SEPTEMBER 15TH 2026 REGULAR MEETING
Six trustees were present at roll call and Trustee Lori Ajlouny was absent. The board ratified three labor agreements, approved the consent agenda, and certified a delegate to the Michigan Association of School Boards. Eleven people spoke during public comment, nine of them on the high school bell-to-bell personal device policy. The meeting ended in closed session at 8:03 p.m.
Votes
| Item | Vote |
|---|---|
| Resolution 9. Acceptance of the consent agenda, including the personnel report and the regular meeting minutes of August 25 and September 8. | 6–0 |
| Resolution 10. Ratification of a three-year collective bargaining agreement, 2026–2029, with the Birmingham Association of Paraprofessionals. Administration stated the wage increase was within the board-provided budget parameters. | 6–0 |
| Resolution 11. Ratification of the Birmingham Education Association economic reopener for 2026–2027. Administration stated the salary increases were within the board-provided budget parameters. | 6–0 |
| Resolution 12. Ratification of a wage reopener for 2026–27 and 2027–28 with the Association of Birmingham School Administrators and Supervisory Personnel, covering building administrators, special education supervisors, and curriculum coordinators. | 6–0 |
| Motion. Certification of Trustee Colleen Zammit as the district's MASB delegate. Delegates must be certified and submitted by October 1. | 6–0 |
Recognitions and introductions
The board recognized FIRST Robotics Team 2960, Automation Nation, a combined Groves and Seaholm team coached by Renee Ruiz. The team reported a 7–3 record at the April world championship and a rank of 15th of 75 on its field, advancing to the world championship playoffs for the first time since 2015. It finished the official season ranked 26th of 531 teams in Michigan and 183rd of about 3,700 worldwide, won the Engineering Inspiration Award at the Troy qualifier and the Engineering Excellence Award at the state championship, and won the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association League championship and Foundation Award in fall 2025. Two students spoke about their experience on the team.
Administration introduced two new leadership hires: Diane Baldwin, community education supervisor, previously community engagement supervisor at Oakland University and director of an early childhood program in Troy; and Christy Nolan, director of facilities, previously director of operations at University Liggett School and vice president of operations at University of Detroit Jesuit.
Superintendent's report
Dr. Roberson reported on the November bond proposal, stating it is a $240 million proposal with no increase to the current tax rate. She described three priority areas: safety and security, including additional cameras and a system allowing staff to contact medical professionals in an emergency; expanding career and technical education, supporting labs, and expanding early childhood programming, including renovating and adding classrooms at the Midvale building; and replacing aging infrastructure including roofs, HVAC systems, and playgrounds. She referenced the figure shared at the last study session that the district currently serves about 48 percent of the early childhood population. She also noted that three candidates are on the November ballot for board seats.
She reported that the board has asked administration to monitor the cell phone policy and bring data back at a future study session, with particular attention to the high schools. The district is developing protocols for e-motos and e-bikes and their classifications, which will be part of the administrative regulations rather than board policy.
Announcements included the One Love boutique grand opening at Groves, the Seaholm 75th Jubilee and homecoming on October 2, and the Seaholm and Groves football game that Friday at Groves.
Public comment
Eleven people spoke. Nine addressed the high school bell-to-bell personal device policy, including four current high school students, and all nine asked the board to reconsider the policy as it applies to lunch and passing time. None asked for phone access during instructional time.
Speakers raised the following: that no objectively identified problem at Groves or Seaholm was presented before the vote; that high school parents and students were not surveyed before the policy was adopted; that the policy goes beyond what state law requires; that surrounding Oakland County districts allow high school access outside class; that students need to coordinate rides and activity changes during the day; and that first-offense detentions are harsher than consequences for younger students. One speaker asked what prior data principals will use as a comparison when the policy is monitored, and asked for a survey of high school parents, students, staff, and administrators.
Three speakers, including two seniors and a parent reading on behalf of her son, raised the district-issued Chromebooks. They described tabs that do not load, black screens, forced updates during the school day, keyboard delay, tabs erased overnight, and blocked educational sites, and said the devices are limiting instruction in some classes.
Amy Wagner, president of the Birmingham Education Association, thanked the board for authorizing the economic reopener settlement and said both sides want to continue improving relationships from the last round of negotiations. In the same remarks she referred to the upcoming ballot initiatives the superintendent had described earlier in the meeting, said the association shares the district's interests in them, and said she believes the two sides will work collaboratively to move them forward. Scott Warrow, executive director with the Michigan Education Association, spoke on behalf of the Birmingham Association of Paraprofessionals and its president, thanking the board for a settlement covering about 165 employees and noting that paraprofessionals average roughly $25,000 a year statewide.
The order these things happened in
Both union representatives spoke during public comment, which comes before the votes. Amy Wagner thanked the board for authorizing the teachers' settlement and, in the same three minutes, told trustees the association shares the district's interests in the November ballot initiatives and will work collaboratively to move them forward. Scott Warrow thanked the board for the paraprofessional agreement. Ten minutes later the board ratified both, 6–0 and 6–0.
The board sets the wage parameters. The employee groups decide whether to put their name behind a $240 million bond the same board placed on the ballot.
Board comments
Trustees reported on first day of school visits across several buildings. The government relations committee met on September 2 and reviewed the state budget, including 31a funds for safety and mental health, with the waiver obligation now tied only to the safety portion. The committee also received updates on the federal tax credit and voucher question, with no final determination yet on Michigan's approach, and on the veto of the hard cap bill. Other items included the Birmingham Education Foundation tailgate and fundraiser dates, the Birmingham Youth Assistance program calendar, and the PTSA Council kickoff meeting. Trustees noted that Trustee Ajlouny may miss several upcoming meetings.
Closed session
The board moved into closed session at 8:03 p.m. to consider the purchase or lease of real property up to the time an option is obtained, and to consider material exempt from discussion or disclosure by state or federal statute, specifically attorney-client privileged communications. The second item was added to the agenda at the start of the meeting.
