Thornapple Kellogg School District board meeting, May 11, 2026
2 h 03 min · 5 public speakers
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Thornapple Kellogg board reviews $430,000 bus loop option for McFall pickup traffic 1:21:58
- The board also heard a proposal for the MiSTAR middle school science curriculum and a first reading of a Neola board policy update. 44:01
- A presenter described two options to address student pickup and drop-off traffic at McFall, including a North Loop expansion estimated at $430,000. 1:21:58
- Asked whether further discussion at the next board meeting would work, a speaker said there would be a report back at the June board meeting. 1:46:57
- Motions were made to approve a middle school English language arts curriculum, a playground equipment purchase for the Early Childhood Center and a resolution in support of the Kent Intermediate School District 2026-27 budget. 1:50:46
Item by item (15)
- Opening and agenda 0:18
- Student recognition 1:25
- A teacher presented student projects from the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society competition, in categories including mechanical drawing and scale models. 1:46
- The teacher said the students placed 9th and second at state in their categories, and one won the grand award in the architecture area. 1:46
- Superintendent's report 9:21
- The superintendent said a gala raised over $100,000 in support of behavioral health service clinics for Thornapple Kellogg and Hastings high schools. 10:32
- The superintendent said the Principles of Tech class received a $25,000 grant to buy plumbing equipment, materials and tools, and that the high school was one of 18 schools nationwide to receive it. 11:21
- The superintendent also noted spring band and choir concerts, the last day for seniors and a kindergarten signing day on Wednesday, May 13th. 12:29
- Public comment 15:47
- A speaker at public comment spoke in support of LifeWise, an off-premises religious teaching program. 18:08
- Several speakers at public comment raised concerns about changes to elementary specials teachers and programs for next year. 20:22
- A speaker said staff should have been informed as the specials decisions were being contemplated. 24:07
- Committee and liaison reports 27:25
- A committee report said the group was working with Williams Works on a possible phased approach and budgeting for the Sheridan Park process. 27:53
- Consent grouping 28:29
- A motion was made to approve consent grouping items 3A through 3D, followed by a roll call vote. 28:47
- Introduction of new hires 29:10
- Early Childhood Center presentation 35:18
- Middle school science curriculum proposal 43:34
- The director of teaching and learning proposed MiSTAR, a curriculum from Michigan Tech University written to meet the Next Generation Science Standards, after fall and winter pilots. 44:01
- The director said the proposal would return in June for approval, with a goal of rolling out in August. 44:01
- In response to questions, the director said teachers assess through pre- and post-tests and observations, and that vocabulary is built into the lessons. 53:26
- Board policy update first reading 1:02:04
- A presenter reviewed a Neola policy update, including a wireless communication devices policy reflecting legislation that prohibits students from using such devices on school grounds during instructional time. 1:02:04
- After a speaker asked about restricting recording in classrooms, a presenter said clarification would be sought from legal counsel at Neola and an answer brought back at the second reading. 1:15:15
- A presenter said a federal threshold went from $250,000 to $350,000. 1:17:53
- Item 1:21:22
- A presenter described Option A, a North Loop expansion estimated at $430,000, with $300,000 already earmarked and the remaining $130,000 to come from the upcoming year's capital improvement allocation. 1:21:58
- A presenter said Option B would consolidate parent pickup to the south side of the building and would cause longer wait times for families. 1:24:37
- Board discussion included questions about stacking buses in the existing lot to reduce costs and about a $33,000 line item for a pond. 1:38:50
- A speaker said there would be a report back at the June board meeting. ~1:47:14
- Middle school English curriculum approval 1:47:18
- A speaker asked about seeing a comparison with another curriculum option, and a second speaker said a close runner-up could be included in the process moving forward. 1:48:05
- A motion was made to approve the HMH Intro Literature middle school English language arts curriculum for the 2026-2027 school year. 1:50:46
- Early Childhood Center playground purchase 1:51:17
- A district staff member said the playground equipment would cost $43,778.53, with $8,755.71 from capital improvement funds and the rest from a grant that must be spent by June 30th. 1:51:26
- A motion was made to approve the purchase from Standard Recreation for $35,022.82 from GSRP grant funds and $8,755.71 from capital improvement funds. 1:54:43
- Kent ISD budget resolution 1:55:14
- Second public comment 1:57:43
- A speaker at public comment raised the elementary specials changes, elementary enrollment, McFall traffic and space topics in the science curriculum. 1:58:18
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
Who spoke
Who spoke
We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.
Video: posted by the district as “Thornapple Kellogg Schools Board of Education - Board Meeting -- 5/11/2026”