WHITEHALL — The Whitehall school board approved several purchases Monday night at its monthly board meeting, including two school buses, a group of emergency communications items, and marching band uniforms.
The buses, purchased from National Bus Sales, come at a cost of $146,045. They are used buses, but superintendent Jerry McDowell said the district’s mechanic looked over both buses and said they were in excellent condition. The board also originally planned to purchase a special-education bus, but McDowell said the bus wouldn’t have been ready until July 2025, so that purchase will be moved to the 2025-26 school year.
The emergency communications purchase totaled $58,808 from Chrouch Communications and included five mobile desktop units that give the school the ability to directly contact county dispatch personnel in the event of an emergency, hopefully improving response time. There are also radios included in the purchase outfitted with a button to directly contact dispatch if needed. The board noted the purchase follows the recommendation of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, which in turn reflected policies in place at Kent County schools.
The emergency equipment was, McDowell said, part of last year’s failed bond proposals, but the school will make the purchase out of either the existing general fund or technology and security funds.
The third major purchase Monday was 70 band uniforms from Stanbury Uniforms at a total cost of $36,528.80. Assistant superintendent CJ Van Wieren reported in a letter to the board that Stanbury stood out among a field of three companies he reached out to due to the quality and design of the uniforms. He specifically noted that Stanbury’s design did not include buttons, viewed as a positive because buttons could create logistical issues with certain instruments. McDowell added the agreement includes the option to purchase more uniforms at the same per-uniform price if needed; marching band boosters reported the band is on track to potentially have 100-plus members within the next few years. McDowell also credited trustee Paula Martin with securing a $10,000 donation from the White Lake Area Women to help defray the costs of the purchase.
The board also performed its yearly evaluation of McDowell, unanimously rating him ‘highly effective’ using the standard rubric used for such evaluations. Board president Rachel Fekken said opinions were exchanged among the board but a consensus was quickly reached among participating members. Earlier in the meeting, Fekken was recognized for achieving the level 3 award of distinction by the state association of school boards.
The Whitehall wrestling team was recognized for its state runner-up season, with several team members at the meeting. Also in attendance were head coach Justin Zeerip and assistant coach Craig Christensen, who received commendations for their awards as Division 3 regional head coach and assistant coach of the year respectively.
