January 16, 2026
For Immediate Release
SPRINGPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HONORS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR ANNUAL RECOGNITION MONTH
Springport Public Schools is joining 537 local and 56 intermediate school districts across Michigan to celebrate January as School Board Recognition Month.
“In another year full of challenges for public education, our school board members persevered through the adversity of 2025 to provide the best possible education for our students,” said Superintendent Terry Sedlar. “Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one of the very small ways to express appreciation for all they do.”
School board members represent the views and priorities of their community in the complex system of maintaining and running a district’s public schools, Sedlar said. They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education, which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Michigan.
“Too often, the efforts of school board members go unrecognized,” Sedlar said.
“The school board’s main goal is to support student achievement”, Sedlar added. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:
• Creating a vision for what parents and citizens want their school district to become and how to make student achievement the top priority.
• Setting standards for what students must learn and be able to do.
• Assessing whether schools achieve their goals and whether students are learning.
• Accounting for the outcomes of decisions and by tracking progress and reporting results.
• Aligning the use of the district’s human and financial resources.
• Creating a safe and orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach.
• Collaborating to solve common problems and to support common successes.
• Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining and revisiting issues related to student achievement.
At the January 13, 2026 Board Meeting all board members were presented with a certificate of appreciation as well as the book, The Anxious Generation, which serves as a reminder that today’s students are coming to school with far more complexities than that of previous generations.
“Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part,” Sedlar said. “No matter what challenges lie ahead for our district in 2026, our school board members will continue to govern to improve student achievement and provide exceptional education for all our community’s children.”
The individuals serving Springport Public Schools and their years of service are:
President Alyse Rainey – 4 consecutive years of service
Vice President David Lightner – 14 consecutive years of service
Secretary Crystal Nowery – 5 consecutive years of service
Treasurer Jeff Caudill – 17 consecutive years of service
Trustee Brian Sanford – 2 consecutive years of service
Trustee Dean Dyer – 1 consecutive year of service
Trustee Vanessa Mulnix – 1 consecutive year of service
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