Meeting Notes for March 10, 2025

March 10, 2025

I’m going to try a new format for meeting notes that makes it easier for readers to skip to the content they prefer. Feedback I’ve received indicates some folks come for the meeting notes, some come for the opinion, so I’ll separate the two with quick synopsis up front and my thoughts last. For those who would rather listen, I’ve included narration below.

Meeting Summary

Mary Tommelein has been busy! Mrs. Stamper started us off with her “You Be The Chemist!” Project, for which Mary connected students with local businesses.

Trustee Martinez gave a summary of the curriculum committee meeting, summarizing Mary’s pitch to incorporate the app “Jebbee” into our curriculum. They also discussed the dip in 5th grade math scores. I tried to sign up for the app this morning and it crashed multiple times. While I love the idea behind this, I also have concerns that it will allow children unrestricted access to converse with unknown adults (STRANGER DANGER!). I will write more about this after doing further research.

*Update*

Mary Tommelein contacted me this morning with the following clarification: Jebbee has established safeguards so adults can’t connect with students. Students, parents or adults who use the app can view interview clips but not have a dialog. If you have any questions I would be happy to connect you to Jebbee co-founder, Stephanie Hickman Boyce. I know Adrian High School is going to use it as a resource as is Adrian College. I do not see it as curriculum. There is a way for school’s to use it for a virtual career fair of sorts if that is of benefit for students.

Trustee McGee summarized the financial committee meeting saying changes in how retirement is paid out was looked at, as well as upcoming retirements and resignations. No bids for Herrick Park currently. It was mentioned that changes brought before the committee should be shared with the entire board.

Student Representative, Concerns and Praise

A young lady, Rita, was sitting in Tim Simpson’s place tonight. She’s a senior at THS, and did a phenomenal job bringing forth concerns and appreciation from the student board. Their concerns were potholes in the parking lot that have ruptured tires, and parents using the student parking section for quick drop-ops. She asked that TPS send out emails to parents asking them to leave this space for students. Other concerns were that the sinks don’t work, the girls restroom stalls don’t latch (or get stuck), and this makes it hard to evacuate in case of fire. She also mentioned that the water fountains don’t work in many areas. It was clear that Mr. Hilton was impressed with her candor.

Rita also thanked the board for positive changes. She cited that student lunchroom furniture is a big improvement as it improved anxiety over where to sit at lunch. She mentioned that having two lunch periods have alleviated congestion, and that new clocks were a bonus as many high school students struggle to read “round” clocks. Finally, THS has a program for students to send positive messages about students or staff anonymously that are sometimes read aloud in the morning. She added that this promoted a positive culture (and I agree!).

Facilities

Josh Mattison, in his buildings update, said there is nothing new to report as the presentation was last week. Trustee Lewis pointed out that one of the contractors is a family business out of Holland that primarily works with schools. Matt Hilton emphasized that empty buildings can become liabilities. He listed leasing the building to a community organization, contacting a realtor, and the Michigan estate authority which apparently comes in to demolish buildings to sell the land for better use. Trustee Davis had some concerns, but I was unable to hear her. Martinez stated concerns about leasing, said leasing does not recoup expenses so building upkeep would remain a problem. Hilton said he is still seeking options.

Canines for change gave a presentation on service dogs, Hilton suggested local business could help fund this and acknowledged Katherine Whelan for her work on this project. The board then acknowledged and accepted donations of $880 from the Tecumseh Herald and $1,000 from Kirschoff for the robotics team. They announced a new custodian management company, but I was unable to hear details. I would add that I spoke with two maintenance technicians in the hallway on the way into the meeting who informed me they were there to hear “what’s happening with their jobs”.

Miscellaneous

Megan Way gave a presentation on career exploration and alignment, however I will cover this in my final thoughts toward the bottom.

There were no public comments on agenda items or any other item. Trustee Davis complimented TPS on their production of Chicago. Trustee McGee complimented our band/orchestra on receiving “all 1s” on a recent competition, and suggested that board members consider adding extra time in their schedules to discuss upcoming matters as there was much to discuss.

Heather also mentioned the local meet-and-greet I set up for our local Rotary club with new library director Jordan Wright. McGee is optimistic about future collaboration between the high school and library, and offered to give Mr. Wright a tour of the high school library. I’ve also been in talks with Mr. Wright to provide a weekly resume writing workshop at our community library, and potentially even a “podcast station” to encourage citizen journalism.

There were other board comments, such as Trustee Martinez discussing the value of knowledge, however I found it very difficult to hear.

Final Thoughts

Thank You

I’d like to thank everyone for helping this blog grow. We are now approaching 100 subscribers and averaging 200 readers. Some of you have pledged money to support my work. While I’m honored by this, there are two reasons why I choose to keep this blog free. First, I created this blog as a way to thank this community for its support during the election. “Educating Tecumseh”, or getting the data to the public, is my gift to this community.

Second, my goal in any pursuit is to work myself out of a job. You already pay taxes in this community, so I don’t want to take your money to provide a service your government should already be providing. I have a vision for this district where the administration inspires involvement through decentralized data-sharing and complete transparency. There are already folks in this district and in this administration that are working hard for this. I’m here to inspire more.

Career Intervention

Megan way briefed the board tonight on integrating career exploration within our curriculum. She admitted the PLTW already covers much of the same ground, and we just heard about all the wonderful work Mary has been doing to get students interested in exciting careers. Meanwhile, we’re hemorrhaging students to the homeschool model which works at a fraction of the cost. Is additional career curriculum really a value add in the face of falling test scores?

Consider this article from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Michigan close to last place in latest NAEP results – Mackinac Center. The author states that families need flexible education models, not greater career opportunities, to achieve success. This sentiment was echoed when I conducted my own survey of families that left TPS. We don’t need expensive consultants to convey this as the loss of students to alternative models speaks for itself.

Rotary and Kiwanis clubs are vast resources to the district as service organizations made of up industry leaders, and can be utilized at no cost for career alignment programs. The solutions to Tecumseh’s problems will not come from Washington DC, or from Lansing. I grow tired of listening to administrators with six-figure salaries advocate for failed solutions while our grossly underpaid educators are left to do the impossible every day. It’s time we hear feedback from our local educators, not Lansing, on how to improve academics.

Public Attendance

This will likely be the last meeting I attend in person. For those unfamiliar with the layout, the entire board faces toward the back of the library, as does the public. Sadly, the speakers face away from the public as well. Board members rarely speak into the microphone, so it’s difficult for old Air Force veterans with tinnitus like me to hear anything. Thankfully Lewis, a fellow veteran, urged members to speak up. While I understand the reasoning behind facing the screen, I can’t see anything on the screen either, and the district refuses to publish information packets.

Feedback Line and Responses

By request, I’ve created an avenue for anonymous feedback and/or tips using Signal (a private messaging app). You can find me at the following link:

https://signal.me/#eu/ThQ3fdyZ8i3PefvFgZUX529H8woKuQ9h6IvUdyLvn9VROqLfCgxC_6FfwPupDyTX

I reached out last week to Josh Mattison to ask for a copy of his presentation and further comment on proceeding with construction. He has not yet responded. *Update* He has responded, and I will be writing an additional post with additional context on the facilities project soon.

I reached out last week to Trustee Martinez for further comment on his previous statements concerning the abolishment of committees and building construction. He has not yet responded.

As always, thanks for your continued readership!