Education updates and five-year forecast come before Greenfield school board
Director of instruction Alisa Barrett (bottom left) is pictured as she provides updates during the Greenfield Exempted Village Schools Board of Education meeting on May 19. Also pictured (clockwise around the table from the left) are superintendent Quincey Gray, board members Rachel Fraley, Eric Wise, and Eric Zint, treasurer Brad Barber, and board members Marilyn Mitchell and Sandy Free. (Photo by Angela Shepherd/GEVS.)
By Angela Shepherd
GEVS
Greenfield’s board of education heard updates, a breakdown of the five-year forecast, and gave approval on many items, including employment positions for the new school year and things relating to two renovation projects, at its regular meeting on May 19.
Alisa Barrett, the district’s director of instruction, provided an update to the board as the school year comes to a close. This included the four-year graduation rate for the 2025 cohort of students, which was 97.8 percent, she said. This reflects a class size of 138 students with 135 graduated, two dropped out, and one deferred graduation.
Barrett also noted that the science of reading training has been completed by all the teachers. This training has been happening for the last couple years, and is now a state mandate. She said continued support will be provided to teachers and intervention specialists by the district’s three reading specialists.
After several years of using the same math curriculum in the elementary, which educators have been pleased with, Barrett said, the hope is a new curriculum will be adopted in the coming school year which is the same one started in the middle school this school year. This will ensure coherence throughout the curriculum, she said. The new curriculum should come before the board for a vote at its next meeting.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its use as an educational tool is being examined by a group of district educators, Barrett said. The district is planning to focus on AI during August’s professional development learning prior to students return to the classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year. Barrett said there are many uses for AI far beyond cheating, and as this technology use increases, educators want to ensure that district students are as prepared as possible.
District treasurer Brad Barber presented the five-year forecast, which is required to be done twice a year, once in November and then an update in May. The forecast, he said, only pertains to the general fund and is submitted to the state to review a district’s fiscal health. The forecast is not a guess, but projections based on what is known today.
While many variables affect the five-year forecast, the chief one is the state budget. And due to the district’s economic status, 74.5 percent of district funding is provided through the state, Barber said.
Barber also noted some concerns and challenges, and said that there should be more definitive information by the next school board meeting regarding what can be expected as the state’s budget should be finalized by then.
The projections presented on Monday are: 2025 - $13.49 million; 2026 - $14.13 million; 2027 - $13.59 million; 2028 - $11.84 million; and 2029 - $8.83 million.
With the graduation of the class of 2025 just passed and the awarding of many, many scholarships, Barber said that as a community, “we are very blessed” because there are so many generous families and organizations that make sure every year that these scholarships are available to McClain students. While some organizations and families handle their own choosing of recipients and the distribution of money, the district has been charged with holding in trust others. This year, Barber said, the scholarships entrusted to the district to be distributed to student recipients comes to $251,000.
In other meeting matters, consent agenda items included approval of the treasurer’s report and the five-year forecast; approval of a quote from Farnham Equipment for seats for the auditorium revitalization; accepting the resignation of Ronald Kinzer, who prior to his April retirement served as the second-shift custodian at Buckskin for 16 years; and accepting of the resignations of aide Bridgette Smith and substitute Aimee Gaines.
Also approved by the board of education was an agreement with Stockmeister Enterprises for the science labs renovation project, which will likely occur over two summers. Additionally, a trip to Greece by middle school students in June of 2026 was also approved.
Employment recommendations approved by the board are: Angela Holley - second grade teacher at Buckskin Elementary; Miranda Stidham - high school ELA teacher; Shellie Anderson - third grade teacher at Rainsboro Elementary; Stacia Guthrie - kindergarten registration worker; Julie Parker - custodian at Buckskin; Stephanie Mustard - head cook at Rainsboro; Susan Long - certified substitute; Tracey Cokonougher - ticket manager; Mark Bihl - weight room supervisor; Payton Smith - cross country assistant; Tyler Carman - boys golf and girls bowling; Venessa Penwell - cheerleader advisor for basketball and football; Jarrod Haines - boys basketball coach; John Gill - boys soccer; Leann Thieman - girls seventh grade basketball; Keith Penwell - football coach; Coty Barnhart - football assistant; Jacob Catrone - seventh grade football; Jeana Copas-McNeal - girls swimming; Rick Duffus - boys swimming; Loretta Flora - girls middle school swimming; Shania Massey - girls basketball; Drew Hamilton - girls basketball assistant; Cierra Bolender - volleyball coach; summer student tech help - Anna Barrett, Jacek Valler, Zadin Winland, and Hunter Simmons; summer student maintenance help - Izzy Clevenger, Jordan Blair, Noah Vangundy, and Blake Shafer; Kaleb Frazier - summer maintenance help; Lyndsey Mincey - art teacher for Buckskin and Rainboro elementaries; Derrick Lyons - girls golf; Richard Bivens - football assistant; Andie Stark - cheerleader assistant football; Cierra Swan - junior high cheerleading for football and basketball; Evan McGlone - football assistant; Kyndall Penwell - volleyball assistant and cheerleading assistant basketball; David Edwards - golf assistant; Ashley Karnes - cheerleading assistant basketball; Blain Bergstrom - girls soccer; Devin Penwell - football assistant; Matt Binegar - football assistant; Brad Campbell - football assistant; Nicholas Beatty - football assistant; Ryan Stark - football assistant; Eric Downey - eighth grade football; Joseph Jeffers - seventh grade football; Shawn Walker - eighth grade girls basketball; Shawna Conger - girls basketball assistant; Blythe Bolender - volleyball assistant; Braden Wright - volunteer football assistant; and Sam Mincey - cross country.
The next regular meeting of the Greenfield Exempted Village School District Board of Education is scheduled for June 30 at 7 p.m. in the central office boardroom. To keep updated on what is going on in the Greenfield Exempted Village School District, go to the district website at greenfield.k12.oh.us or go to the district’s social media pages. The individual buildings also have Facebook pages. The district’s central office may be reached by calling (937) 981-2152.