Hillsboro school board prepares for organizational meeting, recognizes recent achievements

The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education made plans for their 2025 organizational meeting and heard updates on recent student achievements during their regular meeting Monday, Dec. 16.

The board appointed Bill Myers to serve as president pro tempore for the 2025 calendar year’s organizational meeting. That meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 6 at 6:50 p.m., along with a finance committee meeting at 6 p.m.; a tax budget hearing at 6:45 p.m.; and the regular board meeting to immediately follow the organizational meeting.

The organizational meeting is held each January prior to the board’s first regular meeting. It includes electing the board president and vice president; establishing meeting dates and times; assigning board members to committees; and authorizing various matters related to employment and finances, among other items.

Also on Monday, superintendent Tim Davis and student representative Madison Dearmon shared news of several recent accomplishments by HCS students and/or staff.

Davis highlighted the college signing of senior Camryn Spruell, who has committed to play softball at Ball State University, a Division I university that competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

“That is a great honor,” Davis said. “She is an outstanding player and an even better person.”

Davis also praised Hillsboro’s third grade teachers (and their students) for surpassing the state average pass rate on the fall state assessment test.

“Our third graders had 49 percent pass this fall, and the state average was 42 percent,” Davis said.

Dearmon reported that 25 high school students have been selected for induction into the HHS National Honor Society chapter Wednesday Dec. 18.

“The NHS officers have been planning the induction ceremony,” she said.

One other recent achievement was accomplished in conjunction with several other schools and led to nearly $1,000 raised for a local family in need. According to Dearmon, the Hillsboro FFA chapter held the “Highland County Hoedown” Dec. 11, with McClain, Lynchburg-Clay and Mowrystown FFA chapters and three state officers attending the event.

“At the hoedown, we dance, play games, have a cornhole tournament, eat and have a raffle,” Dearmon said. “Students can pay $10 at the door, pay for raffle tickets and pay to participate in the cornhole tournament. All money raised at the hoedown goes to a family in one of the chapters who is in need.

“This year, we raised $988 for the family in need.”

Dearmon also noted that the senior class officers are planning the “Christmas Clash Games” to be held Dec. 19 before the holiday break.

“We have many games and events to play, such as a spikeball tournament, a relay race, a tug-of-war tournament and small individual competitions,” Dearmon said.

In other reports, board member Beverly Rhoads discussed the Dec. 11 Great Oaks Board of Directors meeting. Several board members were recognized for service milestones, including local honorees Ron Friend of Fairfield Local Schools (seven terms) and Susan Blankenship of Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools (one term).

Also recognized at the Great Oaks meeting were members of the Live Oaks/Milford JROTC Female Raiders Team, who won the National U.S. Army Raiders competition in October.

The Great Oaks board also accepted a $95,588 Talent Ready Grant and a $1,724,849 bid from Radius Construction Co., Inc. for the Diamond Oaks Dental and Welding Labs project, and they heard an update on the Great Oaks Education Foundation, Rhoads said.

In other action:

• The board approved the extension of a contract for Duane Burns for OBI (On-Bus-Instructor) training through February 2025. The contract was originally approved through Dec. 31 at the board’s August meeting.

In August, Davis said that the person who handles OBI training in house is “on leave” and that Burns is a state-approved OBI instructor. At board member Larry Lyons’ recommendation, the motion in August, which was initially open-ended, was revised to expire at the end of December, at which point Lyons said they should approve an extension if needed.  

• The board approved the financial reports as presented by treasurer Ben Teeters.

• The board approved the following individuals for the contracts and positions indicated: sub classified, cooks Katelyn Carey (retroactive to Dec. 11) and Lisa Ritchie (retro Dec. 5), cook/clerical/paraprofessional Jocey Friday (retro Dec. 10), custodian Misty Crothers (retro Dec. 13), bus driver Benjamin Reed (retro Dec. 9) and cook/custodian Venesia Sanchez (retro Dec. 13); certificated, teacher Sara Lamb (effective Jan. 2 for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year); volunteer, baseball coach Blake Bagshaw; and supplementals, HS varsity girls track coach Dave Dietrick, MS girls track coach Fawn Girard, HS varsity boys track coach Bud Marsh, elementary wrestling coordinator Chad Vaughn and MS boys track coach Ben Young.

• The board accepted leaves of absence for cook Anna Aber (effective Dec. 12-March 12) and teacher Kayla DeAtley (effective Jan. 6-Feb. 17).

• The board approved membership in the Ohio School Boards Association for the 2025 calendar year. The total cost is $7,940.

• The board accepted the resignation of elementary wrestling coordinator Benjamen Pence, effective Nov. 26.

• The board accepted a $6,000 donation from NCB toward holiday power packs for students and a $150 donation from Thomas Tilton, class of 2025, toward supplies for elementary students.

• The board approved Emily Akers and Kayla Salyer as early graduates.

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