Hillsboro school board OKs elementary roof repair; hears updates on recent events, accomplishments

The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education received updates on current and future construction projects, as well as a number of district events, during their Monday, March 18 meeting. 

With the high school baseball/softball regular season kicking off March 23, superintendent Tim Davis gave a brief update on the athletic complex upgrades during his report.

As previously reported, in July 2022, the HCS board authorized the $2.7 million purchase of artificial turf and its installation through Southwestern Ohio Education Purchasing Council from The Motz Group, LLC, upgrading the soccer field to a turf field and installing turf baseball and softball infields at the HHS athletic complex.

“We have bleachers being delivered [Tuesday] for the baseball/softball field,” Davis said. “We've had a couple scrimmages out there already. The benches and the dugouts and scoreboards are kind of what we're waiting on. We just got word today that the dugout benches will be here in a week, and then the scoreboard, we’re waiting on installation, so they are here.”

In unrelated construction, the board voted 6-0 Monday to authorize a contract with Prodigy Building Solutions for repairs to the elementary roof areas, one and four, using the TOP-C educational purchasing council for the bidding process. 

As previously reported, the board approved two contracts for facility improvements in January 2022, including using the district’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ARP ESSER] funds and some Permanent Improvement funds to make a number of repairs at the district buildings. With this new approval, Davis said almost all of the original roof at the elementary school has been replaced.

“This is the final section and elementary roof to be completed,” Davis said. “We did the 4-5 and the 2-3, and we were hoping we could last a little longer, but the K-1 is not holding up like we want it to, so we're going to have to get that done as soon as possible. We have leaks, and it's coming through down the cracks — I mean, it's not good. 

“With this, everything at the elementary will be completely new, with the exception of the shingled part above the music and art room in the 4-5 pod because it's a different roof and the cupola in the front section. This will complete the revamp of all the flat roof at the elementary.”

Also during his report, Davis congratulated several Hillsboro FFA students on their recent accomplishments, including Carter Boyd, who received second place in the Advanced Prepared contest, and Claire Winkle and Corbin Winkle, who were both top two placers in the state public speaking contest, he said. All three have qualified for “The Big E” competition in Springfield, Mass., according to Davis.

In other recognitions, Davis announced that Hillsboro Intermediate School is ranked 91st in the U.S. News and World Report’s list of best Ohio middle schools, based on “their passage rate in both math and language arts last year. 

“That is awesome to them, [principal] Mrs. [Darci] Miles and the staff,” Davis said. 

Davis and student representative Maddisen Mikkelsen both previewed several upcoming district events in their respective reports, including the high school’s annual senior showcase set for March 22 from 8:30-10 a.m. at HHS.

“It's a really great learning experience and a great networking opportunity for the seniors to look at jobs after high school and possible summer internships as well,” Mikkelsen said.

Davis said the event has “evolved” from being a general networking opportunity to an event “where people can actually interview, get their résumé out and kind of even be put in for job placements with the community.

“I think the last total I heard was over 35 businesses that are going to be there this Friday, so it's a great opportunity for our students,” Davis said. 

Davis also announced that the district will operate under regular hours Monday, April 8 during the total solar eclipse.

“We're going to use it as a day as an educational experience to educate our students on the eclipse, but the timing of the totality, our high school/middle school students will already be dismissed,” Davis said. “We are not going to be promoting our students to go outside and look at it in person with glasses because sometimes that can be a little bit of a challenge. We will watch it on our SMART boards, and we're going to use this as a chance to educate our students on the eclipse, but also the dangers of looking directly at it.”

The superintendent and student rep also invited the community to attend the high school’s production of “The Sound of Music,” set for March 22-24.

“Some of the cast actually went to the elementary school this week during their lunch time to give them like a little sneak peek of the musical so they could see what it’s about and get more interested in it,” Mikkelsen said. “They said the kids really, really enjoyed that, and it was really fun.”

Mikkelsen said that she and other members of the HHS symphonic choir also enjoyed their recent field trip to Chicago March 1-4, where they attended a musical and visited museums in addition to attending a clinic at an area college.

“It was good to experience the arts out there and get into a different type of environment,” she said. “We really learned a lot at the clinic that we went to.”

In other reports:

• Board member Beverly Rhoads reported that the March Great Oaks Board of Directors meeting was held at the Live Oaks campus, along with an open house, tours, ribbon-cutting ceremony and a dinner for the board.

“Following a $38 million renovation project, more than 400 attendees celebrated the new space,” Rhoads said. 

Rhoads added that the district also received a gold-level Effective School Board Award at the Ohio School Boards Association’s Southwest Region Spring Conference.

• Board member Tom Milbery praised the efforts of an HHS student after reading a story written by Hillsboro High School journalism students. Kate Trisdale, a sophomore at Hillsboro High School, recently saved a woman's life when she began choking on her food at an area restaurant. 

• For a legislative update, board member Larry Lyons spoke about the changes to the Ohio Department of Education, which is now the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

“They’re sorting through the duties that are in there, and both are making some rules,” Lyons said. “They're trying to make certain that that those two departments don't cause a lot of confusion for the schools.”

In other action:

• The board approved Aug. 1 as the deadline for open enrollment application. The current deadline is Sept. 30, but Davis said the state advised “there isn’t a specific date that we have to use,” and the district “would like to move it up.

“We'll know exactly how many students we have in each grade and the teachers that we’ll need,” Davis said. “It’ll give us a better judge of what our class sizes are going to be. If we have it at September 30, then we're in session for almost a month and a half before that deadline is up for accepting open enrollment.”

• The board approved the 2024-25 Elementary Handbook, also in an attempt to get enrollment organized ahead of the new school year. 

“This is normally done in the summer, and we wanted to kind of get a jumpstart on this because of our Final Forms,” Davis said. “A lot of our students that are enrolling, whether it be preschool or kindergarten, to get that number in order for them to be enrolled, they have to finish Final Forms. In order for them to finish Final Forms, they have to approve the handbook piece. 

“It deals with a lot with our preschool numbers, trying to get those preschool slots filled. That makes sure that they are officially enrolled instead of hanging out there, so we wanted to get this approved. We'll be approving the high school one later in the summer, like normal.”

• The board accepted the resignations of teachers Susan Burnett and Debra Jenkins, effective at the end of the 2023-24 school year, due to retirement; and Elizabeth McNeal, effective March 22.

There were 13 concerned students and adults present Monday, with six students asking to be placed on the agenda to speak under public participation. The group — many of whom are officers in Hillsboro FFA — spoke about various aspects of the chapter and encouraged the board and school district to look into replacing McNeal’s position as they plan for that staffing for the 2024-25 school year. Read more at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/hillsboro-ffa-members-share-concer….

• The board approved the financial reports as presented. According to Teeters, the district had a general fund cash balance of $9,105,972 for February 2024, up from $6,412,691 last February; expenses of $2,259,041, an increase over last year’s $2,060,295; and revenues of $1,513,091, also up from $708,961 a year ago.

• The board accepted the following donations: $569.19 from the Class of 1951, toward the Hillsboro Alumni Fund; an anonymous $5 donation and an anonymous $500 donation, both to be used where needed; $100 from First State Bank, $850 from Merchants National Bank, $210 from Ponderosa and $432 from The Porch toward Wildcats shirts; $100 from Howland Asphalt toward prom; and $500 from Merchants National Bank toward the junior class for 2025 prom.

• The board approved the tuition sliding fee scale for preschool income eligibility chart, and in a related motion, the preschool tuition fee scale for the 2024-25 school year. According to the approval, “Standard monthly tuition will be $100 per month (September through May) for families that are above the 200-percent poverty guidelines. Eligibility for free tuition is determined when a family is 200-percent below the poverty guidelines.”

• The board approved the GPD Employees’ Foundation Grant of $5,888 for the purpose of purchasing a special mobility chair.

“This was a grant that Mrs. [Kim] Beam [special education supervisor] filled out for some students in the middle school, and we have received it, so we need to accept that grant,” Davis said.

• The board approved an out-of-state field trip for the high school science class to Newport, Ky. on April 5, as well as an out-of-state field trip for the middle school robotics team to Dallas, Texas on April 27-May 1. Davis said that five robotics team members advanced to the VEX Robotics World Championship. 

• The board approved the following individuals for the contracts and positions indicated: volunteers (all at Hillsboro Elementary) — Nathan Burke, Rebecca Herrick, Kelly Perkins and Cassie West; sub classified — Emmalynn McGuire (cook, secretary), Sherry Stark (aide, cook, clerical) and Josephine Taylor (cook); classified — Jamie Schmelzenbach McRill (cook, step 2); sub certified — Kelly Shiltz; and supplemental — Blake Kibler (HS freshman boys basketball coach, retroactive to Oct. 1, 2023).

• The following staff members were approved to work kindergarten registration on June 6: Paige Anderson, Shellie Anderson, Danielle Bice, Debbie Couch, Tara Davis, Tiffany Gobin, Katie Greer, Crystal Moore, Rodney Newman, Ellen Patton, Trista Rhodes, Barbara Simbro, Stephanee Teufel, Lindsey Wagner, Beth Watts, Kristine Wigginton, Tara Williamson and Ellen Wright. In a separate motion, Crystal Myers was also approved, with Bill Myers abstaining.

• The following early graduates were approved: Chandler Burson, Bryden Hall, Haylee Davis, Josh Decker and Cameron Morrow. 

• The board approved leaves of absence for cook Tracy Cremer (effective March 6-25); teachers Pam Harp (April 3-17) and Jessica Jordan (April 17-May 29); and paraprofessional Beverly Hottle (March 18-May 23).

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