
- Budget update 11:17
- A speaker said auditors will be at the district in 2 weeks and that the foundation allowance for '26-'27 is $10,300, a 2.49% increase. 11:24
- The speaker said the per pupil allowance for GSRP rises to $11,736, a 10% increase, and that a 3-year average blended count will help the district because of declining enrollment. 11:24
- Asked about carryover dollars for bus purchases, the speaker said those funds are held in a committed fund balance line in the budget. 16:20
- Sinking fund projects 17:25
- The speaker said the cost of a school bus has increased 84% in the last 6 years, with the latest buses at $164,000 apiece. 19:18
- A speaker said sinking fund dollars this summer are funding water line and fire alarm replacements, a new roof, new flooring and seating at the LPAC and required LHS elevator upgrades. 20:03
- Curriculum update 28:00
- A staff member said 99% of students in the elementary summer boost program showed measurable growth on the Acadience Reading Assessment, with an average accuracy increase of 6.2 percentage points and 90% attendance. 28:04
- The staff member said the district plans to send 10 staff members to the PLC Institute in Grand Rapids from August 10th through 12th, and that middle and high school handbooks were updated with clarifying language on dress code and wireless devices. 29:59
- Asked whether the board would receive a report on AI staff guidance, the staff member said a copy would be provided in the next board update. 32:35
- Public comment 32:56
- A speaker at public comment spoke about teachers having flexibility to teach beyond state lists. 33:15
- Another speaker at public comment thanked the board and described website tools that let parents restrict which books children can check out. 36:20
- Another speaker at public comment raised concerns about sexual and other content in specific library books and said parents should be told what content is in the books. 38:52
- Superintendent's report 40:34
- A staff member said board policies moved to a new platform because the policy service is retiring the BoardDocs platform, and that the policies themselves have not changed. 40:39
- The staff member said summer construction projects are on schedule, with new auditorium seats scheduled for installation August 10th and Phase 2 at Cherry Creek headed toward completion. 41:36
- The staff member said design conversations for an orchestra room addition at the high school will start in September. 43:12
- Board communication and adjournment 45:10
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
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Video: posted by the district as “Lowell Area Schools Board of Education Meeting - July 13, 2026”