001Well, good evening and welcome to this meeting for Tuesday, February 17, 2026. If we could all please stand for the pledge of >> allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America, indivisible with all please >> Mr. Haynes here. >> Miss McCarthy here. >> Mr. Baka >> here. >> Mr. W. Finalization of the agenda. Is there anything to add or remove? >> The agenda is final presented. >> Thank you. It is recommended that the board of education approve the written summary of the organizational and regular minutes for the meetings on January 13, 2026 and January 20th, 2026. >> Second move by Mr. Griggsby, second by Mr. Roll, please. >> Mr. Griffby, >> yes. >> Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> Mrs. McCarthy, yes. Mr. Baka, >> yes. >> Mr. Waldin, >> yes. All right, as
002we get ready to turn it over to the superintendent this evening, parents, as we recognize your students, we will ask that you stay for a brief recess so we can get pictures of all the students at the conclusion, if you wouldn't mind. All yours. >> Thank you. Uh before we begin our recognition, I just want to take a moment to recognize the incredible care, concern, and love that we all felt today as a Ranger community um in a in a very hard time of loss. Um I do want to appreciate the county crisis crisis team um led by Miss Jackie Vance, Liz Wansky, and high school principal Megan Hnight. um that honestly brought our staff, students, and community together in a way uh that is not only very difficult um but very delicate, very caring
003um and we appreciate the work that this team put in today and will continue to put in um throughout the week as we need support in the district. I do want to remind um our parents and students that we will have people in place this week. Um if you do need additional support, our high school media center uh will be hosting um counselors and support services throughout the day. Um and anything that you might need, we certainly will be able to help. So again, just a huge thank you um to everybody for your care, your outreach, your concern, and all you did to holder Ranger just a little bit closer today. Okay, now I would like to turn it over to Mrs. Jensen Zone, who is to recognize our students at UCL. Good evening. >>
004Thank you so much for having me here tonight. I'm so honored to welcome both of our students of the month. We have our kindergarten student here and our preschool student. So, first we have little Riley. Riley's here with her mom today. This is Riley Weber. And her teacher has said that she's been working really hard in school and she's been making amazing progress and she is so eager to share her thoughts and to talk to all of her friends. Um, she enjoys playing throughout the school day. Uh, she has a positive attitude and a very infectious smile. Do you have a big >> um her teacher say that she strives for excellence and never gives up and is such a pleasure to watch her grow every single day. And wait till you hear all the
005teachers that are proud of you. This is from Miss Steel who's here today and Miss Hilly who's here today and Miss Britney and Miss Kim. They're all so proud of you. So let's hear it for Riley. kindergarten student. This is Hollis Hollis Lurco and she is a kindergarten student in our full day program with Mrs. Miss Jennings. Um she is a wonderful example of honesty and responsibility and kindness. She's always very dependable and you are a big helper in the classroom and her whole class is so proud of her and her teacher is especially appreciative of her because she makes such a positive difference every day in our school community. And Paul and I got to know each other really well. She's been helping me create a little video for our incoming kindergarten students and
006she gave some amazing advice for our incoming students. So, let's hear in brush. >> And now I'd like to introduce Mrs. Pulio from Liberty. Would you stand up for evening? >> Tonight I have the pleasure of introducing two students from Liberty. First, we have Payton Kawiki. This is Payton. It's Stitch. Um Pagan's teacher, Mrs. President Napole who's here tonight wrote that I am so proud to nominate Payton for student of the month. Payton is truly Ranger strong. She is responsible, respectful, and safe, which are our three school rules. So that's awesome. And she comes to school every day with a smile and ready to learn. At the beginning of the year, coming to school was not always easy, but she kept trying her best every day. Pagan takes ownership of her learning by practicing her
007phonics skills and high frequency words on her own. She is becoming a stronger reader every day. Keep working hard. >> And next tonight we have Nila Smenti. She is a second grade student in Mrs. Dugus's class who is also here for her this evening. And Mrs. Dugucas wrote that Mila shows great determination and never gives up even when learning is challenging. Mila tries her best every day, asks for help when needed, and continues to work hard. I am proud of Mila's effort and attitude towards school. She is truly Ranger strong. Keep up the tremendous work. >> And then next, I'd like to introduce Mr. Sullivan from >> Good evening everyone. I'm excited today to announce our Ranger Strong uh students of the month. Uh first up is Eva Pangas, third grader. Come on up. >>
008Has some great things to say. >> Congratulations. >> Eva consistently demonstrates what it means to be Ranger Strong both in and out of the classroom. She takes true ownership of her learning by completing her daily assignments with care and responsibility. Eva works cooperatively with her classmates, is always kind and respectful, and sets a positive example for everyone around her. Her positive attitude and strong character make her a joy to have in our classroom. Congratulations again, Steve. Next up is Max McKay. Max could not join us today, so I will just read some wonderful things about Max. Max is a kind, compassionate, and positive presence in our classroom. He greets others with a smile or a hug, interacts warmly with his peers, and consistently shows what it means to be a hard worker and to be
009a Ranger strong. So, congratulations to Max. speaker Zane Hack. Come on up, Zane. Zayn consistently demonstrates kindness, responsibility, and a willingness to learn. He works well with his peers and is always eager to participate during class. He is respectful and puts forth effort in everything he does. >> Zayn's positive attitude makes the five purple studio a great place to be. Congratulations against last but not least, Mackenzie Cooper. I do want to say if uh anybody saw the family newsletter that came out on Friday. Um beautiful picture there in the in the family newsletter. So take a look at that if you haven't. Um McKenzie is a shining example of what it means to be Ranger strong. She is extremely responsible and takes ownership of her learning. Always asking for help and working to her full
010potential. She is creative, positive, kind, and friendly. McKenzie gets along with everyone, treats others with respect, and is a positive role model for her peers. We are so proud of the growth she has shown this year and can't wait to see what her future holds. Congratulations. >> And I'm going to turn it over to Miss Durkin. Good evening. I'm very excited to be here today to um showcase two of our fabulous students at Ranger Hightech Academy. Our first learner that we are going to tell you about today is Denma Ubu. And Denma is was nominated by her fifth grade teacher, Coach Zacher. And this is what Coach Zacher said about Denma. Each day, Denma shows what it means to be Ranger strong. She is curious, creative, and consistently demonstrates leadership throughout the day. Dinma checks
011in with herself and her classmates to ensure everyone stays on task and focused, taking responsibility for her learning and encouraging others to do the same. Her willingness to stay engaged and to support her classmates makes her a positive role model in the classroom. With her dedication and positive mindset, her future is limitless. Keep up the great work, DMA. And our second student of the month is Sebastian Richards. Sebastian was nominated by his math and science just math math teacher coach. This is sales just next year. >> Yep. Okay. Um and he was also recognized for his individual accountability which is our steam community value for the month. Um and this is what um coaches had to say about Sebastian. Sebastian truly embodies our steam community value of accountability. He holds himself to high expectations by
012staying on top of his work, using strategies to manage his time, and completing assignments at a high level. He asks thoughtful questions that pushes his learning deeper. When something isn't correct, he takes ownership by finding his mistake and explaining his thinking. Sebastian's commitment to understanding and not just finishing makes him a strong academic role model for his peers. Thanks for being Ranger Strong and keep up the great work. >> And now I would like to introduce Mr. Hite from the high school. Right. Our first high school student of the month is Mr. Robert Bodette. So, Robert is a junior and he was in fact a Spanish teacher and she had this to say. Robert is an outstanding Spanish five student who consistently demonstrates a deep appreciation for both the Spanish language and culture. He approaches
013his studies with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a genuine passion for learning. He is also vice president of Spanish club where he exemplifies exceptional leadership, dedication, and initiative. He actively promotes student involvement and contributes to the growth of our Spanish program. He has also committed to extending his own learning, actively seeking how continue his Spanish studies his senior year and looking at additional CCP options for a Spanish club six. Um, and a little bit selfishly, I also work closely with Robert. He's a member of my student advisory group and is motivated, respectful, and a positive role model amongst his peers. So, congratulations, Robert. And our second student of the month couldn't be here in person today and I'll tell you a little bit about by but Kristen Carpenter is a senior and Kristen it is was nominated
014by her counselor and she had this to say. Kristen is a dedicated and hardworking student whose quiet confidence allows her to excel academically and in extracurricular pursuits. She may fly under the radar but her determination and strong work ethic consistently sets her apart. During her senior year, Kristen challenged herself and took additional CCP classes in order to meet requirements for the honors diploma. And she has also enrolled in a new program we have this year, our CNA program, why she's going to be here tonight. If you don't know about it, it's in partnership with L3C and the JVS where students are earning in real time a um a nursing a CNA nursing license. So, she is at that class this evening. Um Kristen's spunky personality perfectly complements her grit and determination with drive, focus, and
015positive spirit. She's going to find success. So, Kristen and our staff members. >> Good evening everybody. On behalf of the board of education, um it is my pleasure to introduce two staff members of the month and also say congratulations to all of our students that have been u mentioned and talked about so nicely this evening. Thank you for the families that are here and all of our staff that's here to support um the students as well. It's always great to see the teachers that nominate the the students be here um to support all of you as well. So, thank you. Um this month I have the pleasure of announcing two excellent staff members. Our first uh this month is Mrs. Ashley. U Ashley was first hired in July of 2014 as a math teacher at
016the high school uh prior to joining uh the North Ridge City School. who um served as a long-term substitute at North Homestead and then did a a long-term um substitute position with us and then we were able to um hire her on both high as an excellent math teacher for the district. She also had some very important service um as she served in the Ohio National Guard as a second lieutenant and has participated in the Army ROC uh mentorship program. Most recently, Ashley has been vital in bringing college credit plus courses to the high school. Mrs. Alman has taken advantage of multiple training opportunities, including a computer science endorsement um to add to her math license. And a parent nominated Ashley this month and had this to share. Mrs. Dyman teaches several math college credit
017plus classes at North Ridgeville. She helps the high school students learn to transition to a college course. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm for teaching really encourages the students to do their best. My daughter mentions her constantly as an amazing teacher. North Ridgeville High School is certainly lucky to have her. Um I would say the same. Ashley's willingness uh to continue her own education has afforded our students new opportunities and new pathways. And so she has um helped refine those additional opportunities for our students. and we congratulate her and thank her for her dedication. >> Our second employee this evening is Mr. James W. We first hired um Jim as a cleaner here at the academic center in December of 2022 and the next year he wanted um to transition uh to the parent professional role.
018So there was an opening for an auxiliary aid at the early childhood learning center which he spent one year and then this past year he wanted to move um to one of our able classrooms here at ENRACH. And so he is a paraprofessional um instructional leader uh here at the academic center. Um all of his colleagues, his team u nominated him, you know, multiple times, but one of his colleagues shared this. Jim has been an amazing addition to the school this year. He has a smile for everyone he meets, and his positivity is contagious. He is never anything less than patient with every child, regardless of the situation. and he is the first to jump in and help when there is a problem. Even during unstructured time, Jim can be found reading with a child
019or interacting with them. Jim's kindness uh for his students and his colleagues were mentioned in multiple nominations this month. We congratulate and thank him for the care that he shows our students. And again, just want to u thank all of our our teachers and our staff and our parents um and our students that nominate um our staff each month. It's a nice opportunity to be able to honor all of the great things that they're doing and congratulation again to all of our students this month. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations to all our students of the month. It's always our favorite meeting as well as our staff members. Uh we're going to take a brief recess so we can have some pictures taken. Please feel free to come back. We got this amazing financial forecast that
020will be absolutely riveting. Um or you can bail and take advantage of the temperatures and the the sun that have is changing again this weekend. All in our Liberty principal report to come back for that. >> So we're going to go ahead and take pictures. >> Go ahead and call this meeting back to order. >> Thank you so much. so much. Okay, next I would like to introduce Mrs. Julio from Liberty Elementary who would love to give the board an update on all the amazing things that we are doing with our first and second grade students. You're right. All right. Um, well, tonight I have the pleasure of sharing about Liberty. Um, all that we've accomplished so far this year, but also some things over time now that I've been at the building for a
021couple years. Our presentation tonight is broken up into four different sections relating to our four building goals. And the first one's the longest section. I'll try not to talk too much, but it gets progressively a little bit shorter. So, our first building goal this year is focused on our general education curriculum. And so when I say tier one curriculum, that means what we want all students to have access to. And you might be aware that last year we adopted two new curriculum. One is benchmark advance and that's for reading and writing as well as science and social studies is integrated within and then envision 2.0. So that is our math curriculum and then also we have students utilizing the Sunday system for reading intervention. So I included a couple pictures there of that in action.
022Last year, as we adopted the new curriculum, our focus was really on providing our teachers with professional development so that they were aware of how to utilize the curriculum, that they had the tools and strategies they needed to be successful. And so this year, we haven't lost sight of that, but we are really focused on tier 2 instruction. So that means that smaller group instruction, how can we make it more targeted for our students? And so you can see Mrs. Nova there. She's one of our second grade teachers. She's working with a small group of students at um reading a book at their level. So making it appropriate for that group of students. In the second picture, you can see Mrs. Bla and first graders. They're giving each other peer feedback on their writing. So
023working in smaller groups with one another and self- assessing their work. And then in the third picture, you can see some students from Mrs. Major's first grade classroom. They're working with our Envision Math curriculum and they're they've been learning about 10 more and 10 less. So they're playing a game and doing partner work. And then in the last picture, Miss Vinnie, she's one of our intervention specialists. Her students are utilizing the Sunday system for reading intervention. So, it's matched to their individual needs related to their goals. And if you probably for you to see, but they have like little witch fingers on. It was around Halloween time, so they were trying to make it cute and festive and engaging for the students. With our all of the instruction that we've been doing with our new
024curriculum, our school, our report card for last year for 2425, we were rated four out of five stars for early literacy. And so that is really looking at students who were previously off track and now they are on track. And so we are trending upwards in the right direction with that and our teachers have done such a wonderful job at working with our students on those skills. And then thinking about gap closing that's focusing on our chronic absenteeism rates and like the other buildings in the district that have shared during their presentations and Miss Vance we are partnering with the Cleveland Browns this year for the stay in the game initiative. And throughout the month of February, we have an attendance challenge. And so we're looking at attendance every week um classwide. And in early
025March, Chomps, the Browns mascot, is coming to Liberty. Um which a surprise. So I hope none of the kids are watching this right now. Uh but the class of the best attendance throughout the month of February in addition to some students who have shown improved attendance or excellent attendance, they'll get to meet Chomps and be a part of a reading event in early March. So we're doing some things to target attendance. Um that also is looking at our English language learners and we've hired an additional teacher this year. Um she is working at ECLC and Liberty and Miss Buller and she has been a wonderful addition to our staff working with that population of students. So we have some things in place to do even better, but we are all very proud of um our
026report card from last year. Our first building goal that I'm referencing really talks about the general education curriculum, but I did not want to forget to highlight our ebook classrooms as well. Uh, Liberty is primarily a first and second grade building, but we do have um actually quite a few kindergarters this year at Liberty in our two classrooms. And so, Miss Natalie and Miss Katie, they utilize the Teachtown Encore curriculum. So, that is giving their students access to the GenEd curriculum, but at an adaptive manner that meets their needs. Um, new this year, Miss Natalie and Miss Katie, they are very passionate about inclusion. So, making sure that their students are included with typical peers as much as possible. Um, and also educating families. So they have started Able Connect nights and they've had three
027so far. Our speech and language pathologists, our occupational therapists have all been a part of it and our Able families are able to come to Liberty, meet one another, connect with one another, and then be educated on topics that um relate to their students needs. That has been really wonderful for those families and great to see our teachers shine in that role. Um and also Miss Amarie, she's one of our preschool able teachers from ECLC. She has been joining them as well. Um, additionally, we still have friendship club this year and so that's one of my favorite pictures from the year that top left picture. They've also started friendship fuel. So, typical peers and then students from our AEL classroom. They meet monthly, do activities or sometimes they're bringing around a cart for teachers. And
028we have a couple teachers here tonight who I'm sure can attest to. It's nice to have like a hot chocolate show up at your door and some popcorn and such. and the students are using like fake currency to practice uh giving and receiving money and asking questions and taking orders. So even for our youngest learners, it's been really wonderful to see that in action. And then lastly related um to curriculum, we have Mrs. G is actually here tonight and she had a short u presentation shared that I linked in and I can send to you later because it really highlights so many of the awesome things she's doing in her classroom. But Steam is a new special to Liberty this year. Um and our students they they love going to steam. It's like the new
029thing at Liberty. I have steam today and they're super excited. Um she's utilizing the project lead the way curriculum which um classrooms at RHDA and ENRACH they also use that same program. There's different levels of it. So in first and second grade it's really just exploring and discovering and learning through play and hands-on work. Um and Mrs. G, you can see in some of those pictures makes just makes it super fun. for thinking um about collaboration and teamwork and crit critical thinking and building students confidence and she just does such a wonderful job at that. Then Mrs. Key was previously one of our secondary teachers and she when I started at Liberty a few years ago had said if there's ever like a science or steam or tech position like I'm all in and um
030she's very passionate about it and you can tell so it's been a great addition for her but also for our students as well. Our second building goal this year um focuses on MTSS which stands for multi-tered systems of support. So really we're thinking about intervention and enrichment opportunities and making sure that all of our students have access to timely supports whether that be academic um behavioral or social emotional um even attendance we talk about. So this is a new framework um that we have put into place this year to just proactively address student needs. So rather than waiting for a problem, we're trying to get ahead of it ahead of time. Um this year we're focusing there's about 134 students that we're focusing on and Liberty has uh about 620 students. So we're checking in
031on those students in our teacher meetings every six weeks. And so far about 84% of our students are making that expected progress which is really really great to see that what we're doing for these kiddos is working and getting them where they need to be. We have u 99 students receiving small group reading support. Um, and then we also have over 90 students who have received or are receiving support from our school counselor. So, Mr. Kennedy, um, he runs small groups throughout the day. He also does some one-on-one work with students, um, in terms of behavior, social emotional needs, but he also does whole group lessons every month as well. So, I put that like 90 91 plus because it's more students than that. Um, he really impacts tons of students. So, um, to do
032this, we administer assessments and screeners to students to see what their deficit is and what we need to address. And then we work together as a team to decide what does the student need to be successful. And then we monitor their progress over time. Our third building goal this year relates to social emotional learning. So, it ties into that some of that work Mr. Kennedy's doing. and then also PBIS, so positive behavior interventions and supports, um, which I know you've heard about before from other buildings. Last year, our staff noted that there was a need for more instruction around social emotional learning. So, feelings, um, how to deal with feelings, how to cope with feelings, strategies for those. And so, our staff got together, a committee, and we decided to adopt the zones of regulation
033curriculum. And this was something that the third and fourth grade at ENRA was already utilizing. So we thought if we could start it here and carry on as we go out, that's what makes more sense and will best support our students. And I know Miss Durkin is using it as well at RHT this year. And so the zones of regulation is really really focusing on that teaching students at this young age like what does it mean to be angry? What does it mean to be happy? What does it mean to be frustrated? And then when you are those things, how can you deal with them? How can you cope with them? What strategies can you use? Um and we have seen a ton of success with this. The program utilizes four colors and so it's
034been great to have common language across the building. Our recess monitors, our lunch monitors, our specialists, everybody has been trained in it. So if I see, you know, Kelly out in the hallway and I've never met Kelly before, but she's upset, I can still stop her and use the same language that her teacher would use in the classroom. Um, and so students are checking in every morning. You can see in that bottom left picture, one of our students, he's putting his little like picture magnet on his color and how he's feeling that morning. And every classroom does that. Um, every classroom has a dedicated time. It's the first 15 minutes of the school day where they're talking about this topic and they're going through their curriculum um, for social emotional learning and it's just we've
035seen a huge success. So, it's and I'm going to share a little bit about that next. Um, also PBIS, we're still doing so many of the things we were already doing. I know everybody talks about fancy lunch and our prize card and um, those expected um, behavior videos that we show students to show them what we expect at school. So far this year, we've done we've logged 200 positive phone calls to families as a staff. So about 31% of our students have received a positive call home um from a staff member in the building. And then again, just fostering all of this. We want anything that we're doing in school to connect to home. So trying to build those home to school connections is important with all this work. And this is what I need.
036Those are really small numbers. So I need my print out. Um, when talking about the zones of regulation, because this is a new program and we're about halfway through the year, we wanted feedback from different groups and stakeholders. So, we asked our students, we asked our staff, and we have families how they feel the program has been working so far. And so, when we asked students, and these are our first and second graders, we had 571 responses, so almost the entire school. Um, we asked them, "Do the zone the zones help me know how I'm feeling?" And 60% of students said all the time. in about 34% of students at some time. So, we know that it's working. Students are learning about their feelings and how they're feeling, which is so important at this age.
037We also ask students um learning about feelings make school feel, and 60% of students said better, which is great to hear that more than half of our students feel better about school because they're aware of their feelings and how to deal with them. When we asked staff on a scale of 1 to five, and five was the best, how helpful has having a daily block been? Um 77% of staff said great, it's been awesome. It's been really beneficial. We've seen a decrease in behavioral referrals. And that second question that we asked staff is what have they noticed from students? And so staff reported they notice students naming their feelings more, using regulation strategies more, asking for help more appropriately, all those things that we want, you know, our littlest learners to be able to do
038at this age. And then lastly, when we asked families, again, we wanted to see what we're doing at school is transferring over to home. Are we doing a good job at communicating this to families? Are they aware of it? We asked families if they were familiar with what we're using with this program. And about 46% of families said they're very familiar and about 43% of um families said somewhat familiar. So, we know that we could make them more familiar. We have work to do there. We're about halfway through the year, but almost half of our families are familiar with this. And so families have noticed that their students are talking about feelings more. They're calming down after being upset, asking for help. They're solving problems. So all those things that families want to see at
039home and we're able to provide them with the same visuals and same language that we use at school so it can help them at home as well. And then our fourth and final building goal this year focuses on our school culture. And so this will be our fourth year utilizing um a framework from the book School Culture Rewired. And so we have a school culture plan. They we have things in place for students, staff, and families. But this really focuses the slide on what we're doing um for staff. And so something that you can see over to the right side, some of the it's probably a little bit hard to see, but some of that data we each year put out a school culture survey. And so this data is from the spring of last
040year, which would have been our third year. And you can see over time from Liberty of 2023 to Liberty of 2025, how much more collaborative the staff have self-evaluated themselves um when it comes to our school culture. I know it's something I'm very proud of. I know it's something that the staff is very proud of um just to see how far we've come. All that green means we kind of maxed out on the collaborative um areas of the school culture survey. So you can see just again over time how much you know how great this place is to be, how great it is to work there. um and for students to learn ultimately because that's what's most important. Um some of the things that we are doing this year that have carried over from last
041year or are newer are focusing on owning our 20 square feet. So owning the space around us. What can we do? What's within our control? You know what we do and what we say impacts others. And so we talk about E plus R equals O. You have an event plus a response equals an outcome. Whatever outcome you want, you want to give a response to get the outcome that you want. Um, so we've focused on that a ton. If you ever come to Liberty on Mondays, um, staff look a little comfy, but they are donating for a cause. So, it's something that kind of excites them on Mondays about coming to work. And we've given back to local, um, communities and or our local community and local charities. Um, other things we've done is create
042new leadership opportunities for staff, especially with our committees. We have a very active social committee. We still have our pickleball league going, our book club. Um, our social committee plans just a ton of fun events in school, potlucks, games, as well as outside of school events for staff. And then our sunshine committee really helps staff um when they need it in times of need, but also happy things celebrating exciting events in staff life and staff's lives. And then our buddy classrooms, we pair up our first grade classrooms and our able classrooms with a second grade classroom so that staff and students are able to connect across the building. And then lastly, at the bottom, you can see our staff shoutouts for this year. It's I can't see that number from here. It's around 400 shoutouts
043that staff have given each other this year. So, I think that just goes to show um and we we staff were able to check off which area ranger strong that staff member was exemplifying when giving the shout out. And the biggest one by far is teamwork. So, um that just really goes to show that we are a team and all of our staff works together so closely um to just collaborate and make it a great place to work and a great place to learn for our students. Is it? I think that's it. Any questions? >> That was fantastic presentation. Thank you so much for that. I'm curious the charts that you use where the students can identify their feelings like I'm sure that's in the morning maybe when they come into school or >> Yep.
044>> Um what happens then after your child has identified their feelings for the day? >> It's a great question for the morning. >> Yeah, our teachers check in with it. Some teacher every classroom does it in the morning. Some classrooms do it a second time after lunch and recess because that's where we see a lot of you know issues in those unstructured times with students or maybe certain feelings happening. Um so teachers will kind of look over there in the morning. Some teachers utilize like number magnets so it's more private. Some teachers utilize like pictures of the students. A couple of our second grade teachers are doing it digitally like on a Google form and they're able to check it live and they call kids over if they need to talk um about it. So,
045it's been a good way for, you know, a kid wakes up late, misses the bus, has a bad breakfast or whatever, it's just having a rough morning, it makes the teacher aware, and then they can handle that student with a little bit more care throughout the day. >> Love it. >> Great. Thinking that I need to use it with my co-workers that >> I think it might be helpful to know what, you know, what people are coming in with. >> I know. And we we've been utilizing that language even, you know, with each other in the world. I'm in the friend zone right now. I'm feeling, you know, very frustrated and um patients enjoy it. It's been great. It's wonderful. Thank you. >> Well, it's awesome, too. Like Eli, he benefits from it. We utilize
046it at home. But the cool thing is when staff reaches out and says, "Hey, Eli was having a rough morning." We work through it. His days turned around and we get feedback throughout the day through parent square. So, it's not just something that you're utilizing the school as as a grandparent. We're made aware of how his day is going. And having a grand child that struggles with regulating his emotions at time, the feedback is awesome to know how his day is going. So we have a better idea what to expect when he gets home. And he loves Steam. It's by far his favorites. Um special used to be PE, but Steve, >> I just wanted to say I toured your school project. Um Mr. C. Um the silence walls phenomenal. >> I specifically went there
047without my hearing aids because that's how I was tested. >> Yeah. >> Couldn't hear anything. >> That was a good thing. >> And uh the per the furnace repairs >> were perfect. Everything in school was nice, warm, just this enjoyed either. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fuller. So, we're going to need that little emotional chart to see how everybody is at the beginning and then where they end at the end. I know how mine is. So, um, we are required to submit a forecast twice a year. They've changed it all. >> Um, now you have to do it. It was in November and May, and now they've changed it to October and February, but that doesn't really line up really well with a whole lot of things. So, I'll be back in
048May. I'm glad. Morning. Um, the forecast also just used to be five years or we were required to do five years and now the state has changed it that we only are required to do it three. We're looking out three years. I still do five years. It helps see where problems are. It helps see when you need to make staffing changes, when you need to go on a levy. Looking out this far doesn't get you as much information as looking out this far. So, we still present a five-year forecast. Um, just a little refresher on the forecast. When we are talking about the forecast, we are talking about general funds. So, those are O1 funds. And you can think of the general fund as like your checking account at home. That's where we pay for
049our salaries and our utilities and our supplies. So, that's when we're discussing these forecast figures. Those are figures that we're specifically speaking about. So before I get started, typically these probably all look familiar to you. I go through all these. I'm going to go through the current year and then we're going to take a little detour because you all know about property tax report. So the October forecast is completely different than the May forecast. Typically they're very or February, sorry. Um, typically there's really not a whole lot of change, but because of tax reform, they are completely different. So, we're going to look at the current year and then kind of explain why they're so different. So, if you look at the current fiscal year here, um, our cash balance is the beginning of our
050balance of our check. Basically, if you look, we're looking at we started the year on June the July 1st with um about $22 million. 212 $22 million. I was like, "Whoa, that look like my um So the little yellow one is what we started off with and the big blue one is what we're anticipating ending with. So um right now our projected revenue that we're going to receive this year is about $61 million. We are anticipating spending about $59 million which means we will have an excess of about $2 million. Um, and then that means that based off of our beginning balance and balance, we should end the year with about $23 million. And then so let's look at the revenue. So I mentioned based off of revenue and expenditures on that first slide. Um,
051looking at that whole $61 million that we're planning on bringing, this is what makes up that $61 million. We have about 300 $ 38 million or 63% of our revenue is coming from um the local share which is our local property taxes. Um we've got about $17.9 million coming from the state funding and of that $17 million $12 million comes from the school funding plan. 947,000 comes from restricted grants, which is economically disadvantaged, English learners, student wellness, etc., etc. And then the remaining $5 million of the state share is the state's reimbursement of property taxes, the homestead and roll back figures. >> Um, then there's that little tiny piece of other revenue of about $4.8 billion. Uh those are things like kindergarten tuition, uh payment and little taxes and earnings on investments. So that's where
052our money is coming from. Now this is where our money is going. Uh of that $59 million that we're anticipating spending, the biggest chunk of it, 82% is um $48 million is comprised of personnel costs. No surprise. We're people. where you don't really sell a lot of stuff other than knowledge. Um um our 82% of our personnel costs, we are basically right in the middle compared to other districts on what we're spending on personnel services. So it's a nice comfy place to be. Our next biggest area of spend is on purchase services about $7 million. These are things like food service contracts, ESTs, legal fees, insuranceances, those kinds of expenses that we pay. And then lastly, our last amount of 6% or about 34 $3.4 million falls into the other category. Those are like miscellaneous
053fees and small repairs, some types of equipment pieces. So, right now, we're looking to spend less than what we're actually bringing in. So, pretty good spot to be in, right? Yes, it is. But that's for this current school year. Now, we've been dealing with this for year and a half. So, property chapter comes along. My nemesis. So, I just kind of wanted to like take a little quick little detour and talk about some of the terms that you hear when you're talking about property tax reports so that everybody knows what exactly we're talking about. And one of the things that I found most people don't really understand is millillage. You hear about millage on everything regarding property taxes. So, um, just kind of wanted to go over and kind of give you a high level
054view of what exactly millillage is so that when you hear these things, you kind of at least have heard it what it means. Um, if we look back over our projections from October and what they are now after we go over all this, it's a little bit less optimistic than we had back in the beginning, but it's okay. We'll get there. So when we talk about millillage in Ohio, property tax, properties are taxed on 35 35% of the market value. So if you think about it, you have a $100,000 home, your value is $35,000. One mil is $1 for every,000. So if you have a 10 mil levy 10 mill $10 $1,000 um school mill when we talk about school millillage school is comprised of or has two different variants one of them is inside
055millillage and those inside mill unvoted and then outside millillage those are the mills that people vote on for 11. So those are voted inside or not. Um and then there's just a quick little simple tax calculation. Um so if the value is $35,000 if you need 10 millide 5,000 it's $350. Great. The other term you will hear or people will talk about is House Bill 920 and the 20 mil floor. Um, House Bill 920 was passed back in seven. Not jotted that out, but we're going to go 97. Um, the House Bill 920 limit limits revenue from voted levies. So this would pass back to prevent automatic tax increases. So basically when the same thing as the floor when values rise they reduce your millillage so that you're not making a ton of money off
056of off of the change and increase of values. Um, >> you got it a seven. Is it 676? >> Um, revenue under House Bill 920. The only revenue like huge revenue we can see is through new construction. So 920 limits what we can make off of loaded levy. And then there's the 20 mil floor. Um once 20 ms you take 20 ms you cannot reduce any further. So it's like the limit. So if you once you hit the floor and those prices rise you can't go any lower than 20. Um being on the floor means that you're receiving the state's minimum guarantee rather than the full amount that would would have been generated using the funding formula. So then these are just some little quick tips on how anything applies to North Regional Schools. We
057are a floor district. So as property values increased, revenue increases to accept. Um in 2024 and our was our last reappraisal, home values increased by 31%. Um, we have a cash balance policy of 90 days. And then we have our two incomes. We have our substitute or fixed sum levy that was approved in 2020 and it combined four emergency levies. It expires in 2030 and that did not raise any taxes for any homeowners. took all four of those, merge it all together into one one big levy. Then we have the bond issue which was passed in November of 23 for $143 million and I mentioned that can only be used for the new construction of the high school and transition center. So let me talk about property tax reform which we have talked about and
058talked about and talked about. There are four pieces of legislature that impact our district's financial forecast. The first one is House Bill 29 what or 129 I'm sorry. This allows us to renew our substitute levy for at least 5 years. However, it now includes that calculation of those mills in our floor calculation um until and then this will happen when we go out for reappraisal next year in House Bill 186 that caps our revenue at the rate of inflation and then provides a taxpayer credit. So if homes went up 30%. But inflation's only 12%. The difference goes back to the taxpayers. So we can't ever make more than what the rate of inflation is. House Bill 335 that limits the amount of revenue that we can um obtain through the unvoted mill when property values
059rise. again when um prices rise they're going to reduce our inside village so that we can't make more than the rate of inflation. And then House Bill 309 or House Bill 96 kind of combined together the that bill actually gives um the more authority to the local budget commission. So, it allows counties to offer a property tax exemption. They're calling it a piggyback on the existing homestead and owner occupied credits. However, unlike the existing homestead and owner occupied credits, we do not get reimbursed by the state for that. So, we woke up one morning and we lost $1.7 million because the county initiated this. So then House Bill 186, again, this is um having our revenue at the rate of inflation. The state said since you've been making too much money off of this for
060the past 3 years, we're going to go back and get that from you. So they've re they've changed their mind. It was to the tune of about $2.2 million for North Ridgeville. The state is going to re to cover that cost for us. So they're not taking it from us. They're going to take that. >> So touch on us. >> So um the thing about House Bill 186 is House Bill 129 when they enact House Bill 129 that takes us off of the floor. So that means that once we come off of the floor, the taxpayers are not going to see a tax credit again from House Bill 186. Can >> you say that again? I'm sorry. You lost me on that one. >> So, because of House Bill 129, >> which stops it. Um,
061>> look, I have to read them because there's so many um it includes all the other includes our sum levies into the calculation for the floor. So that 129 is taking up off the floor. So when we're not on the floor anymore, we're not going to the taxpayers aren't going to see that tax credit. So when we're at the floor, that's when they're seeing. So they'll only see a one time credit because after the after house 129 is the fact they won't get it in. All right. So the this is this I don't know how well anybody's going to like this grid. It kind of helps me figure it out because again certain things feed off of each other. They're not completely separate. So if you look at that first line in 23 through 25
062our inside million was 6.1 and 26 as well. in 27 when we go through reappraisal so that we're not making more than we the rate of inflation it's going to start dropping it dropped our inside village to 5.93 and that's house code 335 is that very first line that's the effect of house code 335 um then in addition to 335 Five, House Bill 129 is requiring our substitute levy to be included in that 20 mil floor. As a result, we're no longer on the floor. So, our outside bills are reduced by House by House Bill 920. They all feed off of each other. So, if you look there's the third line down, it says the original floor calculation. We're at the 20 mil floor. And then once House Bill 929 goes into effect, we're no
063longer on the floor. So then that hops into 186 helping out the tax credit that taxpayers are going to see. And then so our new total calculation of effective mills is going to be 27.57. And then that will continue to drop slightly based on the rate of inflation, all that good stuff. And so eventually we might go back on the floor, but at the rate is dropping it will be quite some years before that happens. So here's the ugly part of it at all. This is this graph is comparing the October forecast that was presented and the forecast as it is now with all of these property property tax reforms in place. Um, ultimately, cumulatively, from 2026 through 2030, we will collect almost $15 million less than we anticipated back in October, broke it down
064at each each grade. I can't read it on my chart. um 146,000 in 26 and then jumps to 1.6 in 27 and just continues to accumulate. So if we look at this graph, the top chart is how we look at October. thing I want to um point out here is in 2030 we had in excess of $974,000. If you look down at February and that same revenue surplus def deficits we are short $7.6 million. Another thing to point out in fiscal year 27 in October we were supposed to end with an extra $1.5 million and in fiscal year 27 now we are ending deficit spending to the tune of about $184,000. Um, we've been looking at this, watching this since it all property tests all started coming out. So, we've done not knowing how it
065was going to affect us, how what was going to pass, what wasn't going to pass. Um, we started making small changes. Um, we had building buildings reduce their budget by 10%. We're not replacing people who retire or resign. Um cut back on spending. It's not absolutely necessary. They're not getting it. Um so we've been trying to be proactive once all of this has come about even when we didn't know how it was going to affect us. So our next slide, these are our days of cash on hand. In October, we had we were ending in 2030 with about 166 days of cash. And now we are anticipating in 2030 only having 46 days of cash, which board policy states we have to have at least 90 days of them. So because of the property tax
066report, our revenue is being capped and our reserves are declining. And if you look at the next um the next slide, you will see that in 2028, our revenues start to exceed our expenditures or I'm sorry, our expenditures are about to exceed our revenues. And that's one of the reasons why our cash balances. That little line that goes through both of those grids, that's our cash balance. So, in our forecast before, we were anticipating ending 2030 with $30 million and now we're anticipating ending 2030 with about nine. And then this is just another graph, a different different view to show how our revenue is going to start growing faster or our expenditures are going to start growing faster than our revenue. So, not great. Not anybody's fault. >> Well, you're being generous. There's all kinds
067of fault. >> Yes. >> So, the state's math is we're going to lose about $1,000 per student so I can save $200 a year in my property tax. >> Pretty much. >> And my vote to support new buildings and levies no longer matter because the state collectively might decide that property tax is a bad thing. with no replacement in mind. And we've now allowed county commissioners that can't even make their car payments to decide whether or not we're fiscally responsible. >> And yes, I am saying this out loud because it's all a joke. >> If there's a color worse than red, that's where I'm at. We go from being fiscally responsible, doing the right thing here in Los Bridge City Schools to make sure our students are afforded every opportunity for a bunch of clueless
068politicians, spineless politicians to railroad us with talking points to save me $200 a year in property tax. And I shouldn't be pissed about that. And let's not talk about the potential riffs down the road that's going to eliminate local income tax because we're going to lose those people that are working inside North Bridge city limits. >> And people in Columbus don't see a problem with this. Our county commissioners that can't even make sure that we are paying our car payments are now deciding that we're going to take $1.6 million from Richville because they decided so. What am I missing? >> You're not missing anything. >> I mean, does that sum it up pretty accurately? That would sum that up accurately. >> So, I saved $200 in property tax. Thank you very Oh, let's not forget
069that's just this time. >> I shouldn't have spent the $200 next year because apparently I'm not getting that. >> Yes, next year you're not that also. I guess I'll have to figure out where I'm coming up with $200. It's all ridiculous. >> It is. And then it also also the state, you know, our state funding. They're not even talking about that. The piece that the state kicks in and the more, you know, chances are that's probably going to be reduced as well. >> So, if all these changes come to fruition, the good faith credit of North Ridge City Schools and me as a taxpayer saying, I'm willing to bond $143 million project. We might have no means to do that 5 years from now, depending on what the state does with this property tax and
070everything else that's going on. Or I'll pay $22 for a loaf of bread. Right. >> Yeah. They have no no um solution for what they're doing. >> We really should keep electing the same people. That's a great idea. >> Sorry. I'm just saying what everybody's thinking. >> Oh my god. I didn't fire today. >> They can vote me out of office. We'll be even louder in the community. >> Get scolded by Mr. print when we go on financial things. He's like, "You sold that out loud." >> I'm holding as much in as possible. >> Thank you for doing the best you can with the circumstances that are being dunked on us, for lack of better words. Thank you, >> Mr. Vodka. That would sound like Morris code. What I'm thinking, >> that be censored. I
071think that the to illustrate like I think the community should have some outrage. >> Yes. >> Maybe maybe not to the maybe more maybe more extreme than this. Um >> the fact of the matter is is that the politicians have said that your vote doesn't count. >> Exactly. You have voted >> to support your school district, to support your fires, to support your police. You have voted that in your community and you have said, "I am willing to spend that money out of my earnings, out of my what I earn as a person, as a as a citizen of this community. I am willing to do that to support what I value in my community. And the legislators in Columbus and the legislators in Lorraine County commissioners have said that doesn't matter. Your vote on
072that doesn't matter. And I hope that people understand that moving forward that if they want their vote to matter, they have to pay attention who they're voting for. >> Absolutely. >> I want to point something else out too that um you know I think has been helpful as we've been having these conversations within our buildings that uh Mr. Baka mentioned. All of these tax bills effectively impact our students by about $1,000 right now. North Regional City School spends about 10.7 or 10 $10,700 per student. The state average is about $12,700 per student. So, we're already spending almost $2,000 less per student. And I would argue that with our staff, and you just heard some fantastic examples today, the amazing thing that our staff does, uh, we don't overspend. We are very fiscally responsible and we
073do a ton with that $10,700 per student. The $1.7 million that the county commissioners um did take in in for lack of better terms, you know, there are 88 counties in the state of Ohio. >> Um I believe 11 or 12 counties across the state chose to vote on that double up. Um, in some communities, many of the uh the budget commissions had conversations with their mayors, police chiefs, fire chiefs, superintendent. How would this impact you? We didn't we were not offered that. Um, in fact, we were one of the first counties to be on the bleeding edge of that. North Ridgeville City Schools lost $1.7 million out of 17 million across the the county, which was the highest amount of money lost by a government agency throughout the county. Um, David, what was that
074number? $340 per student. That equated to um and and as a reminder that $1.7 million from North Bridgeville or $17 million across Lauren County equated to a very small group of people throughout the community that would have been impacted by that. But for us, it was about $350 per student less than we're already spending. Um, and again, as a whole, we're looking at a total figure of about $1,000 with all of these things wrapped together. So, to kind of put in perspective for the community and some of the outrage that we're feeling, I'm sure some of our parents are too. And I'm sure that some of our parents understanding those figures will be even more outraged knowing that we are going to have to reduce staff. We are looking at not replacing physicians. um you
075know and perhaps that will trickle into some loss of service at some point depending on how this becomes rectified. But certainly nothing we're looking forward to. But I will say our building principles, the team in front of you really are doing their best to make those small reductions now to lessen what could be in future. >> Mr. Baka, if it possible we could send an invite out to those people in Marine County that make up a visit. I'm open to anything that would affect change here. Here's my other concern. So, we're supposed to make financial decisions based on a forecast. My property I don't have an escrow account. I pay my insurance and property tax personally. I don't like escrow accounts. It was due Friday, February 13th, but our projections are now February. Have you
076collected any of those tax revenues yet? >> We have uh we received our first tax advance of $2 million. for a little over $2 million. But >> but now we're going to move it up to February, not knowing who paid, who didn't pay, how much you're actually receiving, and we're supposed to make decisions on top of all these other notes. >> Yes, that's one of the problems I have with when they changed the >> reporting periods. In the beginning, we are missing large pieces of data with October account reports and all that other kinds of stuff. And now at the end, that's why I'm going to do it again in May because again, the county budget commission is going to look at every penny we have and they're going to want to make sure that
077everything ties out to the forecast. Everything ties out to everything we have on file. And when we're doing it so far away, how is that possible? I don't I don't have a magic aball. I can only use the data that's in front of me. And if my dad is stopping all the way back in February, you can make guesses, but I prefer not to make that many guesses. And I apologize. I have all the respect for what you all do. I really do. And you all deserve the best. And our kids deserve the best. And honestly, sometimes the fight needs to be spoken out loud, especially by a person that what are you going to do? Not elect me next time? Have at it? I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous. Thank you for saying it. Appreciate
078it. Nice job. >> Thank you. >> Yep. That one too. >> Superintendent treasur new years again. >> Can we go back to Liberty? >> All right. Well, we're not even done meeting that. >> Certainly not. >> All right. Here's an opportunity for viewing of the public. That's the board of education. Would you like to share the one announcement? >> Uh, well, >> this is I don't know, irony, I guess. Ohio public school week, ladies and gentlemen. Appreciating your public school, uh, February 23rd through the 27th. Uh we hope that you can um celebrate the fantastic work that is happening all across the state of Ohio, but especially in North Bridgeville City Schools um as we celebrate Ohio Public School despite circumstances. >> We will celebrate >> Indeed, we will. >> That is we're good, right?
079Yes, sir. >> Consent agenda. It is recommended that the boardification approve the consent agenda resolution as presented. >> Second move by Miss McCarthy, second by Mr. and then Mr. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Mr. Welman, >> yes. >> Mr. Griggsby, >> yes. >> Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> And Mr. V. >> Yes. I support it. >> I'd rather skip it. But we have two items for consideration tonight under the finance report. First is our typical financial statements and report of interest and investments. This time for the month of January 2026. And as we've just heard from Mrs. Spans, um the second is our financial forecast and assumptions report. It is recommended that the board of education approve both of these items in one reading. >> Second move by M. McCarthy.
080Second by Mr. Haynes. Is there any discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. McCarthy, >> yes. Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> Mr. Griggsby, >> yes. >> Mr. Vodka, >> yes. >> Mr. Wman, >> yes. >> Moving to buildings and operations. This resolution authorizes the board of education to acknowledge the Ohio facilities construction commission's design phase review comments for the new high school project. Approval confirms the board's acknowledgement of the comments and agreements to complete any required revisions outlined in the attached >> move. Second move by Miss McCarthy, seconded by Mr. Haynes. Roll call, please. >> Mrs. McCarthy, >> yes. Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> Mr. Griggby, >> yes. >> Mr. Vaka, >> yes. >> Mr. Mr. Wolley. >> Yes. >> Okay. Human resources report. Mr. Hanks. >> Thank you, Mr. Rocka. We have a few
081items to consider under the human resources report. One support staff appointment, one support staff substitute contract, five certified staff leave of absence, two support staff leave of absence, one supervisor resignation, one certified staff resignation, and one support staff resignation. I move to approve the human resources report in one reading. Second move by Mr. Haynes, second by Mr. Griggsby. Any discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> Mr. Griggsby, >> yes. >> Mrs. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Mr. Baka, >> yes. >> Mr. Waffleman, >> yes. >> All right. It is recommended that the board of education enter into executive session to discuss the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, compensation of public employees and matters related to negotiation of public employees. There will be no action to follow. >> Second, Miss McCarthy, second
082by Mr. Griggsby. Roll call, please. >> Mrs. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Mr. Griggsby, >> yes. >> Mr. Haynes, >> yes. >> Mr. Vaka, >> yes. >> Mr. Walter, >> yes. >> 752. Thank you everybody.