By Sterling McGinn
The Tahquamenon Area Schools (TAS) Board of Education accepted the retirement of a longtime employee Jane Freeborn and approved several new hires for the district at their February regular meeting.
The meeting took place on Monday, February 16 at 6 p.m. in the board of education room. A special meeting took place at 5 p.m. in closed session to discuss the superintendent’s progress report. No action was taken when reconvening to open session.
The board reluctantly accepted Executive Assistant Jane Freeborn’s intent to retire from the district effective of May 1 of this year.
Freeborn originally worked at the Curtis school beginning in 1995 and came to Newberry schools in the 2006/2007 school year.
“She is the district,” said Superintendent Shawn Tebo. “She knows the ins and outs when you need something. I appreciate the year I had with her—I learned a lot and she will be very hard to replace.”
Tebo said Freeborn has been compiling a book of all her duties and will assist with her successor.
The board members thanked Freeborn for her years of dedication and services to the district and wished her well.
The board approved posting for the position of an in-house business manager. TAS is currently contracting with the ISD for a business manager who works remotely. That’s Donna Bergman, who served the district as the business manager for years but currently lives out of state. Bergman is working with TAS three days a week and presents to the board via Zoom. “She is doing a phenomenal job, it is just difficult with Zoom,” said Tebo.
When filled, the business manager will be onsite five days a week. Tebo said that the position would need someone with an accounting degree, and she hopes someone with a school background. This position would begin for the 2026/2027 school year.
“It is a priority for us right now to get somebody in-house to help us handle the money and be more fiscally responsible,” said Trustee Michael Havens.
Also approved was the hiring of Matt McNamara and Carley Challender to fill a split position as high school cross country coaches.
In other news, CTE teacher Linus Parr presented a proposal to allow members of the public to walk the school hallways after hours for exercise. TAS offered that years ago, and other districts are currently doing it. Parr’s Geometry in Construction class used rolling tape measurers to map the hallways teaching them linear footage.
“They are proposing that we open the doors to the public to use our hallways from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” Parr said. “They would have to change their shoes so there is no additional cleaning for Brad and his staff.”
The project allowed for the students to create maps that would be hung in the hallways. Parr noted that the committee working on the Safe Routes to School grant are interested in tying this idea into their grant project.
The board was receptive to the proposal; however, no board action was taken on the matter yet.
In her administrative report, Tebo updated the board on the meeting regarding the old high school that was held a couple of weeks ago. A total of ten individuals met to begin discussions as to what to do with the nearly 100 year old building.
Many people have asked about attending the next meeting, and Tebo says everyone is welcome. The next meeting will be Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. in the board meeting room, formerly the elementary library.
