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NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — Brandywine Board of Education members approved a new course and new graduation requirement for high school seniors at their meeting Monday night.

      Board members had discussed the new personal finance course and the accompanying graduation requirement at their meeting in late April. With Monday’s actions, the new course will be available to seniors in the 2025-26 school year and the requirement will go into place then as well.

      Middle/High School Principal Evan Winkler spoke about the proposal t the April 28 meeting. He said the idea came after a staff member attended a conference where people talked about the importance of students learning about personal finance and having a course dedicated to that subject.

      Winkler noted that the high school had previously met the state requirement that students are exposed to personal finance information by incorporating that information into existing courses. He said the goal of the new course is to expose students to everything from budgeting and financial goal setting to interview and resume skills.

      Monday, board trustee Michelanne McCombs said she initially had concerns about requiring this new course but has concluded that it will give students the tools and guidance they need as they go out into the world.

      Superintendent Travis Walker said the high school had previously inserted the required financial literacy information into existing classes. “The state requires students to take a financial literacy course and this would be saying that this is the financial literacy course,” he said.

      Also Monday, board members heard a report from School Resource Officer Amber McGaffigan and high school students about the efforts to create safer routes to the district’s schools. The students have met all year to discuss school traffic safety issues in a campaign called “Strive 4 A Safer Drive.”

      McGaffigan said the goal is to apply for a $900,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School/Michigan Fitness program. If received, the funds would be used to pay for lighting and sidewalk improvements around Brandywine Elementary School, Brandywine Middle/Senior High School and Merritt Elementary School.

      She and students talked about the grant process and what they’ve done so far. Those steps have included sending out surveys to students, staff and parents, collecting data about where students live in relation to the three schools and how many walk to school, ride the bus, drive themselves or are dropped off by parents.

      The students also showed board members the video they have made about their activities this year. As they showed in the video, they have made presentations to students and community members and worked to educate everyone about traffic safety. They made one of the presentations in February to the Niles Township Board of Trustees.

      In other action at Monday’s board meeting, members appointed fall athletic coaches, approved resolutions for Berrien RESA on their annual budget and biennial board member election, voted on spring policy updates and approved an overnight wrestling trip to Adrian College in early June.

      Walker reported that school offices will be closed on May 26 for Memorial Day and also announced summer office hours. The middle/high school office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday with Brandywine Elementary and Merritt Elementary having similar hours.

Normal business hours should resume at all schools in early August after the summer construction work is completed.

Items to be acted on at the May 27 meeting will include setting the out of state tuition rate and approving a payroll collaborative with Bridgman schools. The proposal is to set the out of state tuition rate at state foundation grant level which is now $9,608.