WHITEHALL — The Whitehall School Board unanimously approved the 2026-27 budget during its regular monthly meeting Monday, and superintendent CJ Van Wieren shared his optimism that the Michigan budget will be passed earlier this year than last. This would give state school districts a clearer financial picture than the one protracted negotiations led to them having a year ago.
Van Wieren said from the information he has, the expectation is the budget will not get to October before passage as was the case last year. Michigan Advance reported in April that an early hurdle had already been cleared, with both houses of the state legislature passing their budget proposals. Negotiations are ongoing.
In the meantime, Business Manager Tayler Zweigle gave the presentation of the budget, which calls for total expenditures of $30.721 million, a decrease of about $439,000 from a year ago. That would give the district a healthy fund balance of 20.3% of the budget.
The district is projecting a small dip - five students - in enrollment, though state budget proposals call for a $250 per student increase in state funding. The district will also be able to collect a full 18 mills on non-homestead properties this next year due to an operations millage renewal by voters in 2025. Without that renewal, Zweigle said, Headlee Amendment rollbacks would have cost the district $105,000 in funding.
Also during the meeting, the board unanimously voted to give Van Wieren the rating of 'effective' in their evaluation of his work as superintendent for 2025-26, the highest rating it is permitted to give. The formal evaluation took place just prior to the meeting, though board president Rachel Fekken noted that the board is often in communication with one another on the matter, so the evaluation does not produce any surprises.
Van Wieren also expressed excitement for the hire of Ariah Bremby as the new band director for the high school and middle school, which was approved via the board's consent agenda Monday. Bremby is a recent Central Michigan University graduate and Greenville native and has a K-12 music teaching certification. Van Wieren said she chose Whitehall over other job offers.
There were also three public comments regarding the LifeWise Academy, which is seeking to create Bible study chapters in districts nationwide, including Whitehall. Two speakers, who both spoke at May's meeting, spoke against LifeWise, while another commenter shared her gratitude that Michigan law supports parent involvement in education and noted that LifeWise's operations are legal, though she did not explicitly express support for the program. The commenter also commended Van Wieren for his leadership as superintendent.
