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Hillsboro City Schools board OKs 2025-26 calendar, treasurer contract

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Pictured (l-r) are Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education members Tom Milbery, Beverly Rhoads, Bill Myers, Jerry Walker, Larry Lyons and Madison Dearmon. (HCP Photos/Caitlin Forsha)
By
Caitlin Forsha, The Highland County Press

The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education approved the district’s next school calendar and extended their contract with the district treasurer during their monthly meeting Monday, Feb. 17.

After holding a hearing on the proposed calendar in January, the board approved the 2025-26 school calendar as presented.

Next school year will begin Wednesday, Aug. 13, with the week of Sept. 1 off for the Highland County Fair. Other days off for students include Oct. 31, the day after beggars’ night; Nov. 26-28, for the Thanksgiving holiday; Dec. 19-Jan. 2, for Christmas break; Jan. 19 and Feb. 16, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day, respectively; and April 3 and 6, for spring break. The last day of school is set for May 20, with graduation scheduled for May 24.

Professional development days will be held Aug. 7-8 and May 22, and the following dates which will be other days off for students: Oct. 17, Dec. 19 and March 13.

In unrelated action, the board voted unanimously to renew the treasurer contract for Lewis (Ben) Teeters for three years, effective Aug. 1, 2025. He has served as the district treasurer since 2016.

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Ben Teeters

“I just want to say we are extremely thankful and grateful to have you in the school district and look forward to another three years of working with you,” board president Bill Myers told Teeters.

“I appreciate it,” Teeters said.

In other discussion:

• In his report to the board, superintendent Tim Davis announced that board member Beverly Rhoads will receive the Ohio School Boards Association’s service award during their March 6 spring conference.

According to the OSBA website, “a board member must earn 150 points within a three-year period to achieve the OSBA Service Award,” as points can be earned through serving on various local and state committees.

“She is one of only 71 people that are be receiving this from the OSBA,” Davis said. “It's the STAR (Service, Training, Aptitude and Recognition) Award program that they do for board members. Congratulations to her, and we'll be celebrating March 6 at the Greene County Career Center.”

Davis said elsewhere in his report that the district has been dealing with the winter weather, while winter sports are “coming to an end,” with end-of-season honors to be announced later.

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Tim Davis

• Student representative Madison Dearmon shared updates on recent and upcoming activities of the high school FFA and National Honor Society chapters.

For the FFA, Dearmon said members have wrapped up their annual strawberry sale fundraiser.

“We hope to have those strawberries in the next few weeks, so we can get those delivered to all our buyers,” she said. “That's a big fundraiser for us.”

The group was celebrating FFA Week during the week of Feb. 17 (as weather permitted), with theme days for students and a teacher appreciation lunch planned.

“They're very patient with the FFA members, because we have to miss school often, so it's kind of our way of giving back,” Dearmon said.

The chapter’s annual alumni consignment auction with Rick Williams Auction Co. is set for Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Highland County Fairgrounds.

“FFA officers have been working hard to get this planned,” Dearmon said. “The members are excited to also help and get the auction ready as well, and they'll also help run it.”

The group has also been successful in recent Career Development Events, or CDEs, according to Dearmon.

“Ann Boyd, Bri Foxx, Claire Winkle, Grace Allen, Emma Yochum, Corbin Winkle, Carter Boyd and Addy Knauff all competed in public, in a public speaking CDE at various different levels,” Dearmon said. “Ann, Bri and Claire, Emma and Grace and Corbin all got to move on to districts, and then Ann, Claire and Emma will go on to compete in state and represent Hillsboro.

“Our ag sales team also competed at districts but did not move on to state. However, individually, Corbin Winkle placed first overall, and Carter Boyd placed second overall. And then Zack Askren and Kenny Shawhan competed in ag diagnostics, and they both placed fifth in districts.”

For the NHS chapter, Dearmon said they are working to organize a spring fundraiser, which is yet to be decided, and to coordinate an upcoming blood drive.

“Our members will help organize all the blood donors and make it a little bit easier for the workers,” she said.

• Rhoads reported that she was unable to attend the February Great Oaks Board of Directors meeting due to illness but shared highlights from their agenda. She said that there are 2,095 available spots for incoming juniors for 2025-26, and the district had received a combined 2,714 applications for their four campuses as of their priority deadline.

Four board members were sworn in, including new board member Tim Starkey of East Clinton, and Rhoads and other board members receiving awards at the OSBA Spring Conference were recognized.

The Great Oaks board also approved a contract for Laurel Oaks exercise science lab renovations and a resolution in support of Ohio’s Fair School Funding Plan.

• For his legislative update, Lyons said that changes in school funding are being considered with the latest biennial budget.

“They're using the 2022 basis starting to calculate the funding that's coming up,” Lyons said. “They did not increase any funding on the base formula. That got a lot of discussion at the legislative front.”

Lyons added that he would also be “taking some Native American Indian artifacts into the elementary one of the elementary classes for their history class and displaying some artifacts” later in the week.

• The board approved the financial reports as presented. Teeters reported a general fund cash balance of $11,639,976.30 for January 2025, up from $9,851,922 in January 2022; expenses of $2,871,787.90, up from $2,801,204.37 a year ago; and revenues of $2,480,244.73, also up from last year’s $2,335,449.72.

“We're running about the same amount of expenses and same amount of revenue, so that's what you call evening out,” Teeters said.

• The board authorized the purchase of one 78-passenger school bus from Complete Bus from $131,940. The bids and advertisement were received through the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council.

In response to a question from Lyons, Davis said they were unable to find a suitable used bus to purchase this year, with the best option available being a 2011 model in Indiana.

“School buses have gone up quite a bit in the last four years,” Davis said. “They were about $89-90 [thousand] when we bought our last new one.”

• The board approved individuals for the following contracts and positions indicated: sub certified — Corey Allen (retroactive to Feb. 7), Zachary Bambic (retro Jan. 27), Katelyn Boysel, Jessica Cochran and Mikayla Griffith; sub classified — custodian Ryan Cole (retro Jan. 27), cook/secretary Madisyn Cox (retro Jan. 27), aide/cook Amanda Humphrey, van driver Heather Jones and cook Emmalynn McGuire (retro Feb. 10); volunteers — coach Ryan Burns and Hillsboro Elementary volunteer Nicole Partin; and supplemental — HS varsity softball coach Gary Breeden, seventh grade girls basketball coach JC Captain, MS girls track coach Penny Carter, HS assistant baseball coaches Wyatt Condo and Nathan Rutledge, HS assistant softball coaches Jason Dearmon and Bobby Thornburgh, DLC Tara Gilliland (effective Jan. 28), open gym coordinators Josh Howland and Heather Storer, MS boys track coach Ed Letts, HS varsity baseball coach Ben Miller, HS reserve softball coach Mallory Parsons, HS reserve baseball coach Justin Scott, HS boys tennis coach Larue Turner and elementary basketball coordinator Dustin Willey.

In a separate employment-related motion — due to the information being ready after the agendas were already prepared — school board members approved the hiring of Payton Bell as a school psychologist for the 2025-26 school year under a one-year contract.

• The board accepted the resignations of teachers Kristie Cornele (due to retirement) and Breanne Harp, effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year; paraprofessional Candace McCleese, effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year, due to retirement; and MS girls basketball coach Larry Scruggs, effective with the 2024-25 school year.

In response to a question from board member Tom Milbery, Davis clarified that Scruggs “hasn’t coached all year” and that this action was just making his resignation official.

• The board rescinded a paraprofessional contract offer made to Angela Anderson in November due to failure of signing the contract.

“The board has obligated for her to come to work [with the November contract],” Teeters said. “Now, you're rescinding your original motion where you hired her. That way it's not always hanging there for her to get a contract sometime during the year or something.”

• The board approved leaves of absence for cook Tracy Cremer (effective Feb. 3-March 17); teachers Donica Grow (Jan. 28-Feb. 4) and Keely Smith (Jan. 30-Feb. 9); and custodian Ray Purdin (Feb. 9-27).

• The board approved a recommendation to award a diploma to Zachariah Beyer, a resident of the district who has completed the Ohio Department of Education’s requirement per HB 64.

• The board approved the following early graduates: Jadis Collins, Christian Franz, Brendan Miller, Daniel Stamper and Thomas Tilton.

• The board passed a resolution expressing the board’s  “wishes to participate and authorize the Southeastern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council to advertise and receive bids on said board’s behalf as per the specifications submitted for the cooperative purchase of school buses.”

• The board approved a resolution for continued membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

• The board approved an out-of-state field trip to Newport, Ky., scheduled for March 11 for the high school FFA chapter.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.

 

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