Wayland Union Schools officials plan to show the public they’re serious about putting in a new swimming pool in the wake of the successful bond passage in May.

The Board of Education, at the suggestion of Supt. Tim Reeves, agreed to start showing signs of progress this September of October by starting the expansion of parking to make way for the pool site addition to the high school.

“We want to see some forward movement as it related to the pool,” explained Reeves. “We want to show the community we’re moving forward with a key portion of the bond.”

Indeed, the pool is the biggest, most ambitious and most expensive component of the $49.7 million bond approved by voters in a special election May 2.

Reeves added that it’s a good idea to alert students, staff, parents and the community to minimize disruptions that will result.

In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the school board:

• Ratified labor contracts with employee groups, including the teachers, who will get a 5% raise in the 2023-24 academic year and 5% again in 2024-25. The local teachers’ slurries range from $43,989 at the lowest end to $93,316 on the highest end. “I know all the parties were happy with the agreements,” Reeves said, noting teachers had a clear majority approving.
• Was told by Trustee Norm Taylor that Wayland High School’s football stadium will be host for the Michigan High School Band and Orchestra marching band festival Tuesday, Oct. 10, for perhaps the first time in its history.
• Learned that third grade classes from Hopkins, Dorr and Wayland will be invited to an all-day seminar put on by the Gun Lake Tribe at the Jiak Foundation grounds on 20th Street in Hopkins Township.
• Learned that auctions of two buses and a variety of school materials produced a net of $27,100 for the district.
• Agreed to the low bid from Central Michigan Paper for the purchase of 840 cases of paper for the academic year.
• Welcomed Leslie Wagner, the new assistant superintendent of finances and operations, who succeeded the retiring Patricia Velie. Wagner, her husband and two daughters live in rural Hastings.