Hillsboro City Schools board recognizes students with perfect state test scores; Fryman sworn in as new student rep

Superintendent Tim Davis highlighted 19 perfect individual state assessment test scores across the district during the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education’s Monday, Sept. 15 meeting, as 18 students from third grade through high school had a perfect score in at least one subject this past spring. Several of those students were on hand to be recognized by the board and a standing-room-only crowd of family and friends.

Lennon Garman, a fourth grader last year, earned two perfect scores, one for math and one for English language arts (ELA). Also receiving a perfect score for various subjects last year were: Hayden Smith (third grade math); Ty Johnson, Elijah Kelley, Evelyn McGrill and Camden Whipkey (fourth grade math); Raelynn Bennett and Aubrie Short (fourth grade ELA); Matthew Adams, Addison Mootz, Annie Rusch, Jude Yuellig (fifth grade math); Evelyn Hutchinson (sixth grade math); Austin Inman (seventh grade math); Collin Howell (eighth grade science); and Riley Gallimore, Kenny Shawhan and Devon Steward (high school American history).

Adams, Bennett, Gallimore, Garman, Kelley, Shawhan and Yuellig attended Monday’s meeting, with each receiving a certificate and handshake from Davis, along with a round of applause for each student individually and as a group. Davis congratulated the other 11 students as well and said that they would also be receiving certificates.

“Thank you for the job that you put in each and every day, and keep up the great work,” Davis told the students. “I’m very proud of you.”

Along with honoring the perfect state test honorees, Davis discussed the State Report Cards, which were released the day of the board meeting. The Hillsboro district received three and a half stars out of five. 

On the lower end of the district’s grades was the progress component, where Hillsboro received two stars. Davis explained that they receive “a ding in progress” anytime students do worse on their state tests compared to the previous year. 

“We’ve seen that a lot,” Davis said. “That's one of the things we're working on.”

However, the district received five stars on the gap closing and graduation rate components of the state report card, Davis pointed out. 

“The biggest thing is gap closing, so we're closing the gap,” he said. “Kids are learning more than a year's worth of growth, so that is great for our district. Our graduation rate, we’ve improved on that. That was one of our lower ones.”

The Hillsboro Intermediate School also received five stars again this year overall.

“We're still performing extremely well,” Davis said. “I’m very proud of our district and our teachers and our students.

“I’m very proud of our staff, looking forward to what this year is going to bring and the continued success, and very proud of where we are as a district.”

For more on Hillsboro and other county school grades, go to: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/highland-county-districts-schools-….

Another student was also honored Monday. At the start of the meeting, district treasurer Ben Teeters administered the oath of office to Abigail Fryman, who has been selected as the student representative to the board for 2025-26.

“Welcome, Abby,” Myers said. “We’re looking forward to working with you over this year.”

In her first report to the board, Fryman announced that the varsity girls tennis team has won a Frontier Athletic Conference title with an undefeated record. 

Davis also congratulated the girls tennis team as well as the district’s Highland County Fair participants and all of the fall sports teams for their successes thus far in his report.

On a more somber note, the meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of elementary paraprofessional Tiffany Keidel and high school/middle school head cook Kimberly Collins, who passed away Sept. 10 and Sept. 11, respectively.

“It was a very difficult week for us this week,” Davis said. “Back to back days, we lost a staff member, and we had a student that was care flighted, so at this time, I just want everyone to keep the families of Tiffany Keidel and Kim Collins in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn their loss. 

“Also, continue to pray for our student. She's out of surgery. She's got a long road to recovery with multiple broken bones, but she is improving.”

Davis added that the district’s “staff has come together” as they have been mourning over the past several days.

“It’s been very tough for all of us, but we will get through it together,” Davis said. 

Board president Bill Myers said that he visited the student in the hospital and encouraged the community to continue to pray for her and her family.

“She's still in a lot of pain, but God is good, and the bones will mend and heal,” Myers said. “Continued prayers for their family.”

In other discussion: 

• Board member Beverly Rhoads recapped the Sept. 10 Great Oaks board meeting. According to a report at that meeting, Great Oaks has a record-high enrollment of 3,494 juniors and seniors this school year. 

Also discussed were a $20,250 donation to the Great Oaks Education Foundation in memory of Jyan Waespe; the recognition of two board members who earned Ohio School Boards Association Aptitude Awards; the advisory committees for this school year; and the acceptance of a nearly $1.1 million bid for a new project at the Diamond Oaks campus.

Rhoads invited Hillsboro’s board members to attend a ribbon-cutting event Oct. 8 at Laurel Oaks for a new multimillion-dollar construction project, as the new building will house the alternative/electric vehicle technician and construction technology programs.

• Board member Larry Lyons said that “all the bills that are going to impact education right now” are in committee being amended at the Ohio Statehouse in his legislative report. 

• The board approved the forecast for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Previously, Teeters presented a five-year forecast in the spring and fall, but he said that state laws have recently changed the protocol. 

“With the new law that passed, it was supposed to be like four years, but we still refer to it as a five-year forecast, but it's going to change with the new budget that passed by the legislators,” Teeters said. “They changed the dates to file a five-year forecast to August 31 and to February 28, so they didn't get the rule changes out in time, so they gave us until October 15 to file the current forecast that we have. I’ve got us looking in pretty good shape out until FY29.”

• The board approved the financial reports as presented by Teeters. Teeters reported a general fund cash balance of $9,827,264 for August 2025, down from $11,051,822 in August 2024; expenses of $2,388,697, down from $2,420,727 a year ago; and revenues of $1,641,833, up from $1,605,459 last year.

• The board approved the following individuals for the contracts and positions indicated: classified — cook Destiny Sonner (retroactive to Sept. 8); mentor — Hannah Barnett; supplementals — HS assistant varsity boys basketball coach Chris Fauber, HS assistant varsity girls basketball coach Ben Fouch, HS reserve girls basketball coach Jake Fouch, HS boys varsity bowling coach Shane Ison, HS reserve boys basketball coach Blake Kibler, HS varsity assistant swim coach Megan MacIvor, HS assistant wrestling coaches Bruce Messer and Jeremy Ratcliff, HS girls varsity bowling coach Jeff Miller, HS varsity wrestling coach Ben Pence, HS varsity swimming coach Matthew Schneider and HS freshman boys basketball coach Dustin Willey; sub certified — Jessica Barreras, Ashley Beatty, Kylah Chaney, Hannah Conley, Julie Knoblauch, Deborah Smith, Shane Walterhouse and John Worley; sub classified — custodians Josh Brown and Walker McTaggart and cook/custodian Lindsey Wilson; and volunteers — HES volunteers Jordan Allard, Melinda Andersonn, Brook Ballein, Heidi Barr, Katie Basford, Jordan Bodnar, Ann Bowersock, Kayleigh Cowguill, Regina Crowe, Bridget Cutler, Mary Dixon, Taylor Eversole, Morgan Fauber, Tami Fulkerson, Erica King, Lynette Hamilton, McKenna Hatfield, Taylor Hemming, Christopher Hunter, Tasha Kereky, Brenda Knisley, Sierra Mills, Erica Morgan, Miranda Newton, Leah Rose, Ryan Sexton, Jessica Taberski, Thomas Taberski, Laura Throckmorton, Mary Thompson, Emily Velasquez, Lance Vodnais, Stephanie Worrall and Destinie Wright-Deaton, volunteers for all buildings Dianna Bennett, Sarah Leasure and Estella Payne, HES/HMS volunteers Adam “Leo” Bible, Kayla Conrad, Carolyn Magee, Angela Martin, David Satterfield, Paige Satterfield and Sarah Stapleton, and unspecified, Erin Tumbleson.

• The board approved a resolution of appointment to the Great Oaks Career Campuses Governing Board, naming Rhoads as Hillsboro’s representative for another three-year term (Jan. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2028). Rhoads said that she has served as Hillsboro’s representative on the Great Oaks board for all 20 years she has been an HCS board member.

• The board approved price change for adult meals for the 2025-26 school year, raising lunch prices from $5 to $5.05 and breakfast prices from $2.85 to $2.95.
  
“This is just a requirement that the state sent down to us that we weren't charging enough for adult meals,” Teeters said.

• The board accepted the resignation of Jessica Rhoades from the Building Leadership Team, effective for the 2025-26 school year. 

• The board approved a leave of absence for custodian Nancy Jennings, effective Oct. 17-Dec. 28.

• The board approved a change of status for Shana Perkins from paraprofessional without an associate’s degree to paraprofessional with an associate’s degree, step 0.

• The board approved an out-of-state field trip for the high school FFA chapter to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 29-31.

• The board approved a Southern Ohio ESC program service agreement for the 2025-26 school year for a student in the ESC’s alternative school.

• The board approved Dylan Fahnestock as an early graduate.

• The board accepted a $1,500 donation from Country Quilters in support of facility use.