The impact of a proposed gravel mine in Springfield Township will be reviewed before a decision on whether a special land use permit is made.

Ric Davis, the township’s supervisor, said a team of independent experts will evaluate the potential impacts on the health and well-being of residents and preserving the natural environment. The site was discussed at a May 27 planning commission meeting and consists of 422 acres. Of that, 238 acres, or 60%, is within the mining area and the remaining 40% is included in buffers or on the western side of the site which will be preserved.

The Levy Co., based in Dearborn, bought the property in 1989 and is seeking a special land use permit for the property, currently zoned R-1A or low density residential.

It’s surrounded by single-family residences and farms, both in Springfield and in Rose townships. Levy owns 60 adjacent acres in Rose Township, but said that portion will not be included in the mining operation.

According to Davis, “Springfield Charter Township is committed to protecting our people, our air, our water, and our land,” said Davis. “I’ve heard from many residents, and I understand the wide range of concerns, from groundwater safety to quality of life issues like traffic, noise, property values and dust. This process will be guided by facts, not assumptions,and we will take every necessary step to make sure we get this right.”

He said they will bring in professionals with expertise in hydrology, geology, and environmental science to analyze data submitted by the Levy Co. and determine if additional testing is required.

Products mined at the Springfield site would include concrete sand, stone, pea stone, road gravel, and gravel particles that go into asphalt and fill sand.

Since May 29, residents opposed to the project have gathered over 3,100 signatures on Change.org.

“The proposed gravel pit poses serious environmental risks that should concern each and every one of us,” wrote Amanda Gruzin-Ioco, who started the petition  on the site. “Our air quality will degrade, with a constant cloud of dust from the pit suffocating our clean air. Perhaps more concerning is the potential contamination of our groundwater;  the very source of our daily hydration.”

The proposed mine’s access entrance will be off of Ormond Road and ultimately approved by the Oakland County road commission with 57 boring holes and 25 monitoring wells possibly installed on the property. A Levy Co. representative said around 80 trucks per day would leave the property on busier days.

Davis emphasized that this is only the first phase of a larger review.

“While this first stage focuses on our water systems and geological features, we’re also preparing to evaluate other serious concerns raised by residents, including increased truck traffic, dust, noise, and potential environmental disruption,” he said. “All of these issues will be addressed, and nothing will be overlooked.”

According to the township, the land will be turned into a residential development upon completion of the project.

The next planning commission meeting will be at 7 p.m., Aug 26., at the Springfield Township Civic Center, 12000 Davisburg Road.

For more information on the project: https://www.springfield-twp.us/departments/supervisor/levy_gravel_mine_project/index.

Creating Portuguese pasta, tagging local wildlife and replanting trees in the Atlantic Forest along Brazil’s east coast were just a few things Rochester teacher Matthew Cottone accomplished on a recent week-long trip to South America.

He was chosen for a fellowship helping scientists with their research through the non-profit Earthwatch.

Earthwatch, founded in 1971, engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote and understand a sustainable environment.

“The most surprising piece, since I am not a science teacher, but was conducting science related work, was how meticulous we had to be when capturing animals and getting data from them,” said Cottone. “It really was hands on work that required no computers in the field.”

Cottone and eight other teachers from around the country stayed at a compound called Regura in the Atlantic Forest and helped scientists with baiting traps and tagging animals, helping in the nursery, replanting trees and gathering data on past reforestation efforts.

There are several different types of traps and bait to lure everything from mice to possums to marsupials.

“In addition to learning about traps, we also created two different types of bait,” Cottone wrote in a journal during the trip. “The first of which was lovingly called a ‘pasta.’ We unpeeled bananas, mixed in oats with some chopped meat and put it all together. The other bait consisted of finely chopped up meat. We would check our 180 traps each day to see what small mammal we caught and we had great success.”

After completing a day of hiking and other tasks, the group did get some free time.

“Surrounded by nature on the Regura compound, limited free time was spent doing extra hikes spotting and photographing the numerous capybaras, cayman crocodiles and rare tapirs, while being on guard for the property’s elusive 24 pumas,” he said. “It was a unique, inspiring, and fulfilling experience I can’t wait to bring back to the kids.”

Cottone, a 6th-grade social studies teacher at Van Hoosen Middle School in Rochester Hills, is ready to show his students a glimpse of life in a South American forest.

“I hope to simulate the techniques we used in the classroom by having kids make the ‘pasta’ themselves in class, practice tagging on a stuffed animal, and record the data,” said Cottone. “I’ll also share with them all the pictures, videos, and stories.”

He also got a chance to experience one of the great sites in the world before leaving.

“As a few of us waited for our flight, we had enough time to visit a wonder of the world, Christ the Redeemer. It was absolutely stunning,” said Cottone about the world-renowned statue. “It sat atop a mountain overlooking all of Rio de Janeiro. Absolutely a fantastic experience and I recommend any teacher apply.”

Starting next year the Madison school district is projected to have over a million dollar deficit in their fund balance and only a sliver of available money when classes start in the fall.

Final expenditures approved by the school board for the 2024-25 fiscal year – July 1 through June 30 – were $16,814,585 in revenue and $17,804,973 in expenditures, draining their fund balance down to $84,272 leaving the district with a 0.5% fund balance as a percentage against revenues.

At the end of the 2021-22 school year the district had a fund balance of $4,687,335, a 27.6% balance and is now projecting a $1.03 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

In Michigan, school districts are generally advised to maintain a fund balance (unspent money) between 15% and 20% of their total expenditures. A fund balance serves as a financial cushion for unexpected expenses or revenue shortfalls. A fund balance below 5% may trigger additional reporting requirements to the state and has for Madison.

“We must provide specific details to the state on how we plan to decrease the deficit within a two to five year period,” Ebony Thompson, Madison director of business and finance, said at a July 7 board meeting. “We make a collaborative effort with everyone who works at Madison in order to eliminate the deficit.

Districts that incur a general fund deficit the last five years or more are under state treasury oversight and required to develop a plan that includes monthly reporting of year-to-date revenue, expenditures, and cash flow in addition to the approved deficit elimination plan.

The district will have only $1.9 million in their sinking fund, which can be used to pay for school building and site improvements, including the construction and repair of school buildings, the purchase of real estate for school sites, and the acquisition of technology and security equipment. Sinking fund money is specifically designated for capital projects, not for general operating expenses like salaries or textbooks.

They also have $1.3 in their capital projects fund and money is other separate funds as well, but according to Thompson, will still have a $288,000 fund balance deficit going into the 2028-29 fiscal year.

“We are doing the best we can with what we have and trying to fix what has happened over previous years,” said Thompson.

Thompson and Superintendent Patricia Perry explained how the district ended up in their current position, which went from a fund balance of $1.4 million in 2023-24 to $286,018 for 2024-25 and will be a $1.03 million deficit in 2026-27.

“Last year’s expenses, this year’s expenses drained the balance,” said Perry. “We were still operating like we still had the ESSER funds and we didn’t have ESSER funding anymore.”

“We did not plan for it (loss of ESSER money) because we have had four business director interruptions in the last three years,” said Thompson.

The final round of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds expired in September 2024 and according to statistics from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown, which measured spending for school districts in all 50 states, Madison spent all of the $4.3 million they received.

“So the reply is that it is someone else’s fault?” Trustee Mark Kimball asked at the board meeting.

“No, it is absolutely our fault,” Thompson responded. “We should have made cuts last year.”

Superintendent Perry added, “There have been several years where we have been spending more than we have been bringing in. That has been happening since 2021.”

“I can understand the frustrations of the teachers and not being able to get a raise because we simply don’t have the money,” said Kimball. “And part of the excuse is a course correction was not made in time and a business owner, I think that is terrible.”

Thompson told the board what they plan to do in the next four years to dig themselves out of debt.

All non-essential purchases, travel and professional development will be frozen;
Vacant positions will remain unfilled, unless deemed critical;
Department budgets will be reduced and overtime eliminated;
Staff count for fiscal year 2026 will be reduced from 152 to 140;
Capital purchases will be delayed unless essential or funded through bonds;
The district will rent out classrooms at the Madison Early Childhood Center to increase revenue and there will be no step increases under the current collective bargaining agreements

Thompson said the board was made aware of the dwindling fund balance.

“In February, when we did a budget amendment, I presented that we were already overspending by a million dollars and even with last year’s original budget. It was communicated that we would probably be going into a deficit, so the information was there, I just don’t think we acted on it as we should have.” said Thompson.

“The board was aware,” said Perry. “We tried to hold budget intervention meetings. The board was definitely aware, the community was aware, all hands were on deck and we were very transparent about where we were financially. Everyone has always been aware of how we have been spending.”

Madison has the lowest enrollment of any district in Oakland County with 929 students enrolled for 2024-25 and they are projecting 949 for this fall.

The next three behind them in terms of student enrollment during the 2023-24 school year are Clawson, Brandon and Lamphere.

According to their 2024-25 original budget, Clawson had a fund balance of $579,859 – a 25.2% fund balance against revenue.

For the same year, Brandon had a $2 million fund balance – a 6.3% balance against revenue and Lamphere had a $6.77 million fund balance – 16.6% against revenue in their 2023-24 budget.

A family tradition will continue as Owen Hamilton, a 2025 graduate of Stoney Creek High School in Rochester, will begin his college career with the help of the Scoggin Foundation Scholarship.

The scholarship was established by Patrick Scoggin and his wife, Christie. The four-year, full-tuition award is given annually to an incoming OU freshman from Rochester, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek or Avondale high schools.

Patrick Scoggin died from cancer in 2020. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oakland University in 2021.

Hamilton is the 14th recipient and plans to pursue studies in history and social studies at OU in the fall.

“This scholarship means a lot to me because it will allow me to further my education in the history field and will allow me to be able to teach others about history in turn,” Hamilton said.

Christie Scoggin continues the mission she and her husband shared to  support local students determined to make a difference in the world. Patrick Scoggin died in 2020.

Past winners of the scholarship have become lawyers, biochemical engineers and nurses.

“My late husband and I started this scholarship in 2012 to begin to share the blessings that we were given in life with those that might need help financially to complete a degree,” said Christie. “It made sense to partner up with OU, being such a terrific university close to the Rochester area.”

In addition to history, Hamilton has a passion for music and was a trumpet player and section leader in the Stoney Creek marching band.

“I am also looking forward to continuing to play the trumpet at OU,” he said. “One of my favorite feelings is performing music and seeing the joy that it can bring to the audience. This scholarship will enable me to bring joy and education to the community, that is why it is very important to me.”

The Scoggin Foundation Scholarship, formerly known as the Huntington Ford Scholarship, is renewable for three additional years after the first year for recipients who continue to demonstrate financial need, complete full-time credits during each fall and winter semester, and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. Applicants are evaluated based on financial need, academic performance and extracurricular involvement.

 

 

 

Holly High School students put their child development program skills to use for a creative interactive lesson with kindergarten students at Rose Pioneer Elementary.

Miranda Barth, the high school’s child development teacher, teamed up with Rose Pioneer teachers Kristie Brown and Tonya Edwards for a lesson during which students colored pictures of monsters they imagined after reading the book “I Need My Monster,” by Amanda Noll.

Kindergartners answered prompts to describe their monster’s personality, then the pictures were then sent to Barth’s child development students, who created stuffed animals based on the drawings.

The high school students visited the kindergarteners in May to deliver the stuffed animal monsters and read to them. The teachers provided copies of “I Need My Monster” for each student to take home.

“It was truly inspiring to witness my students put what they learned in class into practice interacting with the younger students,” said Barth. “This fun and engaging activity provided my students insights into child development careers and our Broncho kindergarteners a chance to see their budding imaginations brought to life.”

“I’d like to congratulate Miranda, Kristie and Tonya for organizing this innovative activity for our students to put what they learn in school into real-world action,” said Superintendent Scott Roper. “We look forward to providing more unique opportunities that help prepare our Bronchos for success and careers while still in our hallways.”

Oakland County announced the winners of its first Juneteenth Art and Essay Contest, recognizing student creativity and reflection on the theme, “Juneteenth: What does Freedom and Equality mean to me?”

The contest commemorates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States.

Community leaders, residents and students joined together for a festival featuring live music, food trucks, speakers, games and the raising of the Juneteenth flag under the theme “Stronger Together: Celebrating Freedom and Community.”

“This celebration reflects Oakland County’s deep commitment to inclusion, belonging and a future where every resident is valued and welcome,” said Dave Coulter, Oakland County’s executive. “The insight and heart in these student essays and artworks are powerful and inspiring.”

The 2025 winners include:

ARTWORK

Grades K–3: Derek Flores – Blanche Sims Elementary School in Lake Orion
Grades 4–7: Sangamitra Sivachandran Narmadha – Martell Elementary School in Troy
Grades 8–12: Zuri Earth – Cass Technical High School in Detroit and Oakland County resident
Post-Secondary Vocational: Taylor A. Buens – Jardon Vocational School in Ferndale

ESSAYS

Grades K–3: Shiv Lohia – Brookfield Academy in Troy, who compared fairness to cookie-sharing and equality to an egg experiment in school. He wrote, “If there is freedom and equality everywhere, there’ll be no more wars. Everyone will be happy and that’s the kind of world that will be beautiful and peaceful.”

Grades 4–7: Kairav Joshi – West Bloomfield Middle School, who highlighted the power of young voices in building a more inclusive and respectful society. “Freedom lets me be myself… Equality makes sure no one is left behind,” he wrote.

Grades 8–12: Ella Bunao – Athens High School in Troy, who explored the significance of Juneteenth and how freedom and equality must be actively pursued. She wrote, “Freedom means being able to live your life without fear, to speak your mind, and to make your own choices. Equality means that everyone, no matter their skin color, background, or beliefs, should be treated with the same respect and given the same opportunities.

Winners received a $150 gift card.

Residents and landowners in Holly will be paying higher taxes so the village can stay solvent and prevent a takeover by the state.

Facing a deficit of over $600,000, the village council voted unanimously, 6-0, to approve a special assessment millage to balance the budget before June 20 as required by state law. President April Brandon was absent.

The one-year, 4-mill assessment is for  “all lands and premises” in the village and equals $4 per $1,000 of taxable value. It will raise $658,710 in revenue.

“The reason why we are looking at a special assessment rather than a vote, is because in order to get the money in to finance our village and in order to get a balanced budget which we are legally obligated to do, we have to get everything into the state by June 20,” said Village Manager Tim Price. “Even if we had found out about this on our first day in office, there would have been no time for a special election to put this on a ballot.”

“This is literally a tourniquet to stop the bleeding at this point,” said Trustee Amber Kier, who chaired the meeting in place of Brandon.

Price said the problem has not been with the village spending beyond their means but a lack of revenue.

The village’s millage rate has decreased over the past 43 years due to Headlee Rollbacks, which was established in 1982 to protect home owners by limiting the amount of property tax increases.

The millage rate has dropped to 11.32 mills for fiscal year 2025, while inflation and need for public services have escalated, according to Price, who took over as village manager in January. The assessment will appear on village residents’ tax bills next month.

“The can has been kicked down the road progressively for 43 years,” Price said. “This (assessment) is not going to answer all the financial questions right now, this just gets our heads above water. It allows us more time to develop some more strategies in order to meet these responsibilities.”

Holly resident Amber DeShone told the board the new assessment is happening too quickly.

“This increase with barely a month to prepare would be devastating for us,” said DeShone. “This will add $361.32 (to our expenses) with only a month to prepare. It feels rushed, it feels thoughtless and it feels unfair.”

Price said previous councils had borrowed money from the village fund balance to keep from going into a deficit and ignored warnings from their auditor Plante Moran.

“If you look back at previous meetings in previous years, such as 2020, this (budget deficit) information was presented to them (during audits) at the time and they were told they were facing this kind of environment and council chose not to do anything at that time,” said Price. “There was no sense of urgency for it and I don’t know why that is.”

Trustee Kier read a statement from Brandon.

“We (the council) did not create this problem, we inherited it,” said Brandon. “The deficit was hidden, though we don’t think it was intentional. None of us knew about it until this year.”

She added, “Now this council has to make a difficult decision, either cut essential services like fire and police… or we can raise taxes on residents that are already struggling.”

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Downtown Oxford was awarded the Spirit of Main Street Award during the 25th Anniversary Main Event celebration of Main Street Oakland County (MSOC), held in Rochester.

The event honored outstanding achievements in downtown revitalization.

“For 25 years, Main Street Oakland County has been a shining example of progress and partnership between the county and its thriving communities,” said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. “Congratulations to Oxford for the Spirit of Main Street Award and to all the downtowns that continuously strive for excellence and the vibrancy that make our communities distinct.”

Established in 2000, Main Street Oakland County is the first and only county-wide Coordinating Main Street program in the United States.

The Michigan Manufacturers Association is partnering with LIFT, the Department of Defense-supported national manufacturing innovation institute, to launch the IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing curriculum in two high schools: Troy Athens and Delton Kellogg.

The program will debut during the 2025–26 school year.

Funded through a $1 million appropriation from the state Legislature in 2024, the pilot program brings curriculum and equipment to students in an effort to strengthen talent in high-demand technical careers.

“The IGNITE curriculum allows students to learn by doing, and that hands-on approach makes learning more meaningful and impactful,” said Mike Munaco, career and technical education director at Troy Public Schools. “We are proud to be among the first in the state to offer it.”

The curriculum is made up of three courses: Materials Science, Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Processes and Capstone Projects.

For more information visit https://lift.technology

 

Every high school senior takes a different path to graduation.

For some, adjusting to life as freshmen in a new social setting comes easy and leads to four years of smooth transition to the next chapter of their lives.

For others, challenges in academic life slow the process and make four years seem much longer.

There are hundreds of stories among the Oakland County students named as Top Scholars of the 2024-2054 graduating class.

Two students who took opposite paths to earning a diploma are among those stories.

THE ELECTRICIAN

DeAngelo Pierfelice wrapped up his senior year at Durant High School in Waterford by taking freshman Algebra as one of his courses.

He did not take the typical path to graduation, but will earn his diploma in four years just like the majority of students who have walked across a stage this spring.

Pierfelice began his high school career at Chippewa Valley High School in Macomb County. He struggled in all of his classes. During his sophomore year his mother, Particia Dubley-Pierfelice, died.

He moved in with his father, Dominic, an automotive machine operator, and started taking classes at Waterford Kettering High School.

His grades did not improve during the second half of his sophomore year and junior year at Kettering.

“His grades were all over the place when he came here,” said Anne Kruse, principal at Durant.

“My mom passing away took a big toll on me and I did not feel like doing much,” Pierfelice admitted. “School was just hard for me and I was failing a lot of my classes and I was really not focused.”

He moved to Durant for his senior year.

The school specializes in providing credit recovery options for students through accelerated 10-week terms. The majority of students are juniors and seniors looking to make up credits for failed classes in a setting with smaller class sizes and more personalized learning. Students are allowed to take classes in any order they choose.

“Somewhere along their educational route they become credit deficient and they need to make it up at an accelerated rate,” Kruse said of the students attending Durant. “So kids here have to work twice as hard and twice as fast to cover the same material as kids at Mott and Kettering (high schools).”

Pierfelice knew what it would take to graduate on time, if at all, and he began putting in the work.

“My ultimate mission was graduating and making sure I got enough credits to get that done and making sure I can find a career for myself after high school,” Pierfelice said.

Kruse saw the changes immediately.

“When he came to Durant, he just started to blossom,” she said. “You could see his body language and demeanor change. He started getting all A’s and he became an honor roll student.”

“When I came to Durant, the teachers seemed like they cared more about me and focused on what I needed to do,” Pierfelice said. “We are a family here and we all have a connection with each other.”

He achieved his goals of finishing high school and choosing a career. In the fall, Pierfelice will be heading to Oakland Community College and wants to be an electrician.

“When he came here in September he had a plan to graduate and did not know what he was going to do,” said Kruse. “Now he has a career plan, some money through Michigan Works! to get started and a scholarship to OCC.”

Michigan Works! assists people with job support, training and services to find employment and obtain needed credentials. They work with school districts, colleges and community colleges throughout the state.

“It feels great knowing I put in the work and the effort and now I am graduating and going to college this fall,” said Pierfelice. “Durant is a place to get an education, but it is also like a second home to me now.”

Pierfelice is one of 67 students graduating from Durant this year.

THE EXPLORER

To say that Benjamin Guettler leads a busy life would be an understatement. He will graduate from Bloomfield Hills High School this year with a 4.45 grade point average, was a three-sport athlete for four years and president of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). He plays piano, was a member of the student advisory council and became an  Eagle Scout as a member of Scouting America.

He runs an auto detailing business, which he classifies as a “summer venture,” and is a DJ playing music at gatherings.

But the line that jumps off his resume is the title of co-founder and chief sales officer for JointCoach, described as a “medical startup replacing traditional triage with Artificial Intelligence (AI), improving access to healthcare.”

A pilot program is up and running and working with local surgical groups.

Guettler explained how it works.

“The platform will not give a diagnosis, but a triage and then whether you need to be set up with a doctor or not, it tells you. Then it actually integrates with surgical systems and hooks up directly to their scheduling,” Guettler said. “If somebody needs an appointment, they will talk to the AI, the AI schedules it and on the surgeon’s end they will see a new appointment. We are able to assess these conditions with a lot of accuracy. It is literally for anyone.”

A person can get in front of their computer camera and the platform tracks range of motion, sees where joints are not doing their best and also allows you to interact with an AI chatbot to answer questions. It can then connect the patient with the nearest doctor, who receives notification of an appointment.

Guettler is teamed with orthopedic surgeon Blaine Warkentine, whom he met at a medical conference, to create the platform with a focus on musculoskeletal complaints.

“We both had a passion for AI and he introduced the idea of replacing triage,” said Guettler.

They were able to secure $30,000 in seed funding dedicated to development and marketing as they modify the platform and possibly branch out to other areas of medicine.

“We have our prototypes and our initial product and we are just going to keep iterating that and making it better and then expanding,” said Guettler.

His father, Joseph, is a surgeon and described how his son could have such a broad variety of interests for a teenager.

“He is a unique little cat. He is an explorer at heart,” said Joseph. “He said he wants to take some time off this summer and go explore Europe and see the sights. His mind is always exploring something.”

“He has always loved diving into something and finding out how it works,” said his mother Debbie, a nurse. “He has found this niche (JointCoach) that he enjoys working in and finding people that he can connect with and has similar goals with.”

Being able to explore is one of the reasons he chose to go to Duke University in the fall.

He said the university is more suited to participating in programs and activities outside his major, which in Benjamin’s case will be economics.

“I like exploring other things outside of academia and there is more of a social scene there, so I think it is going to be the right fit for me. I fell in love with Duke early on,” said Guettler. “I have an interest in philosophy, which is obviously outside of the business realm, but it is something I would be interested in and I would be able to pursue something like that while I’m there.”

Guettler said he has spent part of his senior year at Bloomfield Hills giving advice and trying to mentor other students in all aspects of high school life.

“I love giving back and setting these kids up so they can have the same opportunities that I had, but also helping them not make the same mistakes I did and I want them to ultimately do better than I could do,” he said. “I really want to see people do better than I did.”

“He has been a great leader and an instigator in helping his sister and her friends get involved in a variety of things at school,” said Debbie. “He has done a good job of stopping sometimes and thinking things through, even though he is constantly moving. It does your heart good knowing he has all the tools.”

 

Shortly after the Hazel Park school board formally reinstated Superintendent Amy Kruppe, President Beverly Hinton explained why she was put on administrative leave in January for violation of board policies.

At a May 27 special meeting, Hinton read a statement on “how it all started” and Kruppe’s attorney, Heidi Sharp, immediately rebuked the allegations.

“We are shocked and disappointed that Ms. Hinton would make such a public statement insinuating that the district had financial troubles which were the fault of Dr. Kruppe following the four-month long investigation which cleared Dr. Kruppe of any wrongdoing regarding the district’s finances,” Sharp said in a statement. “Ms. Hinton knows that the investigation absolved Dr. Kruppe of any of these allegations or claimed ‘lack of financial oversight’ because as she admitted, as the Board President, she has been privy to the entire investigation report.”

UHY Professional Services, a national firm with offices in Detroit, was paid $55,000 by the district last summer to conduct an audit.  Hinton said the fee rose to $130,000 due to poor financial record keeping and explained the impact it would later have.

“UHY was scheduled to begin the audit in September, but the audit was delayed five times because the business office had not prepared the required work,” said Hinton. “This resulted in missing the required audit due date of November 1. The audit officially began Oct. 21, 2024 and completed in February 2025.”

Sharp said the district’s business manager at the time, Jason Zirnis, explained to the board in both June and August 2024 that the audit would be submitted late due to Plante Moran resigning as district auditor earlier in the year and Zirnis leaving his position.

Hinton said the delay led to the district having to take out a $12 million loan to cover payroll and operating expenses because state aid could not be distributed to the district until the audit was complete. She said $8 million has been repaid, with $4 million and the remaining interest due this August.

Sharp said those numbers were incorrect.

“$8.9 million (has been) repaid as of Feb. 19,” she said. “This included $97,900 in interest. Currently $3.1 million in principal remains to be repaid. This includes $120,000 interest expense.”

She added, “This loan is a common practice in the district, with loans obtained by the district from 2015-2023 while awaiting state funds.”

Hinton said the final audit revealed Hazel Park had overspent by $6 million, claiming it dropped their fund balance from 11% to 1%. Since the fund balance was below the state mandated 5%, the district was put on a Michigan Treasury watchlist and is now required to submit monthly financial reports to the state. Hinton did not say what the parameters were to be taken off of the watchlist.

“During the February (budget) amendment after the audit the fund balance was projected to be $1.39 million as of June 2025,” said Sharp. “Thereafter at the next amendment provided to the board in April the fund balance was projected at $1.43 million.”

She added, “Revenue that should have been received by September 2024 was not and would be actualized in the 2024-2025 budget. Meaning the funds are not missing but being reported in subsequent years.”

“The cumulative financial mismanagement led to over $755,000 in additional unplanned expenses ….. largely stemming from improperly maintained financial records,” said Hinton. “And that’s why it all began, because the books were not in order and it cost us $755,000 of money for students because everything was in disarray.”

At the opening of the meeting, a board vote to immediately reinstate Kruppe was approved 4-3. Secretary Darrin Fox and Trustees April Beato, Nathon Becker and Monica Ratte voted in favor. Hinton, Treasurer Heidi Fortress, Vice President Deborah LaFramboise voted against.

The Oakland Press has requested final report on Kruppe and the audit submitted in February.

Sharp said Kruppe is looking forward to putting this chapter behind her.

The Abigail’s Pride LGBTQ+ festival returns to Brandon Township park this year with more activities to bring people together.

This year’s festival will be Saturday, June 7, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Last year, the Ortonville village council voted 4-2 against approving an event permit for the annual festival.

Soon after Abigail Rowe, founder of Abigail’s Pride and co-organizer of the festival, met with Brandon Township Supervisor Jayson Rumball and received approval to move the event to the township’s 12-acre park where there was more room for activities.

“Knowing where we are going to be and how to put things together has made it much simpler,” said Rowe. “I think that we have found a good place to settle so that we can continue to have the festival and continue to do this event.”

In Rowe’s eyes, the shift to the park changed the tenor of the festival from past years.

“The inclusiveness and the openness felt more like other pride festivals that I have been to. It felt safer and more comfortable at the park,” she said. “But it still maintained that more family-friendly, family-oriented aspect that we strive for with Abigail’s Pride.”

During last year’s event, Oakland County Parks brought out three bounce houses, Michigan Entertainment and Talent Company had several interactive stations and children were flying kites all around the park.

As with last year, Rowe said they will have around 50 vendors, non-profit booths and sponsor displays, three food trucks and an ice cream truck set up throughout the four hour festival. This year they will also add a live DJ for the event.

She said the process of organizing the event has become more streamlined and knowing they have a permanent venue has made life easier for her and her team.

“The team has been great and I have been able to help with the festival, but still lead a normal life as a college student knowing what we have in place now,” said Rowe,who just completed her freshman at Saginaw Valley State University. “Things have come together very well again this year and I hope it will stay like this for years to come.”

For more information go to the Abigail’s Pride facebook page or https://abigailspride.godaddysites.com.

The Waterford school board voted unanimously to approve a superintendent contract with Adam Martin.

He will officially take over as district superintendent July 1.

Martin and the district came to an agreement on a three-year contract at a salary of $227,500. The board voted at a May 19 special meeting.

Martin is the current executive director of student achievement at Dearborn Public Schools.

“We are thrilled to welcome Adam Martin as our new superintendent,” said Kristen Wagner, school board president. “His extensive experience and proven track record in student achievement make him the ideal leader to guide Waterford School District into the future. We are confident that under his leadership, our students, staff, and community will continue to thrive.”

Lisa Eldredge, who was assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, is the current interim superintendent.

Thomas Ahart, former superintendent of the Des Moines, Iowa, public school system, was chosen October 2024 to take over for Scott Lindberg, who retired after five years as superintendent. The two sides could not reach a contract agreement forcing the board to reopen their search for a new superintendent.

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More than 120 teachers in 43 school districts are receiving $796,000 in grants from the Michigan Department of Education for earning National Board Certification.

“National Board Certification benefits students by increasing the effectiveness of teachers,” said State Superintendent Michael F. Rice. “Certification is particularly beneficial to students in high-poverty school districts. I congratulate the teachers who are receiving grants for achieving this certification.”

Districts and intermediate school districts applied on behalf of 124 Michigan teachers with the certification. Teachers receive grants of at least $4,000, with a $10,000 grant if they work for a high-poverty school that receives building-wide federal Title 1 funding.

 

The goal of the grant program is to acknowledge the professional learning, growth, and achievement of Michigan teachers who have obtained National Board Certification.

By promoting the recognition and retention of teachers, this grant supports Goal 7 of Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, to increase the numbers of certified teachers in areas of shortage.

The National Board-Certified Teachers receiving grants in Oakland County:

– Bloomfield Hills schools $8,000

– Ferndale public schools  $4,000

– Lake Orion community schools $4,000

– Novi community schools $28,000

– Rochester community schools $88,000

– Royal Oak schools $4,000

– Southfield public schools $14,000

– West Bloomfield schools $4,000

 

 

 

Kathy Abela, executive director of finance and operations for Royal Oak Schools, has been named the 2024-2025 Oakland County School Business Administrator of the Year by the Oakland County School Business Officials (OCSBO).

“Kathy brings more than two decades of school district accounting experience and an unwavering commitment to excellence,” said OCSBO President Matthew McDaniel. “ Her oversight of bond dollars, sinking funds, grant allocations, and the annual audit process reflects her deep expertise and dedication to responsible stewardship of public resources.”

“Our Board of Education and I trust and respect her in managing our funds, district operations, bond programs, and daily operations,” said Royal Oak Schools Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick. “She has brought innovative ideas, established best practices, and holds all team members to high standards.”

Abela has been a member of the Michigan School Business Office since 2016.

“Being named the Oakland County School Business Administrator of the Year is an incredible honor,” Abela said. “This recognition reflects my dedication and the collective efforts of the team I’ve had the privilege to work with. I deeply thank the Oakland County School Business Officials for this acknowledgment.”

Since 1998, the OCSBO has recognized one outstanding education leader annually for their accomplishments, years of service, and dedication to advancing the field of school business management.

A report released this week by Oakland University shows its economic impact on the state has reached almost $2 billion dollars.

The report from the Anderson Economic Group for fiscal year 2024 shows OU generated more than $1.9 billion in new economic impact and supported nearly 6,500 jobs in Michigan.

The final figure represents direct and indirect economic activity and employment.

Direct impacts are driven by investments from the university, while indirect impacts reflect how spending circulates through the economy.

“At Oakland (University) we are making a profound difference in the lives of our students and in the enterprises of businesses,” said OU President Ora Pescovitz. “Small business, medium-size business and large businesses and in our communities from urban to suburban to rural.”

For comparison, a study done by Anderson  at Central Michigan University for fiscal year 2016, its economic impact on Michigan contributed $1.2 billion and created nearly 12,000 jobs.

And a 2018 report done on economic impacts at Western Michigan University showed a $1.6 billion of economic output in the Kalamazoo 3-county region of Kalamazoo, Van Buren, and Calhoun counties and economic activity supporting 16,690 jobs.

The OU jobs figure includes 3,569 new faculty and staff positions directly employed by OU and 2,848 indirectly generated jobs in other industries in the state due to expenditures by university faculty, staff and students.

“This is just our baseline, our vision is that by 2030 we are going to markedly increase these statistics,” said Pescovitz. “I am proud of these numbers, but frankly they are nowhere near enough.”

The report compiled in 2019 showed OU generated an economic impact of $957 with $51 million in state appropriations through the State School Aid Act. The new AEG report shows $1.9 billion with $72.8 million in state appropriations.

OU ranks 8th out of 15 state public universities in annual appropriations.

In 2024, Oakland University had 98,093 alumni living in Michigan and collectively they earned nearly $5.8 billion.

“A greater percent of our graduates remain in Michigan than from any other public university,” said Pescovitz.

The university also generated $76 million dollars from $37.3 million local, state and federal funds invested in research.

“The analysis shows that OU is a driver of regional economic activity, with alumni contributions and earnings extending their positive influence across Michigan,” said Patrick Anderson, CEO of AEG.

Farmington Public Schools is accepting applications for an anticipated board opening.

David Turner, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Zach Rich after he moved out of the district, agreed to serve through June 2025.

The individual selected will serve the remainder of his term through December 2026.

“We encourage all individuals with a passion for children and a commitment to community service to apply,” said Terri Weems, board president. “In addition, this applicant pool may be considered for any other vacancies that may arise through the end of 2025, allowing the board to act swiftly in identifying successors if needed due to life events or other transitions.”

Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 16.

Application link: https://bit.ly/BoardApplication2025

Interviews are expected to take place between June 2-16, with the exact schedule announced following the close of the application window.

“Thank you for your interest in serving our community and supporting the future of our students,” added Weems.

All inquiries regarding the process should be directed to Weems at terri.weems@fpsk12.net .

An Oakland School administrator has been elected to the Michigan School Business Officials board of directors.

The three-year term for Teri Les, assistant superintendent of finance and operations at Oakland Schools, began May 1.

“I am truly honored to be elected to the MSBO Board of Directors,” said Teri Les. “It’s a privilege to serve alongside such dedicated colleagues across the state. I look forward to working together to support Michigan’s school business professionals and help ensure our students have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.”

The organization provides professional development, leadership, and advocacy for school business officials statewide.

Rochester Christian University and Pepperdine University will use a $400,000 grant  to help rural church congregations to grow.

The money will help RCU identify, recruit and partner with Church of Christ congregations in the Great Lakes region.

Teams of  ministers and lay leaders will learn how to support small congregations through professional, networking and spiritual development. The curriculum includes sessions taught by Keith Huey, grant program director.

Pepperdine is one of 20 U.S. organizations receiving grants through the initiative.

“Ministers are tired, concerned about long-term congregational vitality, and convinced that the future of most congregations will include a significant reliance on volunteers to teach, preach and engage in other practices of ministry,” said Naomi Walters, dean of RCU’s theology and ministry school, who will oversee the initiative.  “The grant activities are structured to equip persons other than the minister to share in the work that has traditionally been assigned to the minister.”

The Lilly Endowment is a private philanthropic organization founded in 1937 and headquartered in Indianapolis. The three-year project will begin in August.

For more information, email churchrelations@rcu.edu.