Forest Hills school board approves April minutes, moves to closed session on collective bargaining

Unidentified Speaker 1, the meeting’s presiding official, called a public meeting of the Forest Hills Public Schools board, said the session was for district business and not a community hearing, and noted that public comment would follow the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting date is not specified in the transcript.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by Unidentified Speaker 2, identified in the transcript context as the superintendent: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” No members of the public signaled a comment when the presiding official checked for public comments.

Unidentified Speaker 1 asked for approval of the minutes from the board’s April 15 regular meeting and an unidentified attendee moved to approve the minutes. A voice vote was taken; the presiding official said the motion passed.

Later in the meeting, Unidentified Speaker 1 moved that the board go into a closed session “pursuant to Michigan’s Open Meetings Act to consider material exempt from disclosure and to discuss collective bargaining strategy.” A second was recorded. The board took a roll-call vote; the transcript records affirmative responses associated with the names Marchand, Ms. Steinmeier and Crossan, and one roll-call name appears garbled in the transcript as “The score.” All recorded roll-call responses in the available transcript were “Yes,” and the board entered closed session.

After the closed session, the board returned to open session. The speaker identified in the transcript context as the superintendent said, “I have nothing additional to add at this time.” The presiding official asked for board communications and other business; none were offered, and the meeting was adjourned.

The transcript indicates the closed session was convened to discuss collective bargaining strategy and material exempt from disclosure under the Michigan Open Meetings Act. The transcript does not specify the date of the meeting, the full list of board members present, the precise vote tally beyond the recorded ‘Yes’ responses, or any substantive details of the closed-session discussion, which are by definition withheld.