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H-PT board adds new member

By Garrett Neese 4 min read

HOUGHTON -- The Houghton-Portage Township Schools Board added a new member Monday to replace Vice President Rob Fay, who was appointed as the district's new athletic director later in the meeting.

"It's been a privilege to serve with you on the board," Fay said during his report. "But then also I've had a passion for high school sports for 25 years. And it truly is a unique privilege to combine these passions into the role that you're trusting me in."

To fill Fay's roles on the board, members appointed Scott Leonard as vice president and named Mike Salmi to the vacant trustee position.

Salmi, one of two people who applied, was appointed by a 5-0 vote.

"I have children here, and I like the direction the Houghton schools are going in," he said. "I'd like to be a part of that, serving the community."

The board also heard from Officer Kirk Mills of the Houghton Police Department, who will serve as the district's school resource officer starting this fall. He's been with the department for eight years.

He trained through the National Association of School Resource Officers and is looking to implement their model of police officer, mentor and educator.

"It's obviously a new program here so there's going to be some things to work out," he said. "But I'm hoping it's going to go great and goes beyond the three-year term."

In other action, the board:

• Approved hiring of new personnel. In addition to Fay, there were several new elementary school teachers: Alisha Pihlaja, Karen Jarvis, Jessica Schuett and Margo Hall.

Schuette has been teaching for 16 years, the past seven at South Range Elementary School. She was hired for a new fifth-grade position; the district is expanding to five sections because of higher enrollment. Hall, a retired fourth-grade Houghton teacher, will replace Shannon Lehto, who took a middle-school position at Calumet.

Trustee Nels Christopherson said the number of experienced teachers the district has hired in recent months reflects well on the district.

"What that says to me is nothing but positive results are going to happen, where they're willing to change their situation and shift and join up with us," he said.

Trustee Buck Foltz said the board would have to look at ways to accommodate the growing student number, noting the elementary school is full.

"It's something that this year is going to be very important for this board to look at, because that conversation about portables or other things turns out to not be as easy to do when you live here," he said.

• Reverted to athletic ticket pricing from the 2022-23 school year. Last spring, the board had approved an increase, following discussion among other athletic directors in the region about raising prices. Most districts that raised prices have since gone back on it, said Superintendent Anders Hill.

"We're very happy to go back to $3 and $5 for our ticket prices," he said. "That makes a lot of sense and helps our ticket sellers to collect $5 bills instead of making change."

• Approved buying additional cameras and card readers from Accurate Networks for $52,310.70.

• Approved a contract with Mill Creek North for kitchen design and renovation consulting for $37,000. Food Service Director Shelby Turnquisy had a fund balance the state is requiring her to spend down, Hill said.

"With that sizable amount of money, hiring a consultant is going to help us spend that money wisely to set our food service program up for the next 10 years to have exactly what it needs in the right place," he said.

• Accepted the 2023-2024 athletic, employee, elementary, middle and high school handbooks. The books were rewritten in accordance with the new Thrun policy guidelines the board adopted at a previous meeting.

• Approved a two-year transportation contract with Lamers.

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