As East Lansing School Board Membership Changes, Some Policies Are Also Changing

At its final meeting of 2022 on Dec. 12, the East Lansing Public Schools (ELPS) Board bade farewell to retiring members Kate Powers and Chris Martin who served as president and vice president, respectively, during their final term. Powers had served on the board since 2015 and Martin since 2019. The Board also passed a series of dozens of policy changes, mostly edits and bringing policies into confirmation with existing regulation.

The first meeting of the new term is Monday (Jan. 9) and will include the swearing in of newly-elected Tali Faris-Hylen and Amanda Cormier. They will join re-elected members Terah Chambers and Kath Edsall, and members Monica Fink, Elizabeth Lyons and Debbie Walton. The latter members’ terms go until 2024.

During a time of recognition at the Dec. 12 meeting, ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko offered her specific thanks to the departing board members, thanking Martin for his leadership of the facilities committee during the years of elementary school construction and athletic area renovations at the high school. Leyko praised Powers for helping her onboard as superintendent and being a sound financial adviser during her tenure.

Time was set-aside for the remaining board members to pay tribute to Powers and Martin.

Chambers thanked Martin for his wisdom and perspective. “It’s always nice to have a lawyer in your back pocket to run things by,” she said.

On Powers, Chambers said, “I always know I can call Kate and Kate’s going to have a reasonable perspective.”

Leyko added a moment of levity, telling Powers, “I will miss your efficient board meetings,” as the rest of the board laughed.

The meat of the year’s final meeting focused largely on tying-up loose ends. In addition to honoring Powers and Martin, the board welcomed Julie Thomas-Beckett of the East Lansing Educational Foundation who announced the donation of more than $70,000 in grants to ELPS teachers. 

It also adopted approximately 50 revisions and additions to the board policy manual.

“A large majority of these are just edits,” said Edsall, chair of the policy committee. “There are a couple other new policies that had to be added around [purchasing and employee time reporting]. And there were a number that were just removed [about] masks policies and virtual meetings. The more in-depth ones are still coming and will be in items of information in the new year.”

The board approved the policy changes in one motion. It has been guided through the process of revising policies by the Thrun Law Firm in East Lansing, which works with several Michigan school districts to ensure their policies align with state and federal guidelines.

The ELPS Board of Education meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the lower level of East Lansing High School, 509 Burcham Drive. The meeting schedule and agendas are posted here.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date of the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education meeting. The date of the meeting above, Monday (Jan. 9) is correct.