PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — An upcoming school board meeting in Portage has been suspended in the wake of Governor Gretchen Whitmer announcing a three-week extension of her stay-at-home order.
The original meeting was scheduled for Monday, April 13th but has since been pushed on the calendar in consideration of the COVID-19 outbreak.
A rescheduled virtual meeting will be held on April 27th where officials say public participation will still be allowed, but Portage Public Schools is working out the details of how that might work.
District officials say more information on how community members will be able to participate in the meeting will be posted closer to its rescheduled date.
The district said in a released statement “, In consideration of the safety and wellbeing of the board, administration, staff and the public, the board of education will be holding its above noted meeting virtually as allowed by Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order.”
In March Governor Whitmer issued an executive order that allows public bodies to meet virtually during the COVID-19 outbreak in an effort to prevent person to person exposure. The order temporarily changes certain provisions of the Open Meetings Act allowing for meetings to be held digitally while also permitting some form of public participation.
An agenda for the upcoming April Portage Public Schools is in the process of considering whether to replace multiple elementary school buildings, some of which face aging infrastructure. A recent survey sent out to parents, teachers, and area residents whether they support replacing Angling road, Haverhill, Amberly, Central and Woodland elementary schools with facilities that better meet the needs of the present community. Renovations for Mooresbridge elementary, which was built in 1994, are also being considered.
Board members sent out the survey before seeking funding for the proposals, with previous costs for the projects estimated to total between $99 and $127 million dollars.
Like every other K-12 district in the state, Portage Public Schools will continue to be closed for the remainder of the school year in accordance with Governor Whitmer’s executive order shutting down school buildings during the COVID-19 outbreak.
