001starting at 6:00 p.m. Can we get a roll call, please? Alana. Here. That is loud. Hi, everybody. Um safety briefing, we have exits on either side down here as well as up at the top. Please exit safely should we need to. Can I get a motion to adopt the meeting uh agenda for this evening, please? Second. Dr. Simmons? Yes. Mr. Nye? >> Yes. Ms. Wazuski? Yes. Mr. Ward? Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. And then next we have a number of minutes to approve, the approval of 3.1 from our March 3rd meeting, 3.2 from the March 4th Human Resources Committee, approval of the regular meeting March 18th, special meeting March 24th, regular meeting March 31st, and special meeting April 1st. If I could get a motion to approve all of those minutes, 3.1 through 3.6, please. So
002moved. Second. Mr. Nye? Yes. Dr. Simmons? Yes. Ms. Wazuski? Yes. Mr. Ward? Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. Thank you. All right. We are up to 4.1, executive session. Dr. Simmons. >> Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22 G3, I hereby move that the board adjourn to executive session to meet with board legal counsel to discuss disputes involving the board and or the school district that are subject of pending or even in court action. Second. Dr. Simmons? Yes. Ms. Wazuski? Yes. Mr. Nye? Yes. Mr. Ward? Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. >> Mhm. >> meeting. Alana, can you have roll call, please? Mr. Nye? Here. Dr. Simmons? >> Here. Ms. Wazuski? >> Here. Mr. Ward? Here. Dr. Strickler? Here. And the next up is item 5.1, the Pledge of Allegiance, and we have awesome students who are going to
003join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. I pledge 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. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. We will hear back from you in just a minute. All right. Good evening, everybody. Before we get started, I just want to make a quick statement. I want to thank you all for being here, um, and before we begin some amazing celebrations, I would just like to provide our community with a brief update on the superintendent search process. We know this is an important moment for our district, and we recognize that our community brings a wide range of perspectives and passion to this process. It has been great to see
004the level of input and engagement thus far from our community, and we truly commit, uh, appreciate everyone's commitment to Forest Hills. The board is working in partnership with Hamilton County Educational Service Center to ensure a structured, fair, and professional search process. The superintendent search began with community input. We asked our stakeholders what they value in the next leader in our district, and that feedback directly shaped the leadership criteria we are using now. The application window closed on April 10th, and the board will meet in executive session at the end of tonight's meeting to review the candidates identified by the Hamilton County Educational Service Center search team. From that pool, the board will select the candidates whose experience and leadership align with the priorities that have been identified by our community. Over the next two weeks,
005we will have four rounds of interviews. This includes an opportunity for the community to participate in a meet the candidate night on April 27th at 6:00 p.m. at Nagel Middle School. This will allow anyone who is interested the chance to hear directly from the finalists and share their perspective with the board. That input will also be considered as part of our decision. Our responsibility is to select the leader who will best serve our students, support our staff, and lead this district forward. Our commitment is to conduct this search thoughtfully, respectfully, and grounded in what's best for our students. We expect to announce a final decision in early May. Tomorrow, we will share the candidates moving forward in the interview process and more details about our upcoming interview process. All of the updates regarding the search
006will be posted on the superintendent search page on our district website. So, we encourage you to please stay engaged, attend our meet the candidate night, again, on April 27th, and continue to visit the superintendent page of our website for updates. This is where our community will find the most accurate and up-to-date information related to the search. Thank you again for your time and your dedication to Forest Hills. We are thrilled to be here representing you, so thank you. All right. And now, we are up to special recognitions, which is such a great thing to do as we head into spring. So, item 6.1, we are going to hear from some of the elementary running clubs. Hello. Uh, my name is Bo. And running club, I feel like it's a great way to socialize with friends
007and run after school. Uh, my coach is Mrs. Copras. She's wonderful, and she likes to run. Hi, my name is Finley Lusky. I go to Summit Elementary, and my favorite part about Summit, I mean, Summit running club, is that you get to hang out with all your friends after school, and there's four different groups, so So have to feel uncomfortable about which group you run in and about your speed and everyone feels welcome. Nice. Thank you. Hi, my name is Margaret Keith. I'm a fifth grader at Mercer. I'm going to be talking about the Mercer running club. I've been in it for about 2 years now. You see, the running club is not just all about running. It's also about having fun, setting goals, and improving every day. Running club makes you feel like you're
008on a team. Running club helps you stay healthy, but it also helps our minds. After running, I feel less stressed, more focused, and ready to learn. Most importantly, it teaches us not to give up even when it gets hard. We should keep going and that's a lesson that we should use in school and everywhere. So I hope that more students will join running club because it's a motivating and brings people together. I hope this is something that our school community supports for a long time. See you at the 5K. Thank you. Nice. I wore my 5K shirt to represent I'm here with you. Wilson Elementary Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Travis Langevin and I'm a fourth grade student at Wilson Elementary. I would like to talk about why running club
009is so is important to me and other students. Running club helps us stay healthy and active and it is also really fun. I like being able to run with my friends and challenge myself to get better each time. It has helped me learn how to set goals and not give up even when something feels hard. It is also It also gives me something to look forward to after school. I think running club is a great program because it helps students feel strong, confident, and proud of themselves. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Thank you. Real quick. Look at all this Sherwood green. Love it. Hi, my name is Shayne Barket. I go to Sherwood Elementary. I'm in fourth grade. I I ran the 5K three times. I've loved running club because the coaches are amazing.
010My coaches are Tom Coach Tom and Coach Tommy. That's true. Hello, I'm Maggie and I'm extremely grateful to be sharing what running club means to me. Before running club, running was an activity that I thought would hook on to me. However, one day at my friend Halbert introduced me to the club and I decided to try it out. The first day I got immediately greeted by Tom the Taco and Tommy the Potato Tot. From that day forward, running club sparked interest for a new activity. Eventually, I ran the Forest Hills 5K and won my age division. Through this club, I've not only grown a passion for running, but I've grown closer friendships who I'm planning to hopefully go into Nagel with. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Which one of you
011are Tom the Taco? >> [laughter] >> Thank you all very much. >> to our speakers. Um I I teach at the University of Cincinnati and I will tell you college students still struggle and are uncomfortable speaking in public. And for you all in elementary school to come down in front of an audience where all eyes are on you and talk about one of your passions is it's really admirable and it's a skill you should jump at any opportunity to continue to develop, right? Something that's going to need to be with you your whole life. So really nice job way to be brave getting up here tonight. Absolutely. Well done. >> [applause] >> Can we go out and take a group picture? I assume that's why they're going out. >> Oh, they're going Oh, I was
012going to like to take it in front of the room. Okay. Taking a group picture in the hallway. As one does. All right, and 6.2 is our celebration of our volunteers for the year. So our volunteer recognition 2025 will be started off by Mr. Kyle Fender. Tough acts to follow, but I'll I'll do my best. My volunteer of the year, something came up, she's not able to be here tonight, but I am going to go ahead and brag on her for a moment anyway because she absolutely deserves it. I know everybody in here would agree that the school is only as strong as the community that holds it up. And at Anderson High School and across Forest Hills, we are very fortunate to have a community that stands tall. And tonight, I have the distinct
013honor of recognizing one individual that seems to be everywhere all at once and does a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes. I want to recognize our PTO president, Kim Baumgardner, as the Anderson High School volunteer of the year. She has a tireless work ethic. She's a big picture thinker. She doesn't just see problems, she sees dozens of ways around those problems and how to solve them. And I really enjoy our problem-solving conversations. She's a great partner to have. She's always thinking what's going to be the most benefit to students and staff alike. Whether it's coming up with complex logistics and re like reimagining after prom to ensure that our juniors and seniors have a safe and memorable night or simply just being a constant supportive presence up and down the hallways, her influence is
014felt in every classroom at Anderson High School. Quick story that that was a lot of fun. Just a few weeks ago during our wellness week, Kim was trying to think of a way to inject a little extra life into our wellness week and brought up the idea of a rock, paper, scissors competition. And I thought at first, these are high school kids and staff. Yeah, rock, paper, scissors, what's going to happen? It was the highlight of the year. Uh kids had beads, they'd do one, two, three, shoot, and then you'd have to give your beads up if you lost. It took over every lunch, every passing period. It injected uh life into the into the school at a time in the school year where we really need the positivity. So I'm greatly appreciative of of
015that concept coming to fruition. And I know that Kim doesn't do any of this work for the accolades, but that's exactly why she deserves them. So I want to thank her for her vision, her stamina, her unwavering commitment to the Anderson Raptors, putting up with my crazy thoughts and ideas as well. Uh she's a phenomenal person and I'm proud to work with her. So that's Kim Baumgardner for ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL. >> [applause] >> OH, THEY KNOW THEIR ORDER. DID YOU SAY WHAT YOU'RE DOING THE BOARD? SCHOOL? YEAH, I'm just going to make a note cuz Hi everyone. My name is Heather and I am the principal at Ayer Elementary. I am here tonight to honor and recognize Kim Akman as the volunteer of the year recipient. She is going to hate everything about all of
016this, so enjoy this with me. Um Kim has been an absolute staple volunteer at Ayer for the past 7 years. Most mornings, you will see Kim working in the cafeteria with her earbuds in. She is busy crafting away at something beautiful. She's always making projects for our staff and students. Kim has put in countless volunteer hours over the years. Anything you need, she will do it or she will work with a group to help make it possible. When I asked our staff what they appreciated the most about Kim's support, comments were shared that Kim is always at Ayer and that she always takes care of everyone in big and small ways. She even somehow recruits her husband on his days off. They're always working on different things for us. The overall theme from our staff
017was just a huge appreciation and thank you for all of your efforts and support over all of the years, Kim. I asked Charlotte, Kim's daughter and a sixth grader at Ayer, what all of this volunteer work meant to her and she shared that she just absolutely loves that her mom gets to come to the same school as her and helps so many teachers. She said, her words were, "I think it's really cool that she helps all teachers, not just my current teachers." So I thought that was really sweet. Um Kim's selfless, generous attitude and approach often show up in ways that are behind the scenes and without recognition. The truth is that she should be recognized publicly because she does so much for so many. It is a pleasure and honor to recognize Kim this
018evening. We are so thankful for all of your support. Thank you so much. >> [applause] >> You've got a fan club. >> [laughter] >> Good evening, Board of Education, Superintendent Hook. Um I'm Joy O'Brien. I'm the principal at Maddox and it is my honor this evening to introduce you to Neelam Haynes. Neelam is the proud mother of Miles Haynes, who's a super fourth grader at Maddox. Neelam serves as a vice president of staff relations on our PTO board and has been doing that uh job so far for the past 2 years. Neelam takes on many volunteer roles and she's most often seen in the building at class parties and setting up for many events such as grand nights, staff appreciation week, carnival, and monthly staff treat carts, to name a few. Neelam not only sets
019up for these events, but she also organizes all the details for them. She makes sure to communicate effectively with the staff as well. So yesterday, I received an email from Neelam with a beautiful flyer attached that read, "Thanks for planting the seeds of knowledge." This is the theme for Friday's staff treat cart. So I have no doubt that there will be amazing seed-themed treats on this cart including food and fun things for the staff to enjoy. I can tell you that on behalf of the entire staff, Neelam, all of these moments are huge bucket fillers and we always feel loved and appreciated because of them. So, I spoke to Neelam's son, Miles. Miles, where are you? There's Miles yesterday and I asked him to tell me about his mom and what makes her special. I
020know. I might cry. So, Miles said, "My mom is really great. She does a lot for me and my sister. She's four. She works hard for the school and it's really fun when she comes to my class parties. She spends hours of her day planning fun events for students and the staff, too. My mom is special because she's just a really good mom who puts a lot of time into raising us and taking care of Maddox. She She makes Maddox the best school and I love her very much. So, please give a round of applause to our volunteer of the year, [clears throat] Neelam Khan. >> [applause] >> Neelam, Miles is giving you a standing ovation in the back, so I thought you should know. Good evening. Mr. uh Superintendent Hook, Forest Hills Board President
021Ms. Strickler, and board members. Tonight, I have the privilege to recognize someone who has truly made a difference in our school community, our incredible PTO President Caroline Keith. Caroline is not only a dedicated leader, but a proud mom to Margaret in fifth grade, and then William who's not here, and then Lucy in first grade. Like so many of us, she balances family life with a deep commitment to our school. But, what sets her apart is her heart and energy that she brings to everything she does. This year, she's worked tirelessly to create an environment filled with excitement, connection, and inclusion. Behind every event, every communication, and every moment that was brought our families together, there were hours of planning, coordinating with the directors, showing up and volunteering, and then encouraging others to do the same.
022She doesn't just lead, she lifts everyone else up. When I asked her daughter Margaret how she feels about her mom, her response said it all. She said that she is so proud of her mom because she works to have fun events and takes great care of our school. "My mom works really hard and she won't give up." Margaret also shared that her favorite memories this year were the family-focused events, such as Urban Air and family dance moments that truly brought our community together. And in true kid fashion, she admitted the most embarrassing moment was seeing her mom wearing the puffy eagle costume during lunches every uh during every lunch. Though I think most of us thought it was just another example of her willingness to go above and beyond to bring joy to our students.
023Her leadership has made our school stronger, more connected, and joyful. We are grateful for her dedication, spirit, and unwavering commitment to our children. Please join me in thanking and celebrating our wonderful PTO President Caroline Keith. >> [applause] [applause] >> Good evening. My name is Tiffany Brennan. I'm the principal at Nagel and I am honored to introduce Debbie Lemon and recognize her as our volunteer of the year at Nagel. So, Debbie has been volunteering for 9 years in Forest Hills. She started Maddox. She's joining us at Nagel now. And as we all know, it takes a village. And we know that grandparents are the gift to our kids. And um the greatest thing about Debbie is that she shows up, no offense parents, when moms and dads don't want to. And at Nagel, that's at the
024SOAR store where our kids get to turn in white tickets to get Jolly Ranchers and candy bars. And Debbie runs our SOAR store once a month. She shows up. She's the person that when we say, "We need someone to be here, who do we call?" We call Debbie. Um and so, we're so grateful for you. Um I did ask your grandsons about you. And if you talk to middle school boys about what they appreciate about a person, they said, "She always gets us food." They appreciate that. But, they also said that you're always showing up and you cheer them on and you there support them. You show up at their sporting events. You do it all and we appreciate that. also said it's really cool that their friends know their grandma. Um so, we're so
025grateful for you and the work that you do and we appreciate you. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right, good afternoon, board and all of our esteemed guests. I appreciate you first of all for giving us the 20 minutes to talk tonight. So, thank you. I really appreciate that. Only 20? That's all you needed? I'll keep it short. Okay. Um it's an absolute honor to stand before you tonight to recognize the Sherwood Elementary Volunteer of the Year for 2025-2026, uh Mrs. Courtney Preiser, uh who is also the mom of two wonderful kids, Brennan and Gage. Uh Courtney is quite simply the kind of volunteer every principal dreams of having. For the past 3 years, she served as a vice president on our PTO board. Uh but, her title only scratches the surface of her impact. Uh
026if there's a light on at Sherwood or some sort of activity going on, I can guarantee you that Courtney is there and is at the heart of whatever is going on. Her leadership has been instrumental in the big moments. Uh she's chaired or served as a key volunteer for our website management, spirit wear, uh book fair. She's been the engine behind some of our family game nights, skate nights, and school dances. Uh whether it's coordinating high school volunteers for our theater productions or promoting wellness through our healthy habits programs, Courtney ensures our initiatives aren't just completed, but they're absolutely exceptional. However, what truly makes Courtney remarkable is her quiet presence in the small moments. Um when something needs to be done, she is always there. Whether it's the copy room or we need volunteers for
027some sort of event, she's always there. Like the back-to-school bash or carnival, Mother's Day flower sale, all that stuff. She is always there filling in the gaps that people don't even know exist. She's always there. Uh she doesn't seek the spotlight. She simply seeks to serve. Whether she's in organizing a school-wide walk-a-thon or helping out in the classroom party, her goal is always the same, to make Sherwood a better place for our students, our staff, and our families. And I asked her daughter Brennan, "If she were standing up here today, what would she want to tell all of you about her mom?" Uh but, it was great. She kind of kicked back and smiled and it was so genuine and she said, "My mom works really hard and she loves all the people at Sherwood."
028And I just thought that was great. What a great role model you've been for her. Um so, Courtney, we're so incredibly grateful for your unwavering support, your boundless energy, and your heart for our community on behalf of the entire Sherwood family. Thank you for everything you do for us. >> [applause] >> Good evening. Good evening, everyone. My name is Kyle Mack. I'm the principal at Summit Elementary. I do want to say I think I got set up here a little bit. I was told to keep my comments very brief. I don't know if that's because of my reputation or I'm getting punked by everyone else. Uh so, I I just want to say the brevity of this has nothing to do with the quality of the candidate that I have to you [laughter] this evening.
029Okay? All right. Not only has she accumulated the most service hours combined within our classrooms and throughout our building, uh but, if there is a PTO event happening at Summit or through Summit, you can be assured Tracy Smith is the one leading it, supporting it, or quietly making it happen behind the scenes. As our VP of communication, room parent chair, sixth grade graduation chair, I'm sure there are other chairs. I was just trying to go through as quickly as I possibly could. Um her tireless work makes her a vital part of the heartbeat of the Summit life. Um in addition to that, uh her collaborative work on the Summit Strong fundraiser alone was a major undertaking. Um on top of all of those accolades and all the ways in which she serves Summit, her ever-present
030smile and joyful attitude invigorates the spirit of our community. And we are honored to recognize Tracy Smith as our volunteer of the year at Summit Elementary School. >> [applause] >> Clear and concise, Kyle. I like it. My name is Andy Jados and I'm the principal at Turpin High School. I have the honor to uh recognize Amy Heist today. And I'll, you know, I could go on and on. Uh one thing I would say is I've never been around anybody that's been more focused on supporting students and staff in this role. Uh she goes above and beyond constantly. And and just take a moment on that focus. I have a short story that happened 17 minutes ago. Uh Amy comes up and I said, uh I said, "Amy, I said, uh I'm really excited. I've got
03117 minutes that I'm going to talk about you." And she said, "You shouldn't have done this and it's going to be 1 minute." That's her focus, okay? So, two fun things for Amy. Number one, this is the board agenda. And number two, cuz I don't need a speech I don't need a speech to know what I want to say about Amy. And then number two, we're already over a minute. But the other part I'll say about Amy is just so creative and all the ideas that she's able to get and how she leads this group and it's by far the best supportive group I've ever been around. And one thing that she does, she'll she'll meet during the day if it works best for the group. She'll meet in the evening. She'll meet at different
032places out in the community. And she even one time even opened up her home to have 10 to 12 people in her house. And and the reason why I think that's important, I've lived in my home for 3 years. Three people have been there. Two were repairmen and one was a break-in I'd rather not get into it. But that's been it. I mean, central office still doesn't necessarily have my accurate address. So, and to open up her home to have people come in because she knew that just to kind of get that familiarity with everyone, to build friendship, to collaborate, to make everyone feel at ease. And she does an amazing job and she's been doing this for a long time. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but 2015 she won this
033award from Wilson Elementary. And then here she is 11 years later winning at Turpin. Amy Heis. >> [applause] >> Good evening. My name is Aaron Seins. I'm the principal of Wilson Elementary and I'm here with Jean Body, our school counselor, to recognize Mona Hale as our volunteer of the year for Wilson. Good evening. It is my It has been my honor to work alongside Mona Hale since 2021. Mona has served as our family representative on our Tier 1 PBIS team, our Wilson Way. Her voice has been open, honest, and trusted on our team, which has led us to gold recognition for a number of years. So, we're so grateful for her to be a part of that. Mona has also stepped up bringing her energy for our blue card acknowledgements like bingo, popcorn with people,
034hot cocoa and crafts, and propagation station where kids can cash in their blue cards to plant plants. Mona has shown up for every one of these events. She is organized. She is ready. I can take a sigh knowing that Mona has got it. Talking to our teachers today, they shared that Mona has always been so encouraging to them through her years at Wilson Elementary. And they think that this step recognition is well deserved. Mona has been steadfast, trusted, reliable, and honestly just plain fun to be around. However, her impact doesn't stop there. During Healthy Habits Week, Mona has helped introduce our students to new foods and experiences during Try Something New Tuesday, encouraging them to step outside their comfort zone and try something new. What truly sets Mona apart is who she is as a
035person. She brings a calm, welcoming presence into every space she enters. She builds genuine, authentic connections with students, staff, and families. There's just something about her, her warmth, her kindness, her vibe, that makes you want to sit down, talk, and get to know her better. Most importantly, Mona always puts kids first. She has a special way of bringing people together and creating a sense of belonging within our school community. When I asked her sixth grade son, Tyber, what he enjoys most about his mom being involved at Wilson, He's right over up there. He shared that she is very caring and always has his back. He especially enjoys seeing her in the morning when he gets off the bus, describing it as both cool and unexpected. She is highly task oriented, consistently completing responsibilities on time,
036and demonstrates strong time management skills. Mona, thank you for your unwavering commitment, your positivity, and the countless ways you've made Wilson a better place. Thank you for consistently demonstrating the Wilson Way each and every day. As a valued part of our the Wilson community for the past 10 years, you will truly be missed. We are glad we will see you out and about as you continue to be a part of the Forest Hills Foundation for Education. Thank you so much. >> [applause] >> Uh we decided to move it earlier in the meeting moving forward. Um just as part of a celebration and recognition that that's why we're all here, right? We're here to celebrate the amazing things that are happening with our students, our educators, our families, and our communities. So, moving forward next month
037we will be back to our board highlights. Tonight we just wanted to leave that time for acknowledging our amazing volunteers. So, if we can give them one more round of applause as they exit gracefully. [applause] All right. Item 7.1, Forest Hills Teachers Association report, Mr. Preston. Well, good evening to each of you, uh Board of Education members. Happy April. Um our staff and students had a much needed pause last week during spring break. Uh they returned this week ready to tackle the remainder of the school year. As I mentioned last month, staff have worked hard to prepare students for state testing while also maintaining engaging and meaningful instruction. We appreciate the continued collaboration with building administration that helps to ensure testing runs as smoothly as possible and minimizes disruptions to learning. While the final stretch
038of school is approaching, classrooms will be filled with culminating projects, field trips, performances, and exhibitions of student learning. These events are important and highlight the growth of students that have made they have made throughout the year. They also give opportunities for families to engage and celebrate their accomplishments. Lastly, teachers are balancing instructional priorities, transitions, and reflecting on our current year in preparation, yes, already for next year. FHTA remains committed to finishing strong and helping to continue to ensure success for all of our students. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Preston, thank you. All right. Forest Hills Foundation for Education report, tonight we have Amy Dunleavy and Lindsey Weeder. Hello. Is that good? Can you guys hear me? Weeder, Wider. Wider, I'm so sorry. Lindsey Wider. I should know that with Beiderman, right? So, I I realized
039the problem when I said it. Amy Dunleavy and Lindsey Wider. Thank you much. We are not Stacy, but we're going to channel her energy as much as we can. It's not going to be hard to to match, but we are here to represent the foundation tonight and the 5K that's coming up. So, 24 days, we've got the 5K. Like you said, my name is Amy Dunleavy and I am on the planning committee this year. My specific role is kind of being the liaison for all of the wonderful running clubs that we got to hear about a little bit ago. So, I have been working with them and helping them through this year so far. Let's see. The 5K is more than just a distance. It's more than just a pace and it's more than just
040crossing a finish line. It's about showing up and it's about showing up for the kids. It's about the moments that we don't always get to see, the opportunities that we help create, the quiet confidence that grows when a child feels appreciated and supported. On Saturday, May 9th, we come together as a community walking, running, giving, and lifting each other up. Because every step that's taken, every dollar that's given, and every hour that's volunteered directly supports all of the students here in Forest Hills. So, whether you register, donate, or volunteer, know this, what you do matters. A big thanks to all of our 2026 Forest Hills 5K sponsors. Um we have a whole ton Oh, you can sign up and register here. But thanks to all of the students who also submitted art for the bar
041three packet pickup bag and Gavin Hill who he's here. Nope. But he his artwork was selected for the contest and will be displayed on the pickup bags. So, congrats, Gavin. Oh, that's cool. Beautiful. I love that. Oh, nice. Love that. So, mark your calendars. Coming up on April 30th at Wandering Monsters, we will have a 5K pre-party. Stop by anytime between 5:00 and 8:00 and we'll have all sorts of free raffles, some family family friendly fun, and it'll be just a great way to get excited for the 5K and support the kids. Because small steps lead to something bigger than all of us. Be a part of that impact. The for- the Forest Hills 5K is more than a race. It's a reflection of who we are as a community. I'm Lindsey Wider and I
042am proud to be a part of the team for the first 5K event and specifically I'm helping with volunteers. So if you know anybody or if you would like to volunteer, we need lots of volunteers. It takes about 300 volunteers for us to put on this event. It takes everybody. So it's students, parents, teachers, neighbors, everybody they can. Because volunteering isn't a part of giving time, it's about building connection, creating community and showing our students what it means to lead, to serve and to care. Check out the many ways you can volunteer. Every role matters, every hour matters and every person matters. On Saturday, May 9th, you can be a part of it whether you run, walk, donate, cheer or volunteer. Because we come together, we don't just support our students. We surround them with
043possibilities. We all hope to see you all there and reach our goal of 180. 180,000. So small steps make impact. Join us for the 2026 Forest Hills 5K. Hope to see you on May 9th. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next up on the agenda, we have public comment. We do not have any public speakers this evening. So I am going to skip by that section and take us to 9.1, the superintendent update. We had lots of public speakers, great celebrations. Thank you, President Peter and members of the board. Um first [clears throat] of all, just a real quick update. I know I want to special thanks to Bob Buck, our director of elementary education and Chuck Ogden for director of secondary education as we begin looking at celebrating America 250. Building wide initiatives
044kick off as early as April 21st at the secondary level. It's not a one-time thing. It's going to be throughout the month. It's going to be into the summer. We got a big hoopla going on obviously on the 4th of July that we participate in, especially the secondary with our bands and our cheerleaders etc. May 4th kicks off series of events for elementary as well. These like I said, these involve summer and they will carry into next school year. So it's not just a a one-and-done type of thing. So they started to develop a patriotic handbook. And I will share that with you at our next board update. Push it out to you. It's a little detailed and trying to be a little brief, but you can kind of see a lot of the things
045that they've got celebrating. It's been a quite a collaboration with teachers, staff members as well as principals getting together, talking about what it is, how how to frame it and how to put those things into place. There's art contests, celebrated There's going to be some songs. Obviously classroom lessons and more. Again, I mentioned already the Anderson Township 4th of July parade. So if you are in town, you are definitely going to want to be there for that. It will likely be a big one. So we're pretty excited about that. Again, regular ongoing activities will carry throughout next school year as well. But just a massive shoutout to the incredible educators you know, that really spent the time to sit down and kind of give it some really the due diligence and thought that it needed
046to be and put this together. And again, I'll push that out in the board update. But again, special thanks to Chuck and to Bob for leading the groups and getting that really going. So thank you very much. Thank you both. I'm excited to hear more. Yeah, it'll be good. It's about three pages and I don't think you want me to spend that much time on it. So >> [laughter] >> you can read it at your leisure. Next I just wanted real quickly, we finished our winter sports success. Um winter sports have concluded. We're into spring, at least when the weather's nice. You found out what it's like when the weather is nice. There is no parking anywhere at any high school when the weather is nice cuz you got rain dates you're making up plus
047you know, the regularly scheduled events. But I just wanted to show we had I just put a little put a little collage together. Thanks, Josh, for putting helping me find those. It's on the next slide. But just moving around there, you know, just a shoutout to all of our athletes who continually put a positive foot forward representing their schools, representing our communities. Anderson boys basketball are district runners-up. Moving right to left at the top, you got our state runners-up. Anderson Turpin cheerleaders. Okay, game day build. It's the highest finish ever for the Turpin cheerleaders. So congratulations. Turpin gymnastics were city champs, third place in the southwestern district. Four athletes went on to state competition. Boys Turpin and dive. Truman Ragassi competed at state level. So he went got out of regionals, which is is a
048big deal. And then the Anderson dance team competed at state in jazz, hip hop and palm categories. The Anderson boys wrestling. Congratulations to Marshall Morrenci, who was a district champion. And actually placed seventh at the state meet. So if you've ever probably not ever been to one, but if you ever get a chance to take in a state wrestling championship up in Columbus. >> It's awesome. It is a sight to be seen. And it is it's it's a wowzer. And congratulations to everybody. There are so many more things to celebrate. Certainly couldn't fit them on one slide. But just wanted to highlight a couple of those major accomplishments. Also want to shoutout to Nagel March Madness. This is pretty cool even though my brackets were really horrible >> [laughter] >> this year. Boy, oh boy,
049oh boy. Yeah, I got my bracket. >> [clears throat] >> Is she going to talk talk about it? But anyway, March Madness up at Nagel. What happened is each advisory picked a college basketball team that was in you know, they got to decorate their doors. There was competition, friendly competition, but it was more than just decorating. They had to do some research on the school. So whether your team was Texas Tech or Arizona or Duke or any of the teams that made it into the into the March Madness, you had to have that all implemented within on your door. It was quite neat. Then central office and others got to go over one morning and actually judge. And it was tough. There are some talented kids and just some of those doors were really cool.
050You know, some history, cause, what's you know, what's their specialty, different things. I just thought it was really cool. And so great job from the Nagel group making some fun out of March Madness. So Final one, I just real quickly. >> [cough and clears throat] >> We we just got some of this in the strategic planning monitoring. So we're still in the digesting phase. We did some got some polling on some of our student responses. So in section 1.1 providing engaging and innovative and inclusive educational experiences for all learners. We've we've started pulling in that data. We just got it here not long ago and we had spring break. So we'll have more of that in May so we can dig dig down a little bit deeper. But the building things will really go into
051it deeply because when they look at they take their kids that's their unit cuz there may be some tweaks that are a little bit different in one school versus another school. Just we also had promoting opportunities. You can see those up there. I'm not going to read those for you. But we've compiled compiled a a lot of information and digesting that. And I'm happy to report that we noticed an slight increases in students feeling welcome and connected compared to the fall when we took the same uh same uh questions were asked. Again, this is more on strategy one. We also noticed a pretty significant increase from the fall when looking at students receiving feedback on their work. Um obviously critical and important in strategy two. So, we're we're looking into those results, digging into that,
052and we'll be digging into those in at a at a building level as well. Um but we'll share more of that next month. for you, Sally. That concludes my report. Thanks, Larry. Thank you, Larry. And especially thank you for the work that you and and Chuck and Bob have done on the America's 250th. I'm just so pleased to see the variety of things that the the district is doing. Absolutely. >> great. Yeah. All right. Item 10, we're going to begin the consent agenda starting with human resources. Mr. Fellows up on deck. I don't want to read the foundation speech again. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that. Good evening to the board. Pretty straightforward agenda this evening. I'll highlight a few retirements. The first of whom is Larry Pornoy. He's been at Anderson High School 18
053years. He was 13 years, maybe 14 at Colerain before he joined us here. He will be mid-year retirement. So, we we get him for a little bit longer, but we're going to go ahead and make it official now and wish him the the best over the summer gearing up for the last semester and a half, I suppose. Um on the classified side, a combined 70 years of of tenure in the school district. And these are folks that make a difference every single day in our cafeterias, our cooks, and and and also our bus drivers. So, I'm going to take a moment to lament the fact that Miss Stamper has really brought the excitement to the drivers with her costumes. She dresses up all the time for all the holidays. Makes it really fun and engaging
054for the kids. And her presence down there in the transportation team is going to be missed for sure. Likewise at Turpin, losing two that have been in our district for for quite a while and seeing kids, thousands of them, come through and helping make sure that they get a healthy lunch and a friendly face and wish them all the best as well. We do get Lisa for just a little bit longer in the at starting out in August, but she's going to retire September 1. So, wish all of them the best and and deep deep gratitude for their time in Forest Hills. Um moving down in the agenda, you'll note that our appointment sections are going to continue to kind of grow this time. I'm really proud to report just the number of new hires
055that we've been actively working to make and finalize. You'll see a number of those on the certified side this evening. 14 new individuals on the certified side coming in. And um you know, with each of those that are going to be approved this evening, there's hours and hours and hours of, as you can imagine, vetting process. And I shared in a prior board update just the volume of candidates that we've had for some of these certified positions. And without question, the the future remains very strong. Very proud of each of these individuals. And and I want to emphasize one in particular. And I don't normally do this. However, I also don't normally have certified individuals, new hires, who show up to a board meeting when on their conditional offer letter it says your presence is
056not required. >> [laughter] >> And she's sitting behind me, and I happen to know her because she was a student at Anderson High School, and she's a product of Forest Hills. She went to Sherwood and and Nagel, and uh She's still behind me, right? I didn't lose her. >> She is. >> [laughter] >> Yes. We're all staring her down now. And she's sitting up there just super eager to get going, and it's just a really really fitting symbol of just the the joy that I know many all of our folks as they're coming in experience. And this one's super special. Small story. Final interview. Central office. Mr. Hamilton, myself, and Franny. Okay. And Franny walks in, she's comfortable because she knows us, and she lights up the upper conference room up there. We start talking.
057We go through the whole thing. And uh pretty much final question was, you know, what was it that got you eager to get into education? And without question, she without hesitation, she immediately said, "Fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Kramer, saw Sherwood Elementary." And she proceeded to talk about why Mrs. Kramer had such an impact on her. Well, Mr. Hamilton, unbeknownst to Franny, had arranged for Mrs. Kramer to be there at that final interview. It was like we should have filmed it because we opened the door and she's right there. They were all crying. I was like tearing up. Dan was a mess, you know. But >> [laughter] >> But it was the most special moment and super fitting as a product of Forest Hills. We have a number of those folks coming back to us. She
058was part of the Teacher Academy. She's just kind of like in it. So, really excited for her and the other 14 that are listed there. Um >> Welcome aboard. Yes. Um so, yeah. >> [applause] >> And then the rest of the report report is is there. A number of appointments for spring supplementals and volunteers closing out the year. I will note I've got a couple salary schedules on there for next year's subs. Really just to help payroll get things organized in advance over the summer. Looks good. >> Any questions? Yeah. Rob, I had messaged you earlier today, but I had noticed on the appointment item D, the appointment personnel items, there were uh several appointments for work beyond contracts for innovation AI curriculum work. Mhm. >> I was just curious more about what that work
059entailed Yeah. and the strategies the district is engaging in to evolve technology. So, in February when I was not here, I was going to say Chuck stood up here and did his best Rob, and I'm going to do my best Chuck right now because that's his team that that he's kind of overseeing as part of our initiatives with AI. And they've met over the course of this school year. This is specifically a day in June, June 4, right you know, after we let out, but before everybody gets gone into the summer. Chance for that team to come together to kind of debrief whole scale over the scope and sequence of this past year to kind of shore up, you know, some of the plans and and opportunities for their work moving forward. Really digging into
060some of the you know, Google AI Gemini, notebook LM, that kind of thing. And really planning out their their dates and and the kind of the curriculum for next year. As well as identifying you know, structures to get in place where there's some kind of vertical and horizontal alignment across the district for some turnkey PD opportunities next year. That's the focus of of the day. Yeah. How did I do, Chuck? Yeah, I'd love to hear, you know, at the July or August meeting, maybe kind of what comes of that meeting, the what you all found, what you're all implementing, and and how it's going to be integrated into the curriculum at at all the levels. Maybe at some point in late summer. Okay. Any other questions? That concludes my report. Thank you. Thank you. Teaching
061and learning, Mr. Ogden. Good evening. I have one item on the agenda that is an overnight field trip for one of our Nagel students, Elise Von Allmen, to compete in the Power of the Pen at Ashland University in the middle of May. Any questions? What is that? What is Power of the Pen? Okay. So, Power of the Pen is a writing competition. Actually, Mr. Moore and I, being former middle school principals, we were like, "Wow, it's still around. That's awesome." So, there's it's a national writing competition which students compete. We actually haven't had a nomination in a while. And so, we're pretty excited to get somebody up there and continue in the competition within writing competition. Yeah. Awesome. Thank you. >> Go, Elise. Item 12.1, treasurer's report, Mrs. Cropper. All right. New new format for
062our monthly financial reports tonight. I hope you've had a chance to look at over them or purpose here. We worked with the finance committee Miss Wasouski and Dr. Simmons and I hope that I have adequately put together what what we came out that meeting. If not, we can continue to work on these so that they meet the board's objective. What we'd like to do is present an executive summary in the board meeting, but then there are links and you can click on the link if you want the same detail that you've always had. It looks very sharp. Thank you. Okay. Looking at this past month, we had donations of 21,000 which brings our donations to date of 268,000. Revenue summary in our general fund. We have received 81% of the revenues we would expect to
063receive for the whole year with 75% of our year past. Annual revenues so received during the past month include our excess cost revenue of uh 285,000 and that's 16% over what it was the previous year. Expenditures, we have spent 73% of what we have appropriated with 75% of our years past. And major expenditure that we had during the month March was our annual insurance premium which John Mr. Ecker presented last month. We pay it annually about 615,000. So from April 1 through March 31st. So that was the major expenditure out of our norm during the month of March. There you can see you can click on all the other permanent improvements. I call your attention to the investment income. We are on track to earn our projected 2.5 million for the year. So on track
064there that's looking good. Other than that, we do have some permanent appropriation changes this year. Increased cost for the turf project. We've gotten some grants some additional grants the past month from the foundation and an increase in the bus safety grant. So that said, I'd be anxious to hear any comments any changes you would like to make. You could email them to me and as always the cash position report is there for you to look at. That said, any questions on the financial report for the month in the fiscal year to date in the March 31st 2026. The links were really helpful in advance to have it all right here. Thank you. Thanks. Nice work. What we talked about is you know obviously our board meetings were getting pretty lengthy there for the first few
065ones and we're just kind of talking about like what needed to be shared publicly, what was legally obligated to be shared publicly um but also making sure that we are being transparent in reporting district finances. And so providing an executive summary with the necessary information and then allowing us to be able to follow up with specific questions to Alana or if any other issues arose was what we're shooting for. I I really like this format. I I concur. I just think that what you've done with the format to make sure that everything is available to the people who want to see it and that you can look at it more quickly and see what people are typically most interested in, but then people who like the additional details still have that accessible to them. I
066really love what you've done. Oh great great. I'm glad it meets your your expectations and as as you directed I will I will be working with Josh to make sure we have a place on the treasurer's website so that these monthly reports rest there as well as in board docs. >> Yeah. Yeah, so that's another big piece is how people can find it. Right now it's in board docs as part of the agenda, but we will have a place in the treasurer's report and I think one really important aspect of this month's report is dependencies related to the permanent improvement funds. I just want to continue to tell the story of how the community's money is being used. These permanent improvement funds were part of the last levy that was passed. We had the um
067um general general levy, right? And then we had the permanent improvement funds to address several repairs and upgrades that were necessary in our district to keep our buildings running into the long term. And so folks can go in and see the projects that uh you know were completed or are still scheduled to be completed this year. How much they cost, how much their estimates were. And I mean you can just see the tangible evidence of the improvements made to our district that our community's support has funded. So thank you to everybody in the community for continuing to support our district and I appreciate that detail in this report Alana. And those columns and the pie charts that show what we expected something to be and then what it actually is. I think just makes it
068so easy for somebody to benchmark whether they've been following along from month to month or not. So all of those I think make it really easily accessible for our whole community. That said, I respectfully request that you approve the treasurer's report as part of the consent agenda which began with agenda item 10.1 and concluded with item 12.1. All right. I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda item 10.1 through 12.1. Second. Dr. Strickler? Yes. Miss Wasouski? Yes. Mr. Nye? Yes. >> Dr. Simmons? >> Yes. Mr. Ward? >> Yes. All right. Next item up 13.1 is board discussion. So I'll open the floor. Uh I'll I'll go ahead and go. I know we're we're holding off on the the highlights until next month. So I really just wanted to kind of thank the community for
069the participation in the early stages of the superintendent search. We had a ton of people I think over 800 took the survey. Um we had a 200 or so that signed up to try to be part of the participation groups. We I think we narrowed down to like 80 based on who could make the days available. Everybody was invited. >> Yeah. Yeah, right. Everyone who signed up was invited. It was great to see so many people in the community come out and tell us what they're looking for. Um I appreciate that and I just wanted the community know that their input and their um effort making the time to get to us and share their perspectives is appreciated. So thank you. And all that information is available both on the district's social media page as
070well as a designated page on our district's website so that community can follow along with the progress. The the leader leadership profile that came from the community feedback is up there. The job announcement's up there so everybody can see every step in the process along the way. Great point. Yeah, to piggyback on that I wanted to thank Josh Boson for all of his work in making sure that the whole process was as transparent as possible. We didn't know what kind of a response we would get both to the survey and the number of people who wanted to be in the focus groups and I'm just so thankful that we were able to invite every single person who wanted to be in a focus group into the focus group because we love to see that broad
071participation from the community. So really making sure that people are aware that we have in-person ways, we have asynchronous ways. There are always coming up to still be part of the process and to still make your voice heard and to still be part of this community through this through this process. I think you've just done a wonderful job, Josh. And your team. Absolutely. Um I guess for the discussion I had a couple things I wanted to add. Um for those of you that only are following the school board meetings and not the trustees or parks meetings, um we had a board collaborative meeting on March 24th with the school board, the trustees and the parks board all together which I can't remember they said it was the first time since 2015. I think so. 2015?
072That the full boards all got together for formal meetings. And what's ironic about that is back in 2015 the discussion was around what to do with the checkers land and potentially a rec center. And here we are 11 years later and that was the purpose of this meeting too. But I left that meeting feeling so optimistic just about one that the this collaboration and communication taking place. But two just the desire to get something done. And I think that um for for those in the community that are you know really interested in this project. Like it's going to take some time because I think all the entities want to do it right. The parks board is going to engage in a feasibility study. Um the the district um you know at some point here we're
073going to do a long term what do we call it? Um School facilities land use facilities study. We met with the trustees and some of the parks board members on April 1st to get a better sense of the township's comprehensive plan and how the district fits into that. And so we're trying to look for some creative ways of how we can use township resources, share our collective resources and make sure we're communicating so we're not replicating efforts and that if you know this center comes to fruition that it meets the community's needs. And part of those needs are needs of the school district whether that be a pool or classroom space or kindergarten space or offices or like whatever it might be. Um so we don't have multiple entities all asking for money from the
074same same group of community members. So stay tuned on that. It's going to be a long process, but it was I left feeling optimistic and really appreciate the collaboration from the other boards. And if I could jump in on that, the township comprehensive plan steering committee is meeting right now, I think. So, I think it's the only one where it conflicts with our meetings, but I'm sure some of us are going to be attending some of those meetings not as committee members board members, but as community members. And so, to anyone out there who's listening, all three of you, five of you, whatever, anyone who's listening in, um what what we discussed on the April, was it first or second meeting? The April meeting, um is there to be a series of engagement opportunities to
075weigh in on what the comprehensive plan for the township looks like over the next six or so months with the goal of adopting a plan, I think late this year early next year, which is sort of a a five-year that which they renew every five years, but which is a 20-year look forward. So, participate in that if you can uh for the township because that's going to figure into what we do here in the district. Absolutely. Um I also just wanted to acknowledge the volunteers that were um awarded tonight. They obviously don't aren't all the volunteers. I mean, it much a bunch of the speakers said it takes a village, but just, you know, we'll often times, you know, we acknowledge our teachers and our staff and the students, but you know, those folks the
076teachers and staff can't do their jobs without the volunteers. So, thank you so much for your time and the work you put in. And then lastly, Larry, I love, you know, the 250 celebration stuff. Um anytime that we can engage in uh have our students engage in you know, larger uh discourse or um pop culture aspects of society and and and learn more about them, it's it's awesome. The final or the the NCAA tournament uh activity that you did it that that that we did at Nagel, again, awesome opportunity. I was curious about that. This is not meant to come off as any kind of negative perception, but was the women's tournament included in that also? Um good question. And if not, I would love I think but was it both? Awesome. That's awesome. I
077know there's a lot of overlap in schools, but always looking for opportunities to raise up women's sports as well and March Madness is a good time when women's sports are highlighted. So, um love to hear that they were included in that as well. Thank you. That's all I have. There you go. Yep. That was fun. Um just to expand on the trustee park collaboration for just a minute, um so that the board is aware, we are also trying to uh reignite prior meetings that used to happen just with some key leadership across all three organizations. So, we actually met yesterday morning. That was just yesterday. These weeks are long, amazing, but long. Um so, we met yesterday morning with just a couple um representatives from the township and from the parks just to continue the
078conversation about what the next steps with the parks are in terms of their work um and actually stepping back a little bit and looking at a a broader needs assessment. Um they asked that we shout out the comprehensive plan. So, Jeff, thank you for making sure that message gets out to the broader audience and I think probably in the fall we will have some of the um township administrators in to help share that work here as well. Will that be Tommy Taco? >> [laughter] >> I don't think that'll be Tommy Taco, but I could be wrong. I don't know. Um There we talked about some different uh very early stage collaborative ideas for how we could be working together around on improvements around the the township. And then um just as one point of caution
079and awareness and concern across all three organizations, uh we did again hit upon a little bit of the concern around um property taxes and the current potential constitutional amendment to get rid of property taxes without any diligent conversation about how the current services and supports and resources that are provided with property taxes would be funded. And that includes again, the township, the parks, the schools, safety, police, fire, libraries, and the list goes on. And so, that there is there is grave concern that we continue to make the the our entire community aware that there is question out there about um amendments to get rid of property taxes, but without true diligent conversation about where the money is going to come to to fund our resources, that is a very scary proposition. So, um we just
080want to continue to make the community aware. Um the these are the the resources I think that we moved here for. I know our family moved here for the schools and the parks and the township and the libraries and and all the things we have access to and recognizing that this isn't just a question about what we pay in property taxes, but it's the economic impact that all of those different resources provide and it's the great community that they help create that we don't want to unintentionally disadvantage without truly understanding the impact. I was saying Atlanta's highlighted before that 81% of our district's revenue comes from property taxes. >> 72% of our general fund. 72% of the general fund. I made that number up. I think you that's how much um of our um yearly
081input goes to teachers, I think. Is that where it's 85%? I think that's probably where that number is. Either way. It is a massive chunk of our district's revenue is the property taxes. And so, >> Yeah. um just to put that in perspective of what that would actually mean. Yeah. So, the three entities are talking about even working together um this summer when the publications come out through the three different organizations that we will have input into sharing information about our economic impact and um what would be the the detrimental effects of those property tax changes. So, stay tuned for more information on that. Um and then my only other comment I wanted to come back to at our last meeting we started to discuss in our our regular meeting um Nagel Connection Day, which
082is May 28th. Um I did I think first of all, I think it's amazing that we all had interest in being there. Nagel had reached out to say could we have a board member representation and we're going to rock, paper, scissors for it, I think. So, um I love the the enthusiasm of this board. Um and then we had some questions about the dates. So, there is a separate date um Mr. Nye for specific roles and that's when you've been invited for your um legal expertise. So, for board members, it is May 28th 9:00 to 10:50 in the morning. Um I asked whether it just needed to be one board member or whether it could be two and we could duke it out. Um and they said the more the merrier. So, um we at
083some point before May 28th need to come to a decision as to who is representing, but now at least we we know the official date and time. Um 9:00 to 10:50 is what I had come from Jody. I do think then there are some small breakout sessions during the morning, so you might want to book 9:00 to 12:00 if you are looking at doing it. Do we want to look at calendars now just to see who's available? I think we could. work session that I had done this last year and I'd be happy to let you guys do it. But if you're not available, I am free. So, we don't have to look at calendars now, but I'm free. Maybe we might as well. I don't Are you not in school, Jordan? Nope. I'm wide
084open. Yes, I'm a free as well. >> Was there I think there was another panel that went after that from 11:00 to 1:00 or something. Did they want the same people to do both? Guided Q&A panel is 9:00 to 9:50, breakout sessions 30 minutes 10:45 to 12:15. That's what I have. So, I guess the entirety would be 9:00 to 12:15. I am happy to defer this year assuming they'll invite us again next year because I'll have a Nagel Nye talk next year. So, I'll duke duke it out for it then. So, I'm I'm willing to defer this year if two others would like to be the participants this year. I would love to do it. I also have a Nagel student next year, not this year. So, Aaron, do you want to do it now?
085You want to go this year? So, Jason and Aaron, do you want to go this year and we'll Does it work in your calendar, Aaron? No, no, I did it last year. So, I want you guys to have the opportunity. He did it last year. And you're going for the legal role on the 26th. >> and I picked up another one for uh the Outsiders mock trial on the first of May. Okay. >> Wait, I'm doing one on the 7th. Oh. Okay. Jason and Aaron, Jason and Aaron, check the date, but Jason and Aaron, would you like to do this year and I'll assume and beg and plead that we can go back next year so you and I can go. Okay. That sounds good. All right, those are the only things I had on
086my list. You all covered many of the others, the celebratory events that are happening. Any other comments for the good of the group? Nothing else for me. Wait, nobody else is doing the Outsiders mock trial, right? There can only be two of us. I think they asked the lawyers. That's my guess. >> [laughter] >> Maybe they want to go again. That makes sense. Pony up or something. Fair enough. Okay, got it. Any other questions, concerns, comments? All right, the second part of our board discussion is a um legal settlement that we need to come to agreement on. We are looking to settle a lawsuit that was inherited from the prior board and um have had a chance to look through the settlement. Has everyone had a chance to look at it, get all questions answered?
087We had an executive session at the beginning with our legal team to make sure we understood all the pieces. Yeah, so um I'll quickly recap it for anyone who's listening. Um about two years ago, there was a meeting um a speaker um was very adamant about something. He was directed out of the meeting um at the uh he was removed from the meeting at the direction of the prior board president. Uh and so he filed a lawsuit saying that we discriminated against the viewpoint of the speech and that the public comment policy was unconstitutionally vague and so on. And so there was a mediation. We were brought a proposal to settle it. And Wendy and I spoke to our lawyers a few weeks ago and got some advice on it. We all discussed it discussed
088in executive session that we started here 6:00. Essentially the request is to in order to to dismiss the case there is a request for the board to do some training on what the rules are around public comment in board meeting. There's a request for payment of attorney's fees, which is part of the statute on this, and there's a request to amend the public comment policy. And so we leaned on our lawyers to work them down as low as we could on the number for the attorney's fees. We looked at the proposed education piece of it, the training on public comment, which is something that we had asked for anyway actually back early in the year. Um and then the content of the policy changes. And so you know, to kind of summarize them, my personal
089take on it so that the policy changes and this is we read the policy at the prior meeting so it's been out there for the public anyone who wanted to check in on it that just to the policy changes are that it would change the language in the current policy that says presiding officer may request an individual to stop speaking or leave when that person does not observe reasonable decorum. Change it to language that says that they can be removed when they disturb impede or render infeasible the order of the conduct of the meeting. So it's designed to take some of the judgment or discretion out of it as to what constitutes reasonable decorum. There are a few other changes. For example, the board can change and suspend the operation of the rules rather than
090the chair of the meeting and that kind of thing. So there I think fairly in my judgment very fairly minor changes that help remove some of the uncertainty around what speakers can do. You know, the general rule is that we can't discriminate on the viewpoint of the speech. And so the policy changes are designed to cabin us in a little bit on that make sure everyone gets a fair chance to speak whether we agree with them or not. So I think they're good changes. Um My personal view is that we should adopt that policy change as part of this settlement. The other two pieces as I said we had previously asked for some education I guess on some of these issues anyway and so we've got a proposal from one of our lawyers to give
091us some education about public comment but also about open meetings and public records and so on and so we've talked a little bit earlier today about scheduling that for a future date. So it's again something we wanted anyway. And then the number. Again, it's pretty clear to me from what happened in that meeting that if we continue to fight we would lose this case and we'd have to pay a larger number to to you know, after we lost and not to mention our own lawyers. And so we've been able to negotiate them down as low as we possibly can. And so in my view this is the best settlement we're going to get and I think we should do it. You know, I hate to spend the money to do it but we inherited this
092from two years ago and this is our opportunity to get off the plate. So My personal view of it is that we should approve the settlement which is again available in board docs for anyone who's listening and adopt the policy change as well. I don't think just from your perspective our lawyers also advise us that Oh, right. Yeah. pursuing it in in in court would cost more significantly more than what we got. That's correct. Yeah. Yeah, I brought this up at our work session last time is I I feel there's still some room for subjectivity depending on how someone wants to interpret what what it means to disturb or impede a meeting. But um I think it lays more clearly what the board is permitted to do and the behaviors of the speakers than our
093old policy did. So it's a step in the right direction for sure. I would agree. Yeah, I mean there's no such thing as a perfect policy. But this is a little more clear. I think it's a good change. So Atlanta, do we need to vote on the settlement and then separately on accepting the new policy are those embedded in one I think the answer is yes. >> emotion? I would have embedded in one. >> One motion. One motion. Okay. Jeff, step away from the mic. >> [laughter] >> Okay. We're going with the lawyer. I also agree to Uh-oh, second lawyer. I've been overruled. >> [laughter] >> It's good to have a small How about we take the um legal settlement first and then we vote on the policy? Okay. Were there any other comments? I
094didn't mean to cut everyone off. I was just thinking. McKay, next in terms of understanding that piece. Can I get a motion then to settle the lawsuit and vote on the agreement? I move that we approve the settlement agreement as presented. Second. Mr. Nye? >> Yes. Ms. Wasilenski? >> Yes. Dr. Simmons? Yes. >> Mr. Ward? Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. And secondly in our second reading of the of P0169.1 public participation at a board meeting, can I get a motion to go ahead and accept the new version of the policy? I move that we approve the I move that we amend policy 0169.1 as presented. Second. Mr. Nye? Yes. Dr. Simmons? >> Yes. Ms. Wasilenski? >> Yes. Mr. Ward? Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. Thank you. Jeff, thank you for the help with the verbage. Accept, approve.
095Make sure I get it right. So. All right. Just before we go to executive session I just want to let everybody out in the audience know that we do not intend to take any action tonight and the next scheduled board meeting is May 5th at central office. It is one of our meetings that primarily focuses primarily on just the opportunity for board discussion to move work forward. So I didn't want to wait till the end assuming we're going to be a little bit tonight. Sorry Jason. However, there will be a special meeting in connection with interviews next week. Just for that reason though. They won't be business the next >> April 20th will be the first special meeting where we start board interviews. Great point. Thank you. So all right. Dr. Simmons? Dr. Strickler gave
096a a update on where we are in our process and kind of the purpose of tonight's executive session related to superintendent search. So then pursuant to Ohio Revised Code section 121.22G3 I hereby move that the board adjourn to executive session to meet oops. I'm sorry. Audrey, no I'm not, was I? Yes. Uh scratch that. Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code section 121.22G1 I hereby move the board adjourn to executive session for the purpose of considering the employment of a public employee or official. Second. Second. Dr. Simmons? Yes. Mr. Nye? Yes. >> Ms. Wasilenski? Yes. Mr. Ward? >> Yes. Dr. Strickler? Yes. Thank you all.