The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education voted Aug. 6 to extend Superintendent Dr. Darrin Slade’s contract and approve a new custodians’ agreement.
Under Section 4 of Slade’s employment contract, the board can extend his term one additional year by mutual written agreement. Board President TiAnna Harrison moved to exercise that option, extending Slade’s contract through June 30, 2031, with all other terms unchanged. Trustee Karla Murphy seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously by voice vote.
Several trustees credited Slade with increases in student attendance and achievement during his tenure. Trustee Carol McGlinn said she was “wholeheartedly behind this extension.” Trustee Takisha Johnson said she had watched “things turn around with effort” since Slade became superintendent.
The board also approved a 2026-27 contract with the Service Employees International Union, Local 517M-Unit 84, which represents the district’s custodians. The agreement was ratified by union membership and falls within budget parameters the board approved at its June 25 meeting. Trustee Patti Sholler-Barber moved to approve the agreement, with Trustee Jennie Hill seconding; it passed unanimously on a roll call vote.
Sholler-Barber called negotiating with organized labor “an art form” and said district employees “are well taken care of” at the bargaining table. Harrison added that the district “cannot run” without its custodians, calling them “a vital part of our organization.”
