October 20th 2026 Regular Meeting
PAACT BOARD RECAP
October 20, 2026 Regular Meeting
| Read the full October 20 agenda packet → | Watch the meeting recording |
Recognition
A new director of finance, and National Merit honors
Candice Giles. Dr. Susan Smith, assistant superintendent for human resources, introduced Candice Giles, who joined the district a few weeks ago as director of finance. Dr. Smith said Ms. Giles previously served as deputy director of finance for the City of Ferndale and as finance and human resources director for the City of Grosse Pointe Shores, and most recently held several leadership roles at Oakland County, including chief of central fiscal services, where she oversaw payroll, accounts payable, audits and financial reporting and helped implement the county's new financial system. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Fayetteville State University and an MBA from Wayne State University.
Ms. Giles told the board she was excited to join the team and to bring transparency and accountability forward for the district.
National Merit students. The Groves and Seaholm principals recognized nine students across the two high schools as Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, and one semifinalist from each high school. Dr. Roberson also read the names of Birmingham students at the International Academy who were named semifinalists and commended students.
Superintendent's Report
Student board liaisons return, and the bond
Dr. Roberson said the first student ambassador meeting of the year was held Monday, students are applying to serve as board liaisons, and she expects two students at the board table in November. She said students gave her "an earful" on the bond and the wireless device policy.
She said she has been visiting PTA meetings, staff meetings and community sessions about the bond and encouraged everyone to vote on November 3. High school open houses are next week: Seaholm Monday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Groves Wednesday.
Board Comments
Preliminary audit results and a bond gathering
Preliminary audit. Trustee Colleen Zammit reported that the finance committee met just before the meeting and received preliminary audit results. She said the district will have a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026 and a clean audit, and credited Dr. Roberson and her team.
As reported by the finance committee
Balanced budget for fiscal year 2026, per preliminary audit results
Clean audit opinion expected
The full audit has not yet been presented to the board. This recap will be updated when it is.
Bond gathering. Trustee Amy Hochkammer announced a gathering at Griffin Claw Brewing Company on Thursday, October 22, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., hosted by a member of the BPS community in support of the bond, where people can get information and pick up signs. She said she and other trustees would attend.
The flyer for the event announced at the meeting, as circulated in the community.
A new board in January. Trustee Zammit said she attended MASB sessions on how boards disagree productively and on board communication, and noted the board will be "a whole new board" when new trustees are seated in January. She suggested a book study on board dynamics.
Trustee Luke Joseph spoke in favor of the bond and said the board is listening to the community's questions. A trustee also noted a Birmingham Youth Assistance program on digital safety and mindfulness at the Groves Little Theater on November 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Public Comment
Nine speakers: the bond, the phone policy and Chromebooks
We report what speakers said at the podium and attribute claims to them. Five speakers addressed the wireless device policy and four spoke in favor of the bond, including the two new board candidates and the teachers union president.
Incoming board trustees: introductions and support for the bond
Keely Crimando and Toni Bassett are the two new candidates on the November 3 ballot. Three seats are open and three candidates filed, so the race is uncontested. Both spoke in favor of the bond.
Keely Crimando, a parent of two BPS students with a career in finance, spoke first. She said investing in schools is one of the smartest financial decisions a community can make, that maintaining an asset is almost always cheaper than waiting for it to break, and that the proposal is designed not to increase existing taxes.
Toni Bassett, a parent of six children from seventh grade down to junior kindergarten, introduced herself as a candidate and asked for support for both her candidacy and the bond. She said she has a background in family law and would put the best interests of children first. She said the internet at Bingham Farms and Berkshire needs updating and cited a history of roof problems at Groves.
The bond
Amy Wagner, president of the Birmingham Education Association, the teachers union, spoke as a taxpayer, parent and employee and urged a yes vote. She said that without the bond, repairs and safety upgrades would come from the general fund and take money from the classroom. She addressed social media posts claiming there is no plan with predetermined allocations, saying the projects are based on the district's current assessment of needs and may be adjusted as new information comes in.
The wireless device policy
Two Seaholm students asked the board to loosen the bell-to-bell policy: one for phones at lunch for underclassmen, the other for passing time, so students can check schedules and reach parents about rides and emergencies.
Andee Gorbatoff, a Seaholm parent, said she helps manage a Facebook group of 227 members, mostly high school parents who do not support the current policy, and that a Google form documenting problems has 160 submissions, which are being sent to district leadership. She asked for a revised high school policy: devices away during class, allowed at lunch and between classes. She said the current policy is more restrictive than state law and than every other Oakland County district, and that it falls hardest on mothers, single parents and families who live far from school.
Tim Gorbatoff, her husband, said the policy barely affects his own family but he opposes it because it falls hardest on families who need to reach their kids during the day. He asked why the board has not surveyed parents or reached out to those who have spoken at the podium, and contrasted that with the visible bond campaign. He said three Seaholm seniors who spoke at an earlier meeting were met with silence, and asked the board to acknowledge students who show up to advocate even when it keeps the policy.
PAACT Note
I want to say something about Tim Gorbatoff's comment. Whatever you think of the phone policy, a dad in our district stood at that podium and asked the board to act in the best interest of the people it serves. He was not there for his own kid. He said so. He was there for the families who do not have the flexibility his has, and for the students who spoke before him and got no response.
Advocacy deserves respect even when it is not what you want to hear. Engaging with it is the board's job. Tim asked for the humanity back in that role, and I understood exactly what he meant. PAACT came to this district without a student, school or staff issue of its own, looking at the district as a whole, and has been met with dismissiveness and labels more often than with a conversation.
Standing up takes courage. The MAMA parents did it, and I am proud of what they got done. They are also the exception. Most people who come to this board looking to raise the standard in our district, the cell phone parents, the students, anyone asking a hard question, do not get what MAMA got. They should.
Jennifer Brodjeski, a Groves parent, said the content filters on the new high school Chromebooks are blocking assigned classwork, including videos in honors anatomy and economics and a website needed for AP Calculus, none of which was a problem on last year's device. She asked the district to fix it or let students use their own devices. She also noted Groves is planning a second activities fair because club participation is down and asked what besides the phone policy changed this year.
Eric Peters, a junior and student representative from the International Academy, described the IB diploma program and recent student events. He pointed out that the IA does not have a bell-to-bell phone policy and encourages students to use their own devices rather than school-issued ones, and said that has worked out well, pointing to the IA's National Merit semifinalists recognized earlier in the meeting.
Votes
Consent agenda and the Twig Science amendment
Resolution 13, consent agenda. The personnel report, the September finance report and the September 15 and October 6 minutes passed 6-0 with no questions.
Resolution 14, Twig Science amendment. The board approved about $100,000 more for middle school science materials, first discussed October 6, to cover enrollment growth, BCS fifth graders and extra copies the original order left out. Passed 6-0.
Presentation
The bond, one last time before the vote
Plante Moran Realpoint gave its sixth and final bond presentation before the November 3 election. Trustees asked no questions. The full walkthrough is in the meeting recording and the October 6 recap.
As presented
$240 million proposal, from about $470 million in needs identified over 10 to 15 years
18 buildings, average age 56 years, just under 2 million square feet
25% of the bond estimated for soft costs: legal and issuance fees, interest, professional fees, contingency and escalation
3.80 mills current debt millage, projected to stay the same, issued in three series
Just under 3 mills where the debt millage would fall if the bond does not pass
Closed Session
Real property
The board moved into closed session under the Open Meetings Act, MCL 15.268(1)(d), to consider the purchase or lease of real property. Moved by Trustee Rass, seconded by Trustee Hochkammer. The roll call vote was 6-0.
COMING UP
October 26 and 28: Seaholm and Groves open houses.
November 3: Election Day. The bond proposal and three board seats are on the ballot.
November: student board liaisons expected at the table.
December: the board's planned review of the wireless device policy.
Public comment is open at every regular meeting and study session.
