Employees of the Houghton-Portage Lake School District will have a new alternative to help them save for retirement thanks to a unanimous vote by the Board of Education Monday night. One employee from the district had asked for a 457(b) plan to be made available. The district already offers a 403(b), which allows it to easily provide the requested plan, given board approval. 457’s utilize a Roth IRA, with more generous contribution limits, says Sara Marcotte.
The Board was in an agreeable mood as it unanimously renominated Brad Baltersperger for a seat on the Michigan Association of School Boards. Baltersperger currently represents District One on the organization’s Board of Trustees. District One comprises six ISD’s in the Upper Peninsula and the Marquette Alger RESA.
Briana Carlson spoke during public comment in support of the high school’s softball program. She read from prepared remarks citing a study on how athletics helps students improve in the classroom.
In prior years, students were responsible for their own transportation to games, which was a hardship for some and is thought to have suppressed turnout. The board informed Carlson that softball would be fully funded this year with the details hammered out at the March meeting of the Athletic Committee, well before the snow thaws.