001Welcome everyone to the Hamilton City Schools 2026 organizational meeting. It is Thursday, January 8th, 2026. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance 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. >> I'll now call the role. Dr. Hopkins, >> yes. >> Miss Manuso, >> yes. >> Mr. Davidson, >> yes. >> Dr. Copus, >> yes. >> Miss Matthews, >> yes. >> I'll now administer the oath of office to Miss Manuso, Dr. Hopkins, and Mr. Davidson >> room. Please raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as members of the Board of Education
002of the Hamilton City School District, Butler County, Ohio, to the best of your ability, and in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereafter to be enacted during your continuence in set office and until your successor is elected. and qualified. >> I do. >> Nice job, Dave. Oh, okay. Awesome. >> Like to make I'd like to make a motion. Uh I I would move that we appoint Jeremy Frasier as president pro temp board to preside over the election of the board of education president. >> So moved. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Okay. I'll now call the role. Dr. Hopkins, >> here. >> Yes. >> Mr. Davidson? >> Yes. >> Dr. Copus? >> Yes. >> Miss Matthews? >> Yes. >> Miss Manuso? >> Yes. >> Okay. At this time, I'll need a
003nomination for board president. >> President Promp, I would like to nominate Shaqula Matthews for president for board of education. Um, President Proemp, I would like to nominate Mr. Davidson. Okay. Uh, with um multiple nominations on the floor, uh, we'll do very similar to how we did last year. We'll we'll have to do a named vote. Um, so that means when I call your name, you will uh vote for the individual that you would like to be president. >> Discussion. >> Is there any discussion? Uh, hearing no discussion. Mr. Davidson. >> Davidson. >> Dr. Copus. >> Uh, Davidson. Miss Matthews, >> myself, Shaquille Matthews, >> Dr. Hopkins, >> Mrs. Matthews, >> Miss Manuso, >> Mrs. Matthews, >> Ms. Miss Matthews passes 3 to2. Now that we have a new board president, Miss Matthews, uh, you will
004preside over the rest of the meeting. >> Okay. Thank you, sir. Oh, is that it? Okay. Oh, yep. Yep. Yep. Um, I'll accept the nom uh nomination for vice president of the board. >> President Matthews, I'd like to nominate Ashley Hopkins for vice president of the board. >> Okay, >> Madam President, I would nominate Dr. Copus. >> Okay. Any discussion? No discussion. Uh Jeremy will take a vote. >> Uh si similar to uh the president vote uh multiple nominations on the floor. Uh we will do a named vote. Uh Dr. Copus. >> Um well Mr. Frasier I uh somewhere along the line I was taught to be humble so I I cannot vote for myself. So I will abstain. >> Okay. Miss Matthews. >> Uh Dr. Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins, >> myself, Ashley Hopkins, >> Miss
005Manuso, >> Dr. Hopkins, >> Mr. Davidson, >> Dr. Kovas, >> Dr. Hopkins is voted in as the vice president. Um, let's see. Next on our agenda is the establishment of 2026 meeting dates. >> Oh, go red. Um, section 3313.515 of the Ohio Revised Code requires the board of education to determine a time for holding its regular meetings. The regular meeting shall be held at least once every two months commencing January 1, 2026. The Hamilton City School District Board regular meetings shall be held on the dates and times provided by each individual in attendance. All information is available on the district website and the board docs agenda. All regular meetings are scheduled to take place at 533 Dayton Street, Hamilton, Ohio 455012. Unless otherwise noted, the president may change the meeting the meeting's time and place
006by notifying the treasurer who shall immediately post the change and inform the media. Special meetings may be called by the president, treasurer, or any two board members by serving a signed written notice at the time of loca at the time written notice of the time, location, and purpose of the special meeting at least two days before such meeting in compliance with section 33. 3313.16 of the Ohio Revised Code. Um, do I have a motion? I like to make a motion. Have a motion. >> I'll make a motion. >> Have a second. >> Any discussion? >> President Matthews, if I could just um add here for both our the public as well as the board. Um, on the draft of the meeting schedule, it's important to note that our meetings are going to change from the
007second and fourth Thursday of the month to the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. That is on the draft here. Uh, as well, you'll notice that there are some exceptions to that in the month of December and November due to the holidays and in May due to graduation. In addition, during our December uh special board meeting that was on Friday, December 19th, the board passed a resolution authorizing uh Jeremy and myself to develop a budget reduction plan that needed to be presented to the board within 30 days. Uh because of that, you will see on the draft that you're about to vote on, there is a board meeting scheduled for next Friday at 9:00 am. Uh we did consult with the board to see what your availability was next next week and that was
008the time that meeting. All of our meetings are filmed um with the help of Steve at TV Hamilton, but those are some changes on this draft meeting calendar than in typical years. >> Thank you for that update. >> We have a motion in a second. I'll call the role. Miss Matthews, >> yes. >> Dr. Hopkins, >> yes. >> Miss Manuso, >> yes. >> Mr. Davidson, >> yes. >> Dr. Copus, >> yes. >> Thank you. Uh, next on our agenda is a nomination for um board member to serve on the planning commission. Do I have a motion? >> Um, I would nominate Mr. Davidson. Do we have any uh discussion? >> We need a second >> or a second. >> I'll second that. >> Any discussion? >> No. No discussion. >> Dr. Hopkins, >> Mr. Davidson.
009>> So, we'll just have to reply with a yes no with this one. There's not multiple nominations. >> Yes. >> Miss Manuso? >> Yes. >> Mr. Davidson? >> Yes. >> Dr. Copus? >> Yes. >> Miss Matthews? >> Yes. >> Okay. Next on our agenda is nomination for the Hamilton City School board member to serve a three-year term as a district rep for Butler Tech Board of Education. >> I nominate Dr. Copus. >> I'd like to nominate Dr. Hopkins. Excuse me. Uh, Miss Manuso. We have any discussion? >> Oh, do we um make a motion >> with multiple nominations? It's >> Oh, yeah. >> Um we'll do just like we have done in the previous votes. Uh pending any discussion. Okay. Hearing none. Um again, you'll have to vote for a name. Uh Dr. Mr. Hopkins,
010>> Miss Manuso, >> Mr. Davidson, >> Dr. Copus, >> I will abstain. >> Miss Matthews, >> uh, Miss Manuso, >> Miss Manuso, >> myself, Miss Manuso. >> Okay. Miss Manuso passes. Next on our agenda would be Um, nomination for representative to serve on the TV Hamilton board. We'll have a motion. >> I nominate Lauren Sprag. >> Any other? >> Do we have a second for Lauren? >> I second. >> Any discussion? Mr. Davidson? >> Yes. >> Dr. Copus? >> Yes. >> Miss Matthews? >> Yes. >> Dr. Hopkins? >> Yes. >> Miss Manusa? >> Yes. establishing a board member board member compensation. Uh, do I have a motion? >> Second. >> I second that we discuss it. >> Okay. I'd like to know what the motion is before we discuss it. >> So, typically the motion
011would be to typically in Hamilton City Schools board the board has foregone board compensation. Um, so the motion would be for the board to forego board compensation for the 2026 calendar year. Um, we should probably restate that for the minutes. >> There wasn't a motion is to that effect. >> Correct. So, Mr. Fraser, let me make sure I understand how I'm voting. If I vote yes, that means no compensation. >> Well, we we will need to restate the motion. >> Okay. >> The the motion I if we have done in years past, the motion would be to forego board compensation for the 2026 calendar year. >> Um, if that is the motion, then a vote for yes would mean no compensation. Correct. >> Stated just by motion and that's not a motion. >> Correct. >>
012Well, I'll make a motion that we forego board compensation. >> I second that. >> Okay. Any discussion? >> Dr. Copus? >> Yes. >> Miss Matthews? >> Yes. >> Dr. Hopkins? >> Yes. >> Miss Muso? >> Yes. >> Mr. Davidson? >> Yes. Next on our agenda is establishing service funds for um board members. Um it is recommend Oh, read. Oh, yeah. Yep. It is recommended that the board of education establish a service fund beginning July 1, 2026 for $10,000 for the fiscal year of 2027 to provide the board members expenses according to section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code. In previous years, the budget was 20,000, but in order to cut back on expenses, the board has decided to reduce the fund limit for um um the year of 2027, fiscal year 2027. Do I have
013a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Hearing none. Uh, Jeremy, if you call the role, please. >> Miss Matthews, >> yes. >> Dr. Hopkins, >> yes. >> Miss Muso, >> yes. >> Mr. Davidson, >> yes. >> Dr. Copus, >> yes. >> Next on our agenda is approving consultant agreement. Um, the um OSBA legal assistance fund. Whereas the Hamilton City School District Board of Education wishes to support the efforts of other boards of education to to obtain favorable judicial decisions and whereas the Ohio School Board Association legal assistance fund has been established for this purpose. Therefore, the board hereby resolves to enter into a consultant agreement with the OSBA legal assistant fund for 2026 and directs the treasurer to pay the legal assistance fund of $250 for the annual consulting fee. Do I
014have a motion? >> So moved. >> Thank you. A second. >> I'll second. >> Thank you. Jeremy, if you call the role, please. >> Dr. Hopkins. >> Yes. >> Miss Manuso. Yes, >> Mr. Davidson. >> Yes, >> Dr. Copus. >> Yes, >> Miss Matthews. >> Yes. >> Next on our agenda is district legal council representation. Um, it is recommended that the board approve the continued use of bricker grad as it primary legal council for the 2026 calendar year. Do I have a motion? >> Do I have a second? Thank you. Any discussion? >> Yeah. Do we know what the hourly rate is that we're paying? >> The hourly rate that we're paying depends on the actual attorney that works on each individual issue. Um I don't know that off the top of my head. I
015could get you an average. It >> would be nice to have that before we we did that. How much do we spend a year on >> Dave? So, I don't know the answer off the top of my head for that. I can definitely get get that for you. >> Have we ever put it out to see if we can get it for at a better price? I know right now we're trying to save >> since we since we've been with Bricker Graden, we have not. Um I believe we were with uh NS Britain prior to that. Uh that time frame was probably 2017ish, 2018ish when we made that change. Uh since that time frame, I don't believe there's ever been an open bid for uh new legal counsel. >> Thank you. >> We have a
016a motion and a second. Uh is there any discussion other than uh Mr. Davidson? Call the RO, please. >> Dr. Hopkins, >> yes. >> Mr. Davidson, >> no. >> Dr. Copus. >> Um, yes. >> Miss Matthews, >> yes. >> Miss Manuso, >> yes. >> Okay. Um, next on our agenda is our tax budget. Um, a motion to approve the fiscal year 2027 tax budget as present as presented. >> And if you like to run some escalation to that budget, Jeremy. >> Absolutely. Uh, the tax budget is attached to the meeting. Um, it is a legal document uh that is required to be filed with the budget commission. Uh the budget commission is made up of the a representative from the Butler County auditor, the Butler County Treasurer, and the Butler County Prosecutor. Um and it
017is the first step in justifying our need for taxes. Um so we need to provide them an approved tax budget for them to vote on uh later this month. >> Perfect. Thank you, Mr. Fraser, for that. >> Do I have a um a motion? >> I would move to approve. We have a second. Any discussion? >> Okay, Mr. First, if you call the role, please. >> Mr. Davidson, >> yes. >> Dr. Copus, >> yes. >> Miss Matthews, >> yes. >> Dr. Hopkins, >> yes. >> Miss Manusa, >> yes. >> Okay, that's the end of our organizational meeting. Our next meeting will be Friday, January 16th at 9:00 a.m. here at 533 Dayton Street in Hamilton, Ohio. >> We need a a motion and a second. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Yep. Do I have a um
018motion? >> A motion to adjurnn. >> Have a second. >> A second. >> Mr. Fer, you call a roll. >> Dr. Copus? >> Yes. >> Miss Matthews? >> Yes. >> Dr. Hopkins? >> Yes. >> Miss Manuso? >> Yes. >> Mr. Davidson? >> Yes. Thank you.