001Good evening and welcome to th Canton City School Board of Education meeting for Monday, October 11th. Welcome to Downtown and in our home would you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag United States of America and One Nation under God indivisible with liberty, justice. Mr. Gruber, would you call the rul sir? Mr. Resnick here this is Brown here. Mr. Kominsky here. Mr. Renaldi here moving on through the agenda this evenin we will make our way towards number five. I will make the motion to approve the agenda a written in any discussion deletions, corrections, additions etc.. Mr. President, we’ll start with the first pag item number seven we’re going to talk about at the Octobers study session so that we recommend that be removed. The next change is on page
002three under leaves of absence. Stephanie Deli’s first on the list paid FMLA should read October 12th twenty twenty one through October 28 twenty twenty one she’s also second o the list should read unpaid effective October twenty ninth twenty twenty one through December 17th and the last change this evening is on page nine Maria Gomez second on the list currently reads to World language department chair inde zero point zero seven that should be changed to read poin zero six five that’s we have a motion we have a second. We have changes all in favor of approving the agenda this evening say I I I haven’t number six this evening I will make the motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 13. The study session slash special meeting of September 29th and the
003special meeting of October 7th all of twenty twenty one secon any discussion hearing none al in favor of approving the minutes as written say I I hav it now anybody signed up for the hearing of the public? No they are not good news. No nee for an executive session correct or batting a thousand so far. Hold your breath treasures report. Yes Mr. President, I’d like to recommend to the Board of Education approve item number one under the Treasurer’s report which consists of approving the monthly financia reports for both July 31st and August 31st. Twenty twenty one the second any discussion Mr. Gruber Mr. Resnick by Mrs Brow I Mr. Kominsky I Mr. Rinaldi I Superintendent Mr. President I recommend the board approve Section eight Division of Instructional Services items one through five which tonight includes
004retirements and resignations leave of absence as appointments adjustments donations for certificate of staff so move second any discussion area none. Mr. Gruber Mr. Resnick I Mrs Brown I Mr. Kominsky I Mr. Rinaldi moving on Mr President, I recommend that the Board of Education approve Section B division of Business Services items one through five which includes retirements and resignation and leave of absence as appointments adjustments and a recall for layoff of our support services staff move. Second, any discussion Mr. Gerber Mr. Resnick I Mrs Brown I Mr. Kominsky Mr. Nobody I moving o to new business for tonight Mr President. I recommend that th Board of Education approve Section C new business items one through four which include a resolution to approve of the district to use an online auction for sale of unused surplus equipment.
005Also a resolution to appear that advertised for bids to today for the demolition of the Timkin Learning Center resolutions for selection of a construction manager for the Crenshaw Middle School Career Technology Building Addition and approved job a revision to an extended school day year enrichment coordinator job description so moved second, any discussion, Mr. President? Yes, I’d just like to note tha the first recommendation to authorize the business manager to use an online auction for the sale of use surplus equipment through government deals is something that we’ve been approving every year. Correct. And that’s that’s not anything special. I would like to just for the public who who may not be aware regarding the the demolition of what has become known as the Timkin Learning Center it many years ago was the red feather building. It
006was it was originally not supposed to be on this campus. The original design for the Timkin campus goes back to the mid 2000s was that it was not supposed to be there. It was supposed to be green space. There and what happened was stark state neede that space prior to them building their their buildings downtown. So they were the tenant there for a very long time. But the building is really not suitable as a school. It is somewhat in disrepair and I think it’ll be good to see it go and return that that plot to its original intent which was green space and improving the quality of the experience on this campus. So I just want want people to realize that thank you and tha our intent is to use it for some additional parking
007which will make it easier for folks to access this building which we still use as part of our district. We have our career tech programs and here we also have our student services department in this building an this building receives a lot o visitors and so having some additional parking which will make it easier for the public to access this building in the programs and things in this building will be great. Also w will add some green space and even some outdoor learning spaces for the students who ar here on this campus as well. S it’s something that that is going to make a real big difference on how we use this campus. Thanks everybody. have a motion. We have a second. We’ve had some discussion. Mr. Gruver, Mr. President, I Mrs Brown I Mr.
008Kominsky. Mr. Rinaldi. Hi, Mr. President. That completes my superintendent report. Thank you, sir. Move on to item number twelve this evening. Th Board of Education report. Mr. President. Yes, thank you, Mr. President, because I don’t wan us to set a new record for an eleven minute complete school board meeting. I do have a couple of things to share this evening. First of all, we did earlier this evening in the first round of voting we did approve some some stipend and as I said last month, those stipends are very small but sometimes in reading through those stipends there are some interesting things for board members to note because this i kind of how we keep track of some of the things that go on in this district. I was not aware until I read this that
009our early college middle schoo has a newspaper for example an I was just really thrilled to find that out and suspect Mr. Kominski was probably thrilled with that too. I don’t know of too many middle schools that have an operating newspaper. And the other thing that’s in here that’s kind of interestin is that we we are giving stipends to coaches for boys bowling at the high school and you know, I was I was here whe we created the boys bowling program purely because student demanded it wasn’t something that we had going on at either of our schools at the time and the kids demanded it. So I’m really happy to see that that is continuing to go forward an and I’m always happy to improv stipends for school activities I also want to also want
010to report to the board that there is some good news for us tomorrow because of you know, because of some of the involvement that I’ve had in i Columbus and on some committee I have friendships and relationships with other board members in other parts of the state, including some strong ones in Youngstown and members of the elected school board have reached out to me because they want to look at Canton City schools as a as a model for some of the things that they’re looking to do to get their district out of state control. And I I mention that because Mr. President, you know, you’ve been around a while and we’ve been around a while. It’s been a long time since other school districts have looked to the Canton City School District as innovators and
011we were very happy that that is happening there particularly interested in our AIM Academy and our steam academy and those presentation will happen tomorrow evening and they will be arranging to bring a contingent of administrators and board members to the Canton City School District to spend a day in the near future. So I’m really happy to report that to the public and also to those a the table who may not be aware of that. I am also was also really pleased to to attend th inauguration of the food bank at the article to me and I wan to thank Grace Church and the Urban League and Stark County or the the Akron Canton Food Bank and the staff the community workers and the and the administration at Arts Academy that made that happen. That was
012a that was a very nic ceremony and opening ceremony. But even beyond the opening ceremony, it’s always good to see people who are coming in and using it and we got to see that as well. And finally, Mr. President, so October is a special month for many in our school district. It’s the second half of Hispanic Heritage Month which we celebrate. It is LGBTQ History Month. Some call today Columbu Day. Others call it Italian American Day and I think more consequentially it is Indigenous Peoples Day and the this morning was on social media. I noticed that the Kansas City school districts post at least those I saw toda describe today only as Columbu Day and I know that and knowin that we have people in our community and in our school district you have indigenous
013ancestry. I would like to see our our nomenclature revised i the future to reflect that. So in my years here I think this is the first time that we’ve had a Board of Education meeting on October 11 which ha since nineteen eighty eight been national coming out day. So this is the first chance that I’ve had since becoming the first and I think the only openly gay elected official in Stark County back in 2009 that I’ve been able to address why that matters to our students and our employees from this seat on this day I can’t say the school district has long been welcoming and supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and non stereotypically gender conforming students and employees and that started lon before me. We have people like past board members Nadene McIlwaine and
014top administrators like the late Dianne Talarico and Malvika Jones and many others to thank for getting this school district on this path. We have our current superintendent and everyone at this table as well as our employees and students and their allies to thank for keeping us on this path. When Superintendent Talbott talks about community as a core valu of this school district, he is including the entire community as well. It should I’m very proud of our district safe saf zone program. The students who are part of it, their advisors and their administrator who back them up as they do every other student group. So if you didn’t catch it when I referenced my 2009 election or for whatever reason you didn’t know before, I am less subtly coming out to you now I’m goin to
015tell you why it matters for people to be out invisible eve in twenty twenty one. We live in a state where it is legal t be fired from a job denied housing or access to public accommodations because of your sexual orientation or your gender identity. Many of our LGBT incudes students may graduate with their top qualit education and choose to leave Ohio because they’re vulnerabl here. There are plenty of othe states where they could go and feel protected. The Ohio legislature some years ago passed a law requiring school districts to address bullying and they mandated who was protected despite testimony an strong lobbying, LGBTQ student are not required to be protected from bullying in Ohi you might find this hard to believe in this day and age as well. But in Ohio it’s true th
016Kansas City school district does have policies that go above and beyond and do protec students from bullying on the basis of sexual orientation an gender identity. But many school districts in Ohio don’t We also live in a time when Ohio legislator slaters of a certain political orientation have declared war on LGBTQ students rather than addressin Ohio’s unconstitutional system of uncommon schools or making sure they provide the impetus for equality in Ohio’s scholastic athletics. For them it’s easier and maybe popular to see a high performing perhaps gender nonconforming young woman and demand to look between her legs to determine her eligibility to play. This is also why families leave Ohio. So today because we are still not at a point of total equality coming out and visibility matters to those wh may need a little support
017and continue to be very proud of the Kansas City school distric and to those we employ for doing their part. And I thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, sir. Anything further before this body this evening? I know Mr. Russell’s name was not mentioned at the start but he is excused this evening as he was a little bit under the weather. So just to be officia with that being said, I will make the motion to adjourn second all in favor. I have a great night. Stay safe.