District overview
Fowler Public Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Who runs Fowler's schools, and how are they paid for?
Fowler Public Schools serves about 437 students in the village of Fowler in Clinton County, Michigan, at Waldron Elementary/Middle School and Fowler High School. A seven-member elected Board of Education sets the budget, approves contracts and policies, and hires the superintendent, who also serves as high school principal. The board meets on the second Monday of each month, now at 5:30 p.m., in the high school media center.
New leader after a sudden change
The superintendent/principal left under a separation agreement in May 2026. After public interviews, the board hired Christopher Smith in August.
About $6.3 million a year
The 2026-27 general fund budget spends about $6.31 million against $6.18 million in revenue, drawing about $136,000 from savings.
Mostly state funded
Michigan per-student state aid is about $5.3 million of the district's roughly $6.2 million in revenue.
New teachers' contract
A three-year agreement with the Fowler Education Association runs from 2026 to 2029.
The board posts approved minutes, budgets and its audit, and ran its superintendent interviews in public, with dozens of residents speaking. Agendas are not posted before meetings, so residents may not know what is coming up.
Where the district stands
Context: NCES district enrollment figure.
Major projects
Superintendent/high school principal search
completedAfter the previous superintendent/high school principal left under a separation agreement in May 2026, the board ran a public search through the Michigan Association of School Boards and hired Christopher Smith.
- Separation agreement; Paul Minns named interim
- Neil Hufnagel hired as interim; search criteria approved
- First-round public interviews
- Board votes to negotiate with Christopher Smith
- Contract approved
Funding
General fund (MASB search contract; amount not stated in minutes)
Facilities and possible bond planning
planningIn early 2026 the board heard from bond and architecture firms about facility assessments and bond campaigns. No new bond proposal appears in the posted minutes.
- Pinkster Tower bond process presentation
- Kingscott facilities and campaign presentation
- About $11,000-$12,000 approved for footpath paving
Funding
Not stated; existing 2020-2023 building bonds total about $18 million outstanding
Recent news
Approved board minutes, district news posts, budgets, the 2024-25 audit, the teachers' contract and student handbooks posted on the Fowler Public Schools website, from November 2025 to October 2026.
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