MONTAGUE — The Montague school board appointed MHS alumnus Ben Rupert to its ranks at its Monday meeting. Rupert will complete the term of board member Scott Beishuizen, which is through 2026, after Beishuizen moved out of the district and had to resign his spot.
Rupert's appointment was approved 4-1, with secretary Cindy Francis dissenting and vice-president Joel Smith abstaining, saying Rupert is a relative of his. Rupert owns and operates Steadfast Farms in Montague.
Francis' objection to the appointment appeared to be on procedural grounds, as she made a motion to not accept Rupert's application because it came in after the deadline. Board president Brent Raeth said the application was originally sent in on time, but due to a typographical error went to the wrong email address. Francis' motion did not receive a second, so it did not move forward.
Raeth said the board received seven applications for the position, which consisted of a survey on each applicant's background, goals for the district and reasons for wanting to serve. Much of the board seemed to be in agreement that any of the seven would've been worthy candidates to join. Prior to Rupert's confirmation, Francis spoke specifically in support of Teresa Eilers, a volunteer in the district at multiple levels, and Brooke Cudney, a Montague Township planning commissioner. Francis felt Eilers could bring a different perspective to the board as a non-alum of Montague schools, and reported that her husband spoke well of Cudney due to her role crafting the Montague Township renewable energy ordinance earlier this year.
Other applicants, according to Raeth, were Amy Martell, Doug Schmidt, Bill O'Connell and Tammy Draggoo.
The board unanimously approved a new administrative salary schedule, which was done at the recommendation of the state Office of Retirement Services. Superintendent Jeffrey Johnson said due to state statutes that give retired school personnel a pension that amounts to an average of their three highest-paid years of service, the new schedule would ensure things were being done appropriately. The new structure gives administrators a 4% raise for 2025-26, matching the one given to teachers and support staff, followed by a 3% raise in 2026-27 and a 1% raise in 2027-28. Johnson said the numbers could be revisited if the current state budgetary unknowns become less uncertain.
The board also granted unanimous approval to a measure granting the City of Montague a permanent easement on Hancock Street between Grant and Cook streets. The move allows the city to complete sidewalk improvements for its Safe Routes to School grant. Johnson said the land at issue is on the south side of the football stadium, where cars often park to go to events. By granting the easement, the sidewalk can be moved by a few feet so cars do not damage the sidewalk when parking there.
Also during the meeting, athletic director Jay Mulder shared updates on the last calendar year of sports in the district, and technology director Steve Denniston shared updates, including a five-year plan of upgrades he hopes can be made within the district, including phone systems, computers for student use, and podium monitors and projectors. Denniston added that due to Microsoft's recent decision to end support for Windows 10, it is important the district upgrade all machines capable of doing so to Windows 11. He noted that other districts near Montague have recently been hit with cyberattacks. Denniston also said the technology team will be intentional about regularly updating the district website, saying studies have shown people stop visiting websites if they're not updated regularly.
