001All right. I'd like to call our October 1st, 2025 Laria City School Board meeting to order. Madam Treasurer, please call the role. >> Mrs. Seuin, >> here. >> Mr. Garfin, >> here. >> Mr. Gart, >> here. >> Mr. Hower, >> here. >> Mr. Parker, >> here. >> All right. Can we all rise for our pledge of allegiance? I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay, let's introduce our board and our administration. We have Mr. Brent Parker to the far right and Mr. Mike Ghart to my immediate right. Mrs. Annie Carto Scoffman to my left, Mr. Lenhauser. And then we have Angel, superintendent, and Colleen Apol, our treasurer. All right.
002So, no board recognition this evening, but we do have some visitors comments. >> Yes. Um, we have a a visitor, Megan Burkel. Hopefully I said that correctly, Megan. Um she's actually been working with um uh Mr. Capacetti and Mrs. Blat over at um she's a Northwood Middle School parent and she would like to talk to us about uh um something she's working on. So Megan, it's right up here. >> I've seen you on Facebook. >> Yes. >> Seen you in the paper. >> Yeah. >> What I'm trying to do is >> Yeah. You know, getting out there. you can sit down and make yourself really comfortable there. >> I know it's nerve-wracking, right? >> Yeah. >> So, I just want to start off by thanking everybody for giving me this opportunity and everybody that might
003have came because they seen my video. I really do appreciate each and every one of you. I just want to begin with um bringing your attention to the packets that um either the treasurer handed you or at the front of the podium. um just some terms to understand um if you already understand them. I'm not here to insult anybody's intelligence. It's just to create an understanding and um and on the second page there is some um statistics and some recommendations that myself upon some other parents that some have came up with. So let me begin with some key terms. Empathy is understanding someone's feelings and moving that understanding into action. Empathy focuses on the long-term problems and solutions. Sympathy is feeling sorry without that action. It focuses more on the short-term problems and solutions. Accountability
004is the fact or condition of being accountable or being responsible. Accountable is refers to being required or expected to justify actions or decisions for being responsible. Right now, we have too much misplaced sympathy in our schools, which has allowed harmful behavior to continue without meaningful consequences. According to Ayria City School's anti-bullying policy, bullying, harassment, and intimidation is an intentional written, verbal, electronic, or physical act that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once. The intentional act also in includes violence within a dating relationship. The behavior causes mental or physical harm to the other student and is sufficiently severe, persistent or perace persuasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for the other student. This behavior is prohibited on school property, on a school bus, or at school sponsored activity.
005Students found responsible for harassment, intimidation or bullying by an electronic act may be suspended. This policy I do not feel is being enforced or not clearly not effective. Bullying and violence have increased from 2023 to 2024 by 75%. And suicide is now the second leading cause of death among children. We might implement we must implement updated policies to grant these families mental health services and meaningful discipline. We need to come up with meaningful solutions that will benefit even 15 years from now. 15 years is how long it's been since your student conduct zero policy zero tolerance policy has been revised. In my opinion, this is unacceptable. In the last 25 years, there have been 440 people killed and 1,243 people injured due to school shootings. In 2024 alone, there have been 332 incidences leading to
006267 injuries related to school shootings. If I had more time to speak on statistics, we would talk about the suicide rates more in depth. Just know that every 11 minutes, someone in our country is killing themselves. We need zero tolerance, but also 100% accountability. Here is what I propose as meaningful discipline. Strike one, meeting with the parents, childgiven school-based community service. Strike two, mental health evaluation, fiveday suspension, mandatory behavior divorce. Strike three, 10-day suspension, counseling, anger management, and parenting classes. Strike four, referral to the courts for neglect, possible expulsion. Parents are held accountable for truency when children don't attend school. We must also hold parents accountable when children make school unsafe for others. If we have to face truency misdemeanors because our children can't attend school because they don't feel safe due to other parents
007not disciplining or controlling their children, then those parents also need to face misdemeanors. In addition, we need more mental health resources. They are out there. One guidance counselor for an entire middle school is unacceptable. Students need daily access to train mental health professionals. We need these resources implemented into our disciplinary actions because an overwhelming number of adults in our community are not getting the youth the proper help and resources needed. Meaningful discipline can also give the parents the resources they need as well. I see the exhaustion in your faculty's faces as well as the parents. Everyone has the same assumptions that nothing will be done and nothing will change. We need to rebuild these relationships and gain trust between everyone and that comes with a little bit of accountability on each of our ends. We
008also need stronger parent involvement. Referring to the parent policy section G, Ayria's own parent involvement policy promises a partnership between schools, family, and communities to improve achievement. Yet, this is not being upheld. Parents in our community are ready to volunteer through family nights, mentoring, classroom support, hallways, monitoring, and we need the schools to open up these doors to these people willing to volunteer their times. Finally, we must implement transparent reporting systems such as the local bullying hotline like the state of Ohio has listed at the bottom of your school website so parents and administrators can track incidences and ensure policies are being enforced and effective. I had a good talk today with the associate superintendent Denise Blat and we spoke on um a very number of things that you know we can start working on
009to try to get more parent involvement cuz I'm 100% aware that it starts at home. But when us parents that are exhausted on every other avenue, this is why I bring myself to you because you are our home. This issue is bigger than one child, one parent or one school. It affects the safety and future of all of our children in every single community. We should not have to wait until it's one of the children that commit suicide again because let's be honest, it's already happened in our community way too many times. Let's not wait until it's one of our schools that are being shot up and hit the headlines before we're ready to understand that this is 100% preventable. Children don't hurt others or commit suicide because they were loved properly or treated with
010respect that schools couldn't catch with meaningful discipline. This is preventable. So, please help us prevent losing any more of our children and help the disadvantaged parents, which is 43.8% in our student body of our community gain meaningful resources and discipline. Stronger schools create stronger children, which build which builds even stronger communities for the long run. Our society and community can only benefit from these changes. Maybe levies for this school district will start getting passed again and our kids will become teachable for our faculty. If not us, then no. If not now, then at what cost? Thank you. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Do you have any questions? We're moving on to our our other visitors. >> We have other visitors. >> Yeah, we have two other visitors. Uh Tracy Windbborne. Um would you like to
011come up front and just state your your name, which I just did. Maybe not correctly, but >> Okay. And your address? >> Yeah. >> Yes, you absolutely >> whatever comfortable. Okay. >> Uh my name is Tracy. What can you hear me? >> My name is Tracy Winborn. I live at 549 Hillyard Road, Yria, Ohio. Um, I too saw Megan's video. I have a child that is in Yria district, but I chose to open enroll her because when she was in junior high, there was bullying as well, and those bullies went to they moved to Yria High. So, I opened enrolled her to Brookside um just so that she wouldn't have to deal with that. Um, but the reason I'm speaking is I'm a qualified mental health specialist. And so when I saw Megan's video, I
012reached out to her and I asked her how I could come and speak at her organization and how we could partner up because um and I'll just kind of go into my speech. So good evening and thank you for allowing me to the opportunity to speak tonight. I am here because bullying and self harm are not just personal struggles for the students who face them. They are schoolwide and communitywide concerns that demand our attention. When a child is bullied, it impacts far more than just their feelings in the moment. It can affect their mental health, their academic performance, and most importantly, their overall sense of safety. We know from research and from lived experience that when bullying goes unressed, it can lead to depression, anxiety, self harm, and the worst case, suicide. This is not
013something any family or community should have to endure, especially when we have the tools to intervene early. That is why it's so important to bring these issues before the school board. As leaders, educators, and decision makers, you have the power to shape how our schools respond to bullying and how we support students in crisis. Let me share a few reasons why this is critical. First, student safety. Every child deserves to walk into their school feeling safe, protected, and valued. If a student feels unsafe, learning becomes nearly impossible. Safety must remain the foundation of education. Second, prevention and intervention. We know that with the right programs, education, and early intervention, we can prevent bullying from escalating into long-term trauma or self-harming behaviors. When students feel supported, they are most they are more they are more likely
014to reach out for help instead of suffering in silence. Third, academic success. Students who feel safe and supported are more likely to come to school, stay engaged in the classroom, and achieve academically. But when a child is being bullied or struggling with mental health, their attendance, focus, and overall performance are all at risk. Fourth, community impact. Mental health challenges don't stop at the classroom door. They ripple out affecting families, friendships, and the broader community. By addressing these issues at the school level, we strengthen not just the student body, but our entire community. Finally, policy change. The school board has the authority to put strong anti-bullying policies in place, ensure staff are properly trained, and recognize the warning signs of self harm, and expand access to mental health resources. These decisions truly save lives. I also
015want to highlight something that many parents are not aware of. I know that our district already has contracts with the organizations such as Ohio Guidest and Applewood Centers, and those are valuable partnerships that serve many of our students. But parents need to know that those aren't their only options. What is often overlooked is that outside companies can co also come in and provide therapeutic behavioral services known as TBS for a child through their insurance. This means that families are not locked into waiting list with one or two providers. Instead, they can access care that is timely, individualized, and tailored to their child's needs. For example, if a student is showing signs of self harm or str or is struggling after being bullied, waiting months to be seen by a provider can feel like an eternity
016for that child and for their family. But with TBS available through outside agencies, help can often be accessed sooner. This is the kind of flexibility and choice parents need, and it is something we as school community can be more proactive in educating them about. By making sure families know their options, we empower parents to advocate for their children. We ensure that no student slips through the cracks simply because their family didn't know where to turn. And ultimately, we send a powerful message that the mental health and safety of our children is not optional. It is essential. In closing, I want to emphasize this. Every child deserves to feel safe at school. Every parent deserves to know that their child has access to the resources that they need. And as the and as a community, we
017have the responsibility to do everything in our power to prevent bullying, support students in crisis, and create schools where kindness and safety are at the center. Thank you for your time and for your commitment to our students. Together, we can make a lasting difference. >> Thank you. [Applause] >> Okay. Uh, and we have one more visitor, uh, a Terry Groner. If you'd like to approach, just state your name and address. >> Hello. Uh, my name is Terry Groner. I live at 41991 Griswald Road, Ohio. Um, this is my first board meeting ever, so that's exciting. Uh, but I came in here basically on behalf of myself and my wife. We're just kind of a little concerned over the events over the last month and a half at this building. Um, so I think it was
018like a month ago, there was a threat outside and you know on social media and in the school we kind of hung our hat on. I think it was like a six-minute response time from the Ling County Sheriff's Department and everybody was pretty happy with that because the threat was outside and everything was good. So that worked out great. But then over the last week, uh, uh, Amy Higgins called and we got the voicemail that there was two threats on the inside of the building, uh, that were written. Um, and the answer or response to that was we're going to have more police presence on Friday, which apparently there was for like 30 minutes and then they took a student out of the school and then from my understanding, I could be wrong, but from
019my understanding, the police presence wasn't really here at that point. And then later on Friday, they found something else in the bathroom, if that's correct. Uh, and then we got a call that evening and they were going to look into that, which we still haven't really had an update on, which is kind of worrisome just due to the fact that now um I still don't really believe there's much of a police presence at the school. And I know it sucks because it's supposed to be school and we shouldn't really have to have police roaming the hallways, but I think it's probably uh a good time to like self-evaluate and say, you know, how safe and secure is the building, right? going forward, we can use this as a test run and say, uh, you know,
020how many variables do we have coming in the building that we actually know what they have with them when they're in in the building, right? So, we're able to lock out the outside world, but we're also able to lock in a possible threat without any security also on the inside. So, I just feel like that's kind of troublesome. then we should use the last month and a half to try and self-evaluate ourselves and say, are we doing enough? Could we do better? And I think the answer is yeah. I mean, there's definitely room for improvement. And I know that doesn't make anybody's job easier to come up with those solutions, but I think, you know, for starters, whatever we got to do with Ayria Police or Larry County Sheriff's Department, I think those conversations should
021be had going into the future. there should be a police presence, at least one officer that's roaming the hallway. I mean, unfortunately, that's the world that we live in now. And we need to acknowledge that and not just become a statistic. Maybe try and be uh proactive instead of reactive to each time that we're fortunate enough to have a threat written on a bathroom wall or stall or whatever it was. Um, so yeah, I'm basically just a asking you guys to try and take these threats serious going into the future because we all know what the last 20 years have brought to many schools all over our country and um, you know, I have two students going here right now. So obviously I have a little more skin in the game as they say. So,
022I'm more concerned now than than ever, obviously. And it just be nice to not have to think about it. Maybe, you know, there's grants that we could get metal detectors. I know who wants to walk into a school through a metal detector, but if it's eliminating variables, why wouldn't we start to consider that? I mean, we do it at airports, we do it at sporting events, we do it at music events. It might be time to really start thinking about that and setting money aside for actual safety instead of waiting for something to actually go wrong and then shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, we just didn't know. We had no warning signs because we do now." And I think it's time to take it serious. >> That's all I got. Thanks for your time.
023>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. And I was I was gonna Yeah, this is probably a good time our part, but should we discuss? >> Sure. Sure. Um just kind of and thank you, Mr. Groner. Um I've been in this district since I was five, so 53 years. And I've been through um a lot of different things. I can remember when I was principal at Oakwood, it was the bomb threats. And we were getting bomb threats every day and things. We've gone through these cycles. Uh, a few years back, we had a lot right around COVID, we had a lot of threats coming and we actually were um brought channel 5 and a couple other stations came in and we did a a big press conference with the the EPD and the Lorraine
024County Sheriff. So, I too um I echo your sentiment. This isn't what we should be dealing with at a school level, but let me reassure you a few things. Um, we have a very proactive board and a proactive staff. And I can tell you that over the last three years, we have now nine safety associates throughout the district, plus a safety coordinator who are constantly coordinating the drills, the the lockdowns, and and things like that to make sure the students know what they need to do in a in a time and the staff of crisis. But even more so than that, as these threats come in, um I'm we sent out a letter. It went to middle school parents because that is the the group of students that are making the threats at this time
025about the parents helping us and speaking to their children about what this means. I mean, I can I can guarantee you growing up, we've all told our siblings we were going to do something to them at one time or another, but that we lived in a different world then, right? And now we have to take every single threat seriously. We do what I would consider an excellent job of notifying parents. Um, I know some people feel that we do too many ROOc calls or too many texts or too many emails, but I will tell you we feel very strongly it's a parents right to know what's going on in the buildings. We have a lot of um to piggyback on the the other speakers, mental health practitioners within the district, every building has a licensed
026social worker and a counselor. So, you know, plus we we have other agencies that do come in. So, we are constantly working with the students. Right now, every middle school in the next week or so, our the administration of those middle schools are teaming up with the EPD and the Lorraine County Sheriff's to do assemblies for the fifth through 8th grade students just to make sure they know. And we've done it before in the past, but again, as these things come up, we have to we have to do our due diligence. And they are going to be speaking with the students and letting them know, you know, we can tell you some of these students have been charged with terroristic threats. We don't hold back when these threats are made. We have to hold these
027people accountable. Okay? The children, um, I can tell you investigations sometimes are easy and sometimes very difficult. We immediately report when there's a threat like this made or any presence of a threat to harm or a weapon. We immediately report right away to the Lorraine County Sheriff andor EPD. They then go out to the homes. Um even uh we have kids on the buses that threaten each other. Those bus drivers immediately report it to the EPD andor Lraine County Sheriff's. There's a lot of things behind the scenes we can't we can't expose. For instance, some of our safety plans and some of the things we're doing to set up catching so to speak um what's going on um because it would be wrong of us to let the public know because then they know our
028plan, right? So, I don't want you to feel that we aren't working on these things. Um we update as we can. I can tell you we've um looked over so so many handwriting samples and talked to so many parents and so many students and we are doing our due diligence. Yes. Can we always do better? Everyone can. The biggest thing we need right now is the support of parents with their children. I think we heard that with the bullying as well. Um we can always do more as a district. I think we've tried to put things into place that that are even next level like the safety team um even at our sporting events having parents have to be with and I think there we just saw three or four more districts going down the
029same path but at any time you feel like there's things that you know of or that we can do better at, please feel free to call us. Um the safety of your children and our staff is number one for us and it always will be. Um unfortunately we're living in a different different world right now that these things just seem to come up from every angle. Um we had another one today um that wasn't inside the building but some kids playing that weren't our students out in the woods with things that you know knives and stuff they shouldn't have been playing with and we had to put a robocall out. So, it's constant. Um, it seems constant to some of you understand. We report everything and we let the parents know about everything that we
030can. Um, and if you ever feel like you haven't been fully briefed or need an update, please call our communications department. And Amy, Amy's a real person. Some people think she's just a robocall, but she is a real person. She would be here, but she had a a conflict. and um she kind of heads up the crisis with Mark Osborne who is the head of our safety. But I can tell you we just talked in cabinet today about more safety training and and we're constantly looking at that. But I so appreciate you bringing this um conversation to the forefront, Mr. Groner. Any other questions? >> I don't know that we take questions from the audience. No. um per our policy, but if you do have you can talk give us a call, talk to us.
031>> Coming here from the policy from Brent, there was no time limit on when to sign up to speak to you guys. And with a 40% response rate to your emails, I would like to address you now when the signup sheet was gone. >> The signup sheet is >> He was not there when I walked in. >> So, I'm I'm supposed to take away 5 minutes before. >> That's not in the policy that Brent sent me. >> It on Friday. >> It is. It says that I have to call 7 days ahead of time to get a 10-minute presentation period or I can sign up ahead of time to reserve a 5minute window. No 5 minutes before you start. >> It has been here it has been there for years that it is 5 minutes.
032>> I don't think it is. >> It's it's yeah the policy that many years five minutes before the board meeting starts the web center. So, >> I don't I don't >> Did you send the most up to date? >> Yeah, I I I don't think that five minutes ahead of time is anymore. >> I don't think it's I think it just says before the meeting. >> Persons wishing to address for up to five minutes may place their name on a signin sheet indicating the topic would be addressed or written. And then on the thing right there, it's like five minutes before, but I >> does it say policy >> prefer to defer to the board and to the lawyers. It's your choice um board if but that's always been the policy. >> Always been the
033policy. >> Yes. >> But if it's not >> I I would say I mean it's not in there. I would say >> it's fine. >> Yeah. >> I would say let it let it >> your choice. >> Let her speak. >> Yeah. It's their decision. So >> but it should be in there. >> It should be in there. I think it's >> it's been our procedure in the past and I think we should stick with what our procedure has been in the past and if our board policy needs to reflect that then we will update that to reflect it. Okay. It's your decision. >> I said whether I mean can we do we need a vote? I mean, if if if we're having different opinions, man, go by going off of our board policy, I
034would say that it's not in there. Yes, it may be past practice, but we changed that policy what, last year, and we did not add that in there. >> If we need to address it, we can readress that policy, but >> I would support decision. It's not ours. What you guys want to do? >> I say let her speak. I said it's not in here. >> No, not fine. If a citizen wants to speak and they feel there's a technicality in the policy, >> Mr. Howard policy was here before the meeting. I would >> Yeah. >> My name is Ashley Chary. I live at 6278 Murray Ridge Road. Sometimes you'll see the Valarian police cruiser in my driveway if you go down there. I emailed on Friday just asking for an update explaining out about
035the school threats that were received on Thursday, September 25th and Friday, September 26th, respectively, not including the August 28th incident where we had somebody in the parking lot. I emailed the five members of the board that were on the website. I received two of five out of five responses when the email at the end said, "Kindly acknowledge receipt." And that is what we do in the legal world to require somebody to acknowledge they've read our email. That's a 40% success rate since we're in school here. So, I'm going to read this out loud so everybody here can understand where as a parent to have a school threat on a Thursday, call my first grader out on a Friday to then hear nothing and we're on Wednesday night here. We have no update. My husband is
036a cop. I know how this goes. I know how it works in Lraine. And I know for certain that two cops on a Friday, none on a Monday, and one facing the street in a car on a Tuesday with no other cruisers is unacceptable. You have to show a presence. These kids do not care. Oh, we're going to have a presence. Where's it at? You have one. Like you said, who mentioned it? We don't really have much of an update. So, I have to send my six-year-old here and think what? Where's your presence? I have more of a police presence at my own house, and that's shameful. To whom it may concern, I would like a full explanation of the two individual threats written on the Westwood bathroom walls on Thursday, September 25th and Friday,
037September 26th. The first communication came the evening of September 25th, where parents and guardians were informed of a written threat on the bathroom wall to shoot up the school. Families were ensured a heavy police presence would be there at the following day. There were two Lraine County Sheriff's deputies that I was able to see during drop off. That's not a heavy police presence. The second update was Friday, September 26th, that a second threat to shoot up the school was found written in the bathroom. Again, we were encouraged to talk to our students, advised there would be consequences of these actions, that the investigation was ongoing, and we were given as much information as possible. Throughout the entire weekend, there was silence. No followup prior to school Monday. Monday morning, September 29th. There was not a
038single officer or cruiser on school grounds that I could see. I went from the elementary school dropoff line passing the middle school entrance where three staff members stood outside all the way through the preschool parking lot and not one deputy or cruiser in sight. today, which is when I emailed Tuesday, September 30th, there was one cruiser with the deputy sitting in his car facing the street off the entrance of Griswald. This is both concerning and unacceptable. I hope this is fully addressed at the school board meeting tomorrow today, including a plan of action for the student or students involved, including inducing panic among students, parents, and staff. Miss Gatton can only be so many places in the elementary school. These are small children, the easiest targets. I don't know the name of the middle school
039principal, but they can't be everywhere. And touching on what he said, get some people in here. Have volunteers. I could give you the names of five Lorraine police officers that would be happy to assist. I myself as a mother. You want action, call a mom. That's all I have to say. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh moving along, we do have a presentation today. We have >> Yes, we do. Um wanted to kind of follow up a little bit um on uh we know the report cards came out, but we wanted to follow up on a on some data that we've been focusing on that we really feel there's a little tiein with the report card, but we feel that we'd like to share. And Dr. Griffith. Courtney Griffith, the associate superintendent of academics, is
040going to take us through that. I think you have a the presentation both on your screen and in front of you. >> Yes, >> it's all yours, Courtney. >> Hi, good evening everybody. >> Do you need um the mic? >> We are. >> We've already talked about that. Yeah, I feel like my voice carries pretty well between the clicker and the paper copy. Um I can probably go without. So, um, I am the associate superintendent of academic services. Um, and I actually some of my team is here tonight, which I very much appreciate. And I added this lovely picture at the beginning of the slideshow here. Um, because and just like it is in student services. Um, it is truly a team effort to run the academic side of the district. So, um, just from
041kind of, uh, back row there, Kathy Keep um, director of professional development, Bianca Freeze and Andrea McKenzie are K to4 literacy specialists, myself, and then Jason Caxi who is our teaching and learning coordinator uh, primarily uh, social studies and ELA with a few other things sprinkled in. And then in the front row, um, Barb Pesh is our, um, EMIS coordinator from the district, all of our reporting. Don Ralph is the administrative assistant. Um Cindy Chudy is also a teaching and learning coordinator. Um math test guru lots of other things. And then Erica Strzuski on the end is our testing and accountability coordinator. So we make up academic services um in the in the district. And this is my first year in this position um after being at Yria High School for seven years as an
042administrator. So, a couple things that I want to cover tonight. And just like Ann talked about, the report cards were released September 15th. We had had a conversation with the Chronicle. You know, that that data is out there. Um, and you know, for better or worse, that's what the state gives us a rating on. But we have many other data points that we look at um to really get a true picture of how our students are doing in the classroom and how we make decisions about programming and um progress and professional development and all of those things. So, we'll take a look at some other pieces of data um from last school year that we can reflect back on. Um and then where do we go from here? um based on that. So a couple
043of things I want to highlight from the report card. So and there there's multiple components to the state report card that is all public through the Ohio Department of Education website if anybody's interested in doing any digging with that. Again, all totally public data. Um so this component right here which is about progress and growth. So I like to think that you know we have two things. We have the scores. How are the students doing on the state test? like what is their actual score and then how much are they growing. So those are two two different things. So this slide right here highlights the growth piece. So green is good. Um anywhere that we are seeing green and we see lots of green in this graphic there was either the expected amount of growth
044in students up in your color coding there to beyond expected growth. So you can see the English language arts column is is very green there and we know we've put a lot of effort into our literacy practices which we'll dial in on a little bit for the last couple of years. Um so again all the green is great with some highlights over there on the right side. So grades four through eight expected growth in ELA and science across the board. 8th grade saw expected growth in all of their testing areas which is awesome. And keep in mind we have three middle schools. So this is the district overview of the academic progress piece. You can drill this down into every individual building which also can be accessed on the report card online and kind of
045see you know things with different buildings. Above expected growth sixth grade all test, seventh grade all test, sixth grade math. Um and then at the high school which I'm particularly proud of because that's where I've lived for the last seven years. the high school and we'll look at another slide. They saw significant growth um in multiple areas last year, namely at or above expected in biology, American government, and American history. At the high school, we look at it more by courses, not so much grade levels because you have mixed. You could have grades 9 through 12 taking American history or um algebra 2, kind of depending on what they need. So where we see a little bit of yellow and red there is definitely a little concentrated in math and we'll talk a little bit
046about math on another slide. Another component that I want to highlight and this is relatively new being fully scored. So this is again on your high school end of things the college career workforce and military readiness component. So obviously some of the career tech programming that's offered in our county factors into this. Um and you can see our trends there. So again this is like the newest measure in the report card. And we've had pretty good growth there for the last couple of years from 24 to 25 an 11.9% increase. And again there's many things going into the pot for this. A couple notable data points. We had almost 20% um of our this would have been like our class of 2024 that this data it's it's like a year in the rears um about
04720% earning 12 points in industry credentials which is primarily happening with our students who are at ring county JBS um and then dual enrollment credit which is uh the college credit plus program they are we had again about 20% of the students in that class earning at least 12 dual enrollment credits. So, at least 12 college credits they're they're coming out of high school with, which is awesome, too. So, and I think um this is an area where we will continue to enhance programming, provide programming, work with JBS, work with Line County Community College, our other college credit plus partners. Um, we've done some things this year at the high school with pre-apprenticeship opportunities, some different work-based learning things, all that work their way into this component right here. So, there's a lot going on
048in that area. And the final piece of the report card I want to talk about is graduation. You know, that's ultimately where we're trying to get everybody to be and and be ready for whatever path they're going to take after high school. So, and when the report the state scores us in this, they look at your four-year cohort and your five-year cohort. So, again, the four-year numbers are based on the class of 2024. A little side note there, if you all remember, 2023 was when the newest graduation requirements went into effect. So, really, they really up the ante with those students have to have um what they call competency scores in algebra 1 and ELA 2. They have to earn seals, which is a whole another conversation. Um, and then they have to earn their
049credits, too. So, a lot of times we would give these presentations at the high school and parents would come up afterwards and say, "I just had to earn the credits when I graduated. What's going on?" Yeah. So that in 2023, you see that little dip right there after 2023, that was because the the game got a little tougher and there were a lot of um uh exceptions made in the couple years of COVID like spring of 20, 2021 to 22 where they they wait they they relaxed some requirements um that got got kids through during a very difficult time. So, I feel like this is another spot that we're on the upswing with this. And I know from our just class of 2025 that graduated, lots of great lots of great data coming out of
050that class. And I think the one item of note here, which they provide us in the report card, so 70.4% of students in this scored cohort completed grades 9 through 12 in our district. So that means almost 30% of the students in that cohort were not with us from grades 9 through 12. So it speaks to a little bit like the transiency in the district. Um and when students come in from one school, sometimes even another country, you know, and we're we're trying to then fit them into what our requirements are, what the state of Ohio requirements are. Get we don't know what instruction they've had. where, you know, it's really um that lack of continuity for those students at that high school level. Um it's tough. It's tough for them and um and it's,
051you know, it's challenging for us and we we always try to do the best we can for those students no matter when they come to us. They come to us in March of their senior year and you know, we're we're trying to what's our how can we make this the best possible situation for them. So, um that's an interesting stat on that slide. So then moving away from the report card, kind of looking at some other pieces of academic data. So just a little capture of the state tests from last spring and again some areas of growth here and just just increases in achievement on the whole. So middle school with fifth through 8th grade, there are definitely some really bright spots there. um our uh plan that we have with the state which is
052called the one plan which I will reference in another slide every the district and every building has goals for instruction behavior and attendance so our current we are in the second year of a three-year cycle on our state one plan our instructional goals across the board primarily for math and ELA and in some cases other content areas our goal is is basically like a 5% % increase a year over a three-year period. So, there are definitely some spots where last spring it was like, "Wow, we hit or exceeded that 5% goal in that subject area." Um, and again, like shout out to the high school. It was really the first time uh since COVID that the high school pretty much saw gains all the way across the board and the biology gains. Um, I'm not
053sure what that group did. I know a little bit of what they did, but like that was the 10% is that's that's really great. So again, you know, we have this piece of the report card versus like, you know, isolating some things out and then drilling down by building. So um definitely some some bright spots there as well. The other thing that we look at is our map testing. So, for your parents in the room, you're probably accustomed to getting your students MAP scores in math and ELA three times a year. Um, I know they've gone out um maybe about two weeks ago for the fall MAP testing. So, MAP testing is a progress monitoring tool that we use. The homework with map testing, it it kind of tells you where they're at and and
054what they're ready to learn. So when you look at the um the graphics up here, we want the grade levels or the student, you know, we're looking at it by grade level here. We want them either at at in or above the diamond. That's where we want them to be. That's the target like that's their target growth. So we talked about this with Matt on another slide and we see it here that across the that's a district graph there, not by school. We're we're below the bar on math. That's definitely kind of right the area of focus moving into this year and beyond. And we'll talk a little bit more about that. Now, at the bottom, they do maps a little different with the high school. They do it by course, and there's not a
055diamond because it's a course, so they're not growing from year to year in algebra 1, but the blue bar represents growth um for each time they took it. We saw a decent amount of growth in the high school algebra 1 and geometry scores just in our maths testing and we're now doing maths testing at 9th and 10th grade in the high school. So, um that's a great thing for those two courses and I know the teacher really dug into that data last year. Now, on the algebra 1, I'll make the side note. You see it for 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, and 11th grade. So, our primary students that are taking algebra 1 are eighth graders that are in, you know, the advanced math track. So, they are given maths testing and then it's
056primarily the ninth graders at the high school. So, they're, you know, that aren't on an advanced track. They take algebra 1 for the first time. The 10th grade group, you know, sometimes we have students move into the district 2, they hadn't taken algebra 1 as the ninth grader or wherever they were, so we have them in it as a 10th grader. Sometimes we have students that didn't do so well in their ninth grade algebra 1 class and they are taking algebra 1 again. So there's a pool of like 10th and 11th graders that show up on that score, but we're looking at the kids that are taking it for the first time. Same with geometry. It's the same situation. So let's talk about math for a second. So we have seen that the math scores
057are probably below where we need them to be. So what are what are we doing with that? So looking ahead here, continuing using our math testing, progress monitoring, getting the gauge for where they're at, what they're ready to learn, and then making our instructional decisions based on what we see from our internal tools. Um that could be through math assessments. Uh we have common assessments across grade levels and maybe any other um needs that the teachers see from their daily interactions with the students in the classroom. Um and the teachers have their teacher based teams that they meet and they talk about all of those things. We are also evaluating our progress on our one plan math goals. So each building has their goal, what their expected growth is, and then their action steps for
058that. So that's where we're going to be in this cycle of the one plan this year is that we will actually have to do like a progress monitoring tool for the state relative to that one plan goal for math. Um obviously we're using all the resources and tools available through the state and what we call high quality instructional materials. So um also professional learning related to writing and vocabulary across the curriculum. So the literacy piece isn't only for ELA. um that also factors into how students are you know how they're grasping the content in all areas. And then we also at the high school instituted this year we did a double block algebra 1 course. So we identified probably our most at risk students and they're taking an extra period of algebra 1. They're in
059that class for two periods in a row. And and part of what we realized was like these high school kids are real busy after school and you know some of them work, they're playing sports, they're doing things and but we have to address their deficiencies and there's not they're not going to do it before or after school and you try things with like come get tutor during lunch. Nobody wants to give out their lunch their time with their friends, >> you know. So, we we made the move uh at the high school just it this is the first year for it. We're running about three sections of a double period algebra one class and we're you're kind of evaluating that throughout the year and you know we'll see when it comes test time in the
060spring and through math scores and all those things like what we're what we're seeing out of that. Um and then we are also probably the biggest ticket item on here. We are up to do a new curriculum adoption for math for grades K to 4. So this is what we did for ELA about 3 years ago, 3 4 years ago, which has really sparked like our whole literacy journey that we'll talk about. So now we're here for math and it will be a year-long process. we've started it um getting some staff involved with that and then we'll eventually get to a point this winter where we'll be kind of having the curriculum companies, you know, come in, show us what you got, like what's what's going to what do we think is going to be
061the best for our kids and what what that's going to look like and then we'll probably make some final decisions in the spring probably like April, May, um about what we're going to go with and what that's going to look like and then that'll be a journey in itself. So let's talk about reading and literacy. So look at the MAP scores for reading. Very different graph than what we saw for the MAP. Every grade level is at or above or well above the diamond and that's where we want them to be. And that is, you know, purely reflective of the work that's been put in for the last 3 to four years um by everybody by our our general classroom teachers, our title teachers, our intervention specialists, our academic services team, our literacy coaches, everybody.
062So students at or above grade level in all grades across the district, which is awesome on our maths testing. One of the other majors that we use and this this is really this is really good stuff too. Um the MClass uh Dibbles ETH edition. So this is also a benchmarking and progress monitoring tool that we use. Um this is how we initially identify students who are at risk of not reading that grade level. Um, and then if again I'm kind of eyeing the parents that are in the audience like if on that benchmarking, you know, your child isn't in a certain spot, you know, we then we're automatically going, okay, what's the next tier of intervention that we can do to to help get them there because ultimately the first big um I don't want
063to call it a test, but it is, is the third grade uh, you know, reading ELA, Ohio State test that they take. And then there's some it's it's um we talk about like a pathway, you know, a decision- makingaking tool. If they pass that test, if they don't pass that test, which way do they go? So, some very good data. This was last year. So, from BOI stands for beginning of year, middle of year, and then end of year. So, this was districtwide by grade level. the yellow and red, the yellow is below where we below the target, below where we want them to be to well below. And then the green and the blue is they're either at where they need to be or they're above it. So AC throughout the year last year
064we saw you can look at it either way a 10% reduction in the students who were below or well below from from the beginning of the year to the end of the year and then a 10% increase in those who were at or above grade level. So you know it's like that reduction in the lowest end or the gain in the in the upper end you know whichever way you look at it. And then by grade level, kindergarten, which I got to spend some time in kindergarten today with um some do talking about reading intervention, a 27% increase from where the kindergarteners were at the beginning of the year last year to where they were where they benchmarked at the end of the year. First grade 16, second grade 10%. So this is really a
065piece that we are we put a lot of stock in this between this the MAP testing and the OST is kind of one more layer but this is reflective of our daytoday work with students in classrooms and what our teachers are doing not just in their general ELA instruction but all of the interventions that we provide. So then fall of 2025. So we have already done the first round of benchmark testing for those grade levels with um inclass and grade three. So this is the current third graders. They are the class that has had this CKLA amplify ELA curriculum since kindergarten. They are like the first class that is coming all the way through with it to third grade. an 11% decrease in the below and well below from the beginning of the year last
066year with this grade level and an 11% increase in the at or above. So we are so excited about this group of third graders and you know what that potentially is going to mean for them as they go through the year and they take the state test and and we continue to monitor what they're doing. So, with that being said, you know, kind of where we at with with this reading and literacy journey now, the amplified ELA curriculum and what we call tier 2 interventions are moving into grades 5 through 8. So, it's it's just moving on up the train. Um, secondary teachers, so we're talking grades 7 through 12ish, a lot of professional learning and phonics based reading instruction and things related to science of reading. Uh, targeted reading interventions with subgroups. So, we're
067really looking at our our EL students, um, our students with disabilities that we can do even more targeted reading instruction with them to help move their needle forward. Um, and then again, this professional learning and writing and vocabulary across the curriculum. And this data right here presents us with a new problem that's good to have. How do we make sure that we sustain and continue to grow the group that is that has shown the growth? You know, so sometimes you're so focused on we've really got to kind of bring that lower group up and now we're like, wow, we've we've got a good sizable chunk that is coming into us at grade level and how do we how do we continue to move that forward? science of reading, which I'm sure many of you have
068heard a lot about, and we've put a lot of um time and and effort into this. These are all different uh really professional learning and impact on our staff that we've done relative to science of reading training. So, the state mandated some modules that had to be done throughout the year. Last year, we had 100% of our required staff complete all of the science of reading modules. That was grades K to 12. The high school teachers were doing it. Everybody was doing it. Um, we have another program that we use called letters. Again, a phonicsbased approach. We've sent three cohorts through letters. We just started the third cohort. And you can see our number of teachers and they're they're kind of sprinkled across the district. It started as elementary. It's worked its way up to
069middle school. Intervention specialist, our EL teachers. We are giving all of them this background. And then phonics for reading is another intervention program that we're using. started last year with just nine teachers. We just had about 30 plus go through training for phonics for reading and we have a a grant that we're involved in with the state that is helping to support that and and provide materials. And then finally, this is a small but mighty group, the AIM pathways to proficient reading. It is a pretty indepth professional learning experience for the teachers who have chosen to do it. um it leads to a teacher being what's called a certified structured literacy dyslexia interventionist. So we want people that have that in our district and the handful of teachers that have done that um it's a
070it's a timeconuming they they're dedicated to to the program and they're they're doing a lot of that on their own time on top of the training. So lots of great things there. Finally want to highlight this and you may have seen this in the news last year and it happened in the spring. So we had five of our elementaryaries, all five of them, >> all five of them recognized by the governor for the um governor's they called it the science of reading champion award. And this is um it was reflective of just a strong implementation of the training and the programs, but also like they looked at the growth of students. So it wasn't just an award that was centered around, oh your staff did all this training, great, you know, we'll give you something.
071They also looked at that in conjunction with the growth that our students were making and we were we were kind of among a a short list of schools and to have like all of our buildings come out of that was a huge accomplishment. Um I do know that at least one building yesterday got their nice banner from the state. I haven't heard that the other ones got it yet, but um I think Eastern Heights Elementary got theirs yesterday. So hopefully you'll see those around. Um we've been waiting patiently. I didn't hear those. So, um, and again, just kudos to our staff, our our literacy team. Um, just it is all hands on deck. And then finally, and some of this I've kind of covered just again like where where do we go from here on
072the academic side? And obviously math K to 12 is a focus for us, sustaining that ELA growth, consider or continuing the literacy push up into high school. And I think that's definitely a change for our staff. Um, high school teachers, and that was me, like we're not used to teaching reading at the high school level. Um, but I think we've realized more and more that's something that we have to push up there, especially for some of our most vulnerable populations. So, we have some great things going on there. We also are working continuing to work on the implementation of now what is called integrated MTSS. Um, I have the full verbiage at the bottom, but the integrated multi-tered systems of support, which again helps to identify what students need, whether that's behavioral or academic, it's
073all intertwined. Um, and and a lot of our buildings have developed processes and they're continuing with those things, working on that college, career, workforce, um, opportunities for students. We are always looking at our curriculum, always looking at alignment horizontally and vertical. So, you know, all the teachers in one grade level being on the same page, but then everything from, you know, up kindergarten, first grade, second grade, you know, what's that look like? So, vertically and horizontally. Um, chronic absenteeism is another piece for us. We were about 33% chronic absenteeism rate last year as a district. The state goal is about 16%. So, we have some great things and a lot of that happens through the student services department and you've seen maybe buildings posting, you know, videos. We have the part stay in the game
074partnership with the Cleveland Browns. Um, so, but when kids aren't in school, they can't learn. So, that's we definitely need to get them to school. And then our one plan goals through OD instruction, behavior, and attendance. So the bottom line is no matter what the report card shows, all these other data points that we have show that we have great things happening. Students are growing. We're meeting them where they're at and moving them forward, providing interventions that they need and moving them forward. So again, we will continue to use high quality materials and evidence-based practices to to meet students where they're at academically. >> Thank you. >> And that is the end of my presentation. Thank you. >> You're welcome to call the academic services office with any questions. >> Hey Courtney, just u thank
075first of all, thank you for your enthusiasm. >> You're welcome. >> Your energy, your passion is very very obvious and uh it's it's neat to see some of those data points moving in the right direction. You know, to the staff, to the teachers putting putting in extra work to uh >> further education. I mean, that's what we hope and believe teachers will do. And uh I know you're doing it. And so uh that was great. Thanks for putting that data together. >> And I just, you know, as a side note, I mentioned it. We we had a visitor today that that came over to Hamilton with a couple of us from academic services like looking at our literacy stuff. And so I was in like a um one of our title teachers, a pull out
076group, and then seeing a whole group, and it happened to be kindergarten, and then some third grades. And it just I I told Ann like I came back and already had this presentation done, but that was so invigorating this morning to see that and really we had a a lot of conversation about our path this morning. So there's, you know, we could go on for hours, but >> good job. Good job. Thank you. >> Okie do. Um, moving along now. The meeting minutes have been posted. Uh, do we have a motion to approve the >> So move >> September 17th meeting minutes? >> So move. >> Second. >> Please call the RO. >> Mr. Gart. >> Hi. >> Miss Gurfin. >> Hi. >> Mr. Hower. >> Hi. >> Mr. Parker. >> Hi. >> Mr. Sigin.
077>> I. Motion carries. Uh, board of education items. Um, we had an adoption of a resolution for um, Soul Source procurement for uh, water heaters as detailed below. And then to approve the license and release agreements as detailed below. Uh do we have a motion to approve those items? >> So move. >> Have a second. >> Second. Do >> we have any questions? >> Are all the water heaters being replaced at the high school? >> At the high school. They're starting to go. Yeah. >> So they're not just like our home water. >> No, >> they're a little bigger. How many do they have? >> 100. Just two big. >> Oh, two. >> Two. Very very they're good. >> Very good. >> The high school's brand new. How could that? >> Now, does it come
078with like >> 20 years like or no? >> Warranties. >> Yeah, like warranties or >> I think we've hit past the warranty. >> Yes. I think they're just like our homes. One year and then the levy funds that were, you know, collected in 2016, does that paid for? >> So, we have a half mill levy that came with the high school when we built it. you had to if you were a state project. >> Yeah. >> So that brings in a half a mill. Doesn't cover everything, but it covers a lot of the service agreements, but um you know, yes, we still have to pay for it. So, >> okay. >> Kind of think about a house that's 15 years old and things start to go right. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> I was like,
079really? >> Uh Madam Treasure, >> that's usually when I >> Mr. Parker. >> I miss Mr. Mr. Ghart. >> Hi. >> Mr. Garfin. >> I. >> Mr. Hower. >> I. >> Mr. Siguin. >> I. Motion carries. Treasure action items. >> Yes. Thank you. To approve the financial report for the month of August 2025, which includes all the reconciliation and um investment and bank reports. To acknowledge and express appreciation for the following donations. Thank you for the Cleveland Clinic. And thank you for um Mrs. Judith Judy Hagerty for her donation of uh 5500 $5,560 for the Liria High vocal lessons. >> Wow, that's big. >> Yeah. >> Um Okay. Do we have a motion to approve the donate or the treasures action items? >> So move. >> Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Madam
080treasure, please call the role. >> Miss Garfin, >> I. >> Mr. Hower, >> I. >> Mr. Gabart, >> I. >> Mr. Parker, >> I. >> Miss Sigin, >> I. Motion carries. Treasurer other. >> I have no other, but I do have a small report. Um, I wanted to just let the board be aware that Alyria was randomly selected for an STRS pension audit and we passed and we came back with the audit being accurate and complete. So, that was good news. Um, we received uh it was last week, two weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure that Miss Lash was here when I let you know that we got the financial award for the treasur's office for financial reporting. >> I hang them up. >> So, just I just wanted to make sure she's
081here. But no, in all honesty, this is for the whole district. So, we got the award for the financial reporting. >> And then I stewards. >> I also wanted to uh state that the property tax proposal was unveiled in the house a couple days ago. It revised the version of House Bill 186, which would place an inflationary cap on property tax revenues for the 20 mil floor districts, which we are currently. Unlike the original version that was perspective, this new version is retroactive and it would apply to the 2023 and 2024 uh years. So, it is it's in it's a house bill. It is not official yet, but if that does go through and does pass, it'll be about a $2 million they would go back and they would um a decrease for a Li
082City School District. Yeah. >> So, it is not a official yet, but it was just watching what may come down the pipe. >> What is that? 2 million for 23 and 2 million for 24. >> It would be 1.9 for 23 and about um 2.4 million for 24. >> So, that was exciting news. >> That's no good. No, it's not. >> So, I just wanted to bring the board aware of that and the community aware of that. It is a house bill. It is not in in fact a law. But I just wanted to bring that aware. >> I know as superintendents we're writing letters to what house bill is it? >> House Bill 186. The superintendent association, treasury association, board association. We all have a call to action to the local legislators. >> Okay.
083Um, superintendent action items. >> Sure. First of all to to declare the impracticality of providing transportation for the following students. Also to sorry to approve the home instruction tutor at the uh 2526 hourly rate to approve the agreement with the educational service center uh on behalf of aiology and hearing impairment. The next two are um both contracts that the state uses to place students um through state means. So it really isn't something we place. It's what the state is placing these students into these um facilities. And that concludes my action items. >> Okay. Do we have a motion to approve the superintendent's action items? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. Madam treasure, please call the role. >> Mr. Hower, >> hi. >> Mr. Gabart, >> hi. >> Miss Chrisarfin, >> I. >> Mr. Parker, >>
084I. >> Miss Siguin. >> I. Motion carries. Uh, personnel action items. >> Thank you. First of all, to approve the resignation of the following certified staff member. Also to approve the retirement of the following certified staff. Kevin Corp, Michelle Kersh, John Leairard. You can see they have quite a few years in Ayria and they've all been great employees and we wish them well. Um they're not going till June and July, but um they did get it in. Um also to approve the following supplemental contracts as listed below. To approve the resignation of the following athletic supplemental contract as listed below. To approve the appointment of the following classified staff as listed below. Uh to approve the unpaid leave of absence of classified staff as listed below. to approve the resignation of the following classified staff
085members as listed below. And those conclude my personnel action items. >> All right. Do we have a motion to approve superintendent personnel items? >> Second. >> All right. Please call the role. >> Mr. Parker. >> I. >> Mr. Gart. >> I. >> Miss Chrisarfin. >> Hi. >> Mr. Hower. >> I. Oops. >> Mrs. Siguin. >> I. >> Motion carries. Just real quick, um we we've had a lot of great presentations and conversations tonight, but just remind everyone this weekend is homecoming and not to forget if you're going to the game, any K8 student must be accompanied by a guardian or parent. And then um just kind of a neat thing that's going on Monday, October 6th, we have the director and two assistant directors of the child and youth department coming with Rep. Manning. Um
086they have been uh several of us have been talking with Rep. planning in some of them throughout the last year with some of the preschool changes that have been going on and they came out and saw the program and they really are considering our program one of the best in the state and they want they want to bring more people in to see it. So, I think that says a lot for what we're providing and um uh congratulations to all involved, especially um Jackie Planter and Kate Patia, but also uh the student services and academic services departments and that's coming. And then not to forget parents, any OEA day, I believe it's a week from this coming Friday. Yep. >> Okay. No school. Just to remind you that is a um uh not a contracted
087school day. But that is it. >> All right. Do we uh have any board of education items? If we do not, then it looks like we do have an executive session tonight. So, do we have a um motion to request an executive session to discuss matters that are required to be kept confidential by federal or state law? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Madam treasure, please call the role. Miss Garfin. >> Hi, >> Mr. Parker. Hi, >> Mr. Gart. Hi, >> Mr. Hower. Hi, >> Mr. Siguin. >> I motion carries and we will head off to executive session. >> Thank you all. Is there a motion?