001Here for Monday May 11th here in downtown Canton if you are in the audience Please silence your devices at this time, and would you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? All right before we get started the board has some congratulations our colleague mr. Schuyler Parks and his wife Monique welcomed the birth of their daughter Alani last week so congratulations to mr. Parks Another colleague of ours mr. R. J. Van Alman His family attended the graduation of his daughter Romy this weekend at Syracuse University So congratulations gentlemen and finally we want to recognize our wonderful students for their participation and do the right thing These students were recognized last Thursday, mr. Talbot Thursday By the Attorney General of the state of Ohio for their outstanding job And those students were Grant Osbach Riley Bennett Faith
002Curry Lenin Brown Ganeel DeRozier J. Von Duke Demis Escobar Rivera Amani Harper Byrd Jaylor Johnson Adonis Lucius Julia Sika Janal and the ambassador which was the first place in all of the state of Ohio Zijon Lytle so congratulations to all of our students and our wonderful Mr. Gruber, would you call the roll sir? Mr. Van Alman present is Watkins present. This is Brown Mr. Ross present. I'll make the motion to approve the agenda as written second any changes or corrections This there are mr. President. We'll start on page 11 2026 special board meeting second And he changes their corrections Hearing none roll call vote. Mr. Van Alman. I miss Watkins. Hi, this is Brown. Hi, mr. Russ I recognition award superintendent over they're really trying to shut me up. Mr. Ross All right We have
003a as I mentioned earlier, we have a host of people to recognize tonight and first we're gonna have Mr. Horner come up to present our first person to be recognized It's all should be on push it one time. Yep. There you go. All right, can everyone hear me? All right. Good evening, everyone My name is Cody Horner and I have the privilege of serving as financial aid manager under director Marilyn Van Alman It is my honor to recognize her at this year's as this year's recipient of the Bill Ruth Award Which is one of Ohio's highest honors and post-secondary career technical education several weeks ago While attending the pace conference in Columbus. She was surprised with this special recognition completely caught off guard Which is honestly so is which honestly says so much about who
004she is She is the kind of leader who works tire tirelessly behind the scenes never seeking attention or praise But consistently giving her heart to her students staff and school community The Bill Ruth Award is given to administrators whose leadership and contributions have made a significant impact on adult education throughout the state The impact she has made reaches far beyond our building and it is clear to others across the state Have recognized what we have always known here that she is an exceptional leader Now I have to be I would be leaving out a very important part of Maryland's story If I did not mention that she was also the best dressed of anyone there With more than 36 years of service at Canton City School District She has transformed countless lives including my own
005and I am honored to be here tonight Lastly I invite you to attend our graduation ceremony on June 16th If you want to truly see director van allman in her element that would be the place to be The amount of attention and time she has put into making that event special is incredible She wants every student to feel recognized Celebrated and proud of what they have accomplished and it shows in every detail that kind of thing People will always remember Congratulations, Maryland. We are so proud of you Thank you. Good evening. I would like to thank the Board of Education the superintendent the assistant superintendent and the treasurer for this honor and Especially honoring adult education. I would like to congratulate all the others tonight that will be recognized for their accomplishments The average ACT
006and aspire we see over 650 students a year and with that from the walks of life from different countries Different places in their life and their and their circumstances we get to support them and helping them change the trajectory of Their future and how satisfying that is being able to Support guide and open doors for adult citizens Comes with work empathy and most of all the belief that everybody gets a fair chance Simply it's the right thing to do a quote from Bill Ruth whom this award is named after always take time to teach someone and With your stalwart support we will continue to do that Bill Ruth embarked Uncharted territories. He built one of the first adult vocational schools in the system and Then by taking his Ohio system across the United States He
007was able to get and secure major government monies for our adults to go to school To be honored to receive the Bill Ruth award to say the least was quite a surprise I have pictures. They're not to be published. I was very surprised. I was humbled and honored and In the same sense to be able to attend a Canton City School District adult community education Graduation is an experience. You'll never forget May I have the adult community education team, please stand. Oh Come on. I want to thank again and I would like to finish With a metaphor on the power of teamwork by Roger Kipling for the strength of the pack is the wolf But the strength of the wolf is the pack. Thank you Next we will have our parent mentor in our special
008education department Amanda Lee come and present the doctor the 2026 Dr. Karen Williams leadership award. Hi, I used to Put my alarm clock on snooze over and over again But now I don't I want to come to work Laurie Nichols is an amazing person. She happens to be my boss. I am lucky to be part of her team Laurie's decisions are balanced and impartial Everyone feels heard She motivates us with her strong worth work ethic and leads by example Laurie invests in our students and demonstrates grace at all times even in challenging situations She provides a positive and inspiring work environment Laurie genuinely cares about our students and our families and takes great pride in her role She makes our workplace feel more like a family and inspires everyone to do their best I was
009a lost soul not knowing how to channel my do-gooder Personality. I wanted to help people but it was the refinement that I needed I hit the ground running in this position not really knowing much about it But I saw Laurie as a mentor who helped me personalize and professionalize myself I would like to grow in this position as a parent mentor because of Laurie's guidance Laurie has inspired me to volunteer with girls on the run. I don't even like to run We were on the showcase for our school system. Laurie volunteered at she's also an excellent pancake maker and collector Excuse me. There was There were some students Laurie had in her counselor days that made it a point to speak to her She has made an impact on so many people during her career.
010Thanks, Laurie All right. I didn't prepare anything like Marilyn did but I do just want to say thank you I have the most amazing team As I always have through all of my 30 years. I've always loved working here great people Just excited to do more great things with the people that are here. So, thank you Now I would like the following individuals as I go through their their names and their rec in their awards or their recognition To come to the front and then and Stan and then we'll hold our applause until we have them all up here our first record Our first person we're going to recognize here is Dan Rooney who was our start County teacher of the year and mr Rooney is a teacher at choices high school though by following
011Thanks, we'll have Ronald boy. He is our start County rookie teacher of the year and he is a teacher at steam middle school Lonnell bush he is being recognized for Being nominated for the opes ohio association of black school educators midwest outstanding principal of the year award. I believe he's here We have Mrs. Teresa barbedo who is the start county school counselor of the year? Want to come up? We have mike shot who is the n e o i a a a athletic director of the year Can get any more letters into that award we have Terrence jones Who is the oeas? glad holloway's human and civil rights award winner We have raylena bevington the 2027 ohio teacher of the year nominee We have rachel flyshaker canton symphony orchestra music educator of the year nominee
012and zachary taylor canton symphony's orchestra music educator of the year nominee as well And I believe mr. Taylor is next door Um for something that's going over next door with the band Let's have a round of applause for this amazing group of educators And I believe we would like to get a picture before they sit down Folks when I tell you again that The work the hard work is starting to pay off and people outside of our district are starting to notice The great things that are happening inside the can city schools And now I will pass it to our director of human resources who will recognize our retirees Good evening This is a very special board meeting as I have the opportunity of recognizing our classified our certified And also our continuing contract candidates
013for the 2526 school year first we'd like to take the opportunity to Um Thank them. I thank our recipients for the dedication and service to our school district students and families We ask that you please hold your applause until we have everyone forward So that we may add just you know recognize The group of classified and retirees first When you come up you will be Greeted by our board president. Mr. Scott russ and superintendent talbert Some are not in the audience today. So please bear with me as I do want to make sure I call everyone's name Our first classified retiree is tracy campbell. If you're here, please come forward tracy campbell claudia Chevron If you're here, please come forward remain standing Deborah cogan if you're here deborah, please come forward Scott davis is here,
014please come forward. Thank you demetria Demas if you're here, please come forward Donna dockerty If you're in the audience, please come forward jennifer duckworth If you're here with us, please come forward betty fortune joe fry debbie goshevsky, please come forward michael harris terry marcella demis charles martin shirley macadal dianetta malvane carol newport richard parks sandra stinson michelle turbovich robin weaver And diane whiler, please come forward This ladies and gentlemen concludes our retired classified staff, please let's give them a round of applause Thank you And now we would like to recognize our certified retirees We do have a long list. So please bear with me as I call the name And again, if you are here in the audience, please come forward Our first retiree is jennifer albrecht teresa barbedo joe bogdan celestina bradley sherry buddha
015andrea canton randy charilla nathan converse linda castello robert chrome robert dasco linda dubel linda dylan young theodore alfe felicia freeman laura friedly lisa grubisch vicki hawcombeck jordan calisthenides david clain lori koken sheryl precora raven lindsey carol monocchi robert newman and papakostas christian claim parsons karen protracca robert richmond kathleen writings william robinson leslie rotec maryann rondo paula spicer barbara thuis stephanie twynham diana banisak beth bazelotti karen wilson and eileen woods Ladies and gentlemen, let's applause For our certified retirees. Thank you We are now going to move on to our continuing contract recipients those principles will come up in the order That they're aware of our first Principle would be mr. Dave thompson Good afternoon um our first nominee to earn her Continuing contract is narita curly She has been nominated for a continuing contract based on
016a exemplifying What it is to be a natural leader? She has mentored a first-year teacher on our team who ultimately won the district's teacher of the year award She accepts constructive criticism and also offers it Coach curly is a champion for all students and she speaks life into them Coach curly is an exceptional Performer both in and out of the classroom. She has made the culture better And exudes positivity A colleague of hers says narita curly maintains high expectations for her students And consistently exemplifies professional excellence She integrates the foundational values instilled During our upbringing with the canton city schools and mount calvary section missionary baptist church communities Into her pedagogical approach Throughout the current academic year Students have frequently noted Their appreciation for the positive environment coach curly fosters Her established instructional routines and
017practices Are designed to optimize student engagement and facilitate comprehensive success Furthermore coach hurley coach curly exhibits a profound commitment to authentic steam education Effectively conveying thus enthusiasm to our students Her sister wrote that coach curly is a mother of five children Two granddaughters and a graduating senior this year And will be heading to kent state just like her grandmother She loves to cook and bake She started off her career thinking she was going into telecommunications Working on a television and news But the dream turned into something Our mom knew she had in her all along which was education She went back to school to obtain a second degree in education And the rest was history her journey took her from humble beginnings in akron At three major charter schools which then led her to lion
018city schools When she obtained the accomplishment of accomplished teacher status After which she got her greatest accomplishment Which was coming home to canton her hometown to teach in the community that that raised her She has a love for writing and desires to publish her own books one day Her mother who is also a retired kent city school teacher Said the word quit does not exist in her list of vocabulary words, but what does exist is I can And let's get it done. I nominate narina curly Coach amy snider has also been nominated from the steam academy for continuing contract Coach snider has gained the confidence of students and staff Through her willingness to adapt and accommodate And her continuous improvement coach snider has exhibited outstanding adaptability regarding Pedagogical practice within steam-based environment Throughout the current
019academic year Her colleague says she personally observed how her instructional flexibility and deep contextual understanding enable her to commit Extensively to the development of each student by consistently delivering her highest level of professional effort She successfully elicits excellence from her students across grades four through eight coach snider facilitates individualized Experiential instruction with proficiency Prioritizing meaningful learning outcomes to every student over conventional or group managed objectives Her method methodology has resulted in a substantial and positive impact on the learning community One of her former colleagues says amy is the definition of a true teacher Her number one priority is the students. She has always Has their best interests at heart She inspires them and more importantly believes in all of them. She truly touches and helps shape them only Her colleague says she only worked with
020her for one year But she got to see how teaching is her whole life and and she's a true inspiration Another one of her colleagues says I was lucky enough to be teaching partner To amy for numerous years There was never a challenging situation or student that amy didn't dig in with more than 100% grit And a positive to get positive results and a promise to get positive results Her friendly then demeanor is contagious And she can turn even the most difficult student into one who wants to achieve not only for her but themselves as well Amy is the one person that I continually contact for advice comfort or affirmation as a professional I'm continually amazed as a result that she was able to acquire from her students Her ability to grow students is unlike
021anyone else that i've ever Worked with throughout my 40 year career in special education Not and can't are not a part of amy's vocabulary And she instills that same expectation onto her students As she works with students on a daily basis Her intent is never for the final data point or test score, but she is proof that hard work and a positive attitude pay off because The results that she is able to achieve with her students is unmatched Amy and amy is amy's genuine concern For her students and the community rises to the top of every situation that she is involved in How lucky for Kansas City schools to be able to consider her one of their own I nominate Amy Schneider Good evening Tonight I have the pleasure of honoring And introducing to you
022three outstanding educators from Worley elementary the first Educator that I would like to recognize is Sarah Welch Sarah is currently a first grade teacher. She has been teaching for 13 years all of those in Kansas City schools Sarah truly embodies the heart and purpose of education From the moment you step into her classroom, you feel it a sense of welcoming caring and belonging Sarah's steady and composed demeanor creates a low stress environment where students can truly focus on learning In her room mistakes aren't feared they're welcome as part of the journey Because of this her students feel safe taking risks and building the foundational skills that they need with confidence If you've ever been in a first grade classroom, you know how busy it can be If you haven't just imagine the challenge of maintaining
023the attention of 25 6 and 7 year olds Sarah does this and more Students in her class are engaged and excited about learning She ensures that the needs of all students in her class are met adjusting instruction for our english language learners our students with varying abilities and day-to-day With students that come in with different needs The growth that takes place over the course of a school year is nothing short of amazing Sarah's influence extends far beyond her classroom as well As a colleague she fosters open dialogue and approaches every interaction with mutual respect She is generous with her time and ideas always willing to collaborate Whether it's planning reading and math lessons or brainstorming new activities Her support doesn't stop at conversation She steps in when needed offering help to students who may need
024a break and providing encouragement to her fellow teachers What truly sets Sarah apart is how deeply she knows her students She understands their needs their interests and the unique factors that shape their lives both at home and school This knowledge allows her to connect in meaningful ways and ensures that every child feels seen and supported Sarah your kindness dedication and professionalism Make a lasting difference not only in the lives of your students, but also among your colleagues You create a community where people feel safe valued and inspired to grow I appreciate you not just for what you do, but for how you do it with compassion integrity and heart Thank you for everything you bring to your students your team and your school. Oh, sorry. I forgot that part Congratulations, okay the next exceptional educator
025that I have the privilege of introducing to you today is lori jackson Lori is an intervention specialist who has been with canton city schools for 18 years Lori is the kind of teacher who makes excellence look effortless She is someone who is always on top of things Behind the scenes she ensures that goals progress reports and accommodations are not only accurate But completed with care and on time Because of her diligence her students are consistently set up for success with the support they need in place Lori is a strong advocate for her students She works to ensure that every learner has a pathway forward by providing intensive intervention And tailored to individual needs by collaborating closely with general education teachers She also helps adapt and instruct Sorry adjust instruction So her students are not just
026included but are active engaged and valued members of the classroom community Lori's kindness is evident in every interaction She is gentle patient Consistently positive taking the time to connect with her students Whether it's asking about their day or learning more about their interests Those small moments build trust and make a lasting impact Her support doesn't stop with her own students Lori is always willing to share her expertise Offering guidance on interventions even for students who are not on her caseload She steps in wherever she's needed supporting colleagues and contributing to the wider school community with generosity and professionalism Lori your dedication compassion and collaborative spirit make a difference every single day Your work helps create a school where all students feel supported valued and capable I thank you for everything you do and congratulations okay,
027and Our last educator but definitely not least. It's a privilege to recognize Someone who exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding educator Jennifer grows. Donofsky has been an educator for 12 years with the last nine of those in Kansas City schools In this classroom learning is not about perfection. It's about growth Through a strong belief in the power of a growth mindset Jennifer encourages students to see challenges as opportunities and mistakes as stepping stones Students learn not just what to think But how to keep going How to persevere and how to believe in their own potential? What makes Jennifer especially remarkable is her commitment to developing the whole child? Academic success is important, but it's only part of the picture In this classroom students are also learning confidence empathy resilience and curiosity Skills that
028will carry them far beyond the school walls At the center of it all is a deep sense of care and kindness Every student is valued and supported Jennifer creates an environment where students feel safe to be themselves Ask questions and grow Whether it's teaching science social studies or reading intervention Her lessons are brought to life in meaningful ways Learning is connected to real world experiences helping students understand not just the what? but the why Teaching them not just facts, but how to think how to problem solve From modeling the rock cycle using starburst candies to creating a lemonade stand when discussing economics Her learning and her lessons are relevant engaging and lasting Today we celebrate not just an educator but a role model someone who inspires students to grow to care and to see the
029world with curiosity and confidence Thank you for the incredible difference that you make every single day Congratulations Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sean stranger. I am the principal of mckinley high school. I am honored To be able to present two of our finest teachers with a continuing contract this evening Kara and amanda both if you could join me up front, please Kara and amanda both that would be great First off, I will introduce to you. Kara bernardo Karen bernardo has been teaching in the canton city schools for 12 years She started at timken high school Taught at the freshman academy and now teaches at mckinley high school Back in those days. I was also honored to be your principal then Over the years she has taught english one creative writing speech true
030crime literature english three and english four She also serves as the co-student council advisor and the english department chair Outside of school. She is married and has a son jude who will be starting high school next year They also have two very crazy dogs She loves reading especially tokeen and the lord of the rings or anything from agatha christie along with cooking And traveling especially to the uk and ireland She really loves teaching and it shows in all that she does She feels very lucky to work with great colleagues and even luckier to have spent her career with so many incredible students We are incredibly blessed to have her a part of the mckinley family Congratulations cara bernardo and second for mckinley high school. We have amanda deface Amanda is a proud graduate of mount
031union college go raiders Where she earned a degree in accounting with a minor in secondary education During her time there. She was actively involved in music Performing on the french horn and the marching band wind ensemble and the brass choir She began her teaching career at indian river juvenile correctional facility where she taught microsoft applications for 12 years She then transitioned to glenn oak high school where she spent another 12 years developing and leading the high school of business program While also mentoring business educators across the region Most recently amanda joined the canton city schools where she has taken on the exciting challenge Of revitalizing the mckinley business management program. She is passionate about building community partnerships Creating meaningful real world learning experiences And preparing students for success beyond high school amanda holds both a
032master's of business administration With a concentration in finance And a master's degree in education technology with a computer science endorsement Amanda is the proud mother to danica who is nine Piper who is four and the wife to adrian She is honored to have earned continuing contract with the can city schools And we are very proud to have her a part of the bulldog team Congratulations amanda deface My name is kathy wise and I am one of the principals at steam academy and it is my great honor To present to you today coach billy durham Billy come on up I knew it Coach billy durham what a thrill to get to walk into a middle school math class And see students embracing language skills Fluency in their math lessons middle school math Her students are engaged
033with learning math skills not only to build their knowledge bank and mathematical practices But also to transform into pieces of art that showcase their understanding and their imaginations Whether collaborating with the art teacher a co-teacher Or collaborating with a colleague who also teaches middle school math Coach durham brings an exceptional level of leadership professionalism management and love for teaching to her students She has a knack for making lessons accessible to all And making all feel like math is their jam It is amazing to see how the power of a teacher can overcome the obstacle of I'm not good at math. I'm not a math person that attitude vanishes when billy takes over Coach durham has that power and that impact For all of these reasons and more I am proud to present coach durham to
034the board for continuing contract So that our students now and for years to come may have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential led by a teacher Who cares about content as much as she cares about the students she teaches? Congratulations Congratulations I also have the great honor For it is also a great honor for me to recommend coach christopher dave to the board for continuing contact contract And he's wearing my favorite shirt Oh Let me start that again because i'm being videotaped It is a great honor for me to recommend coach christopher dave to the board for continuing contract Coach dave has a classroom that is welcoming and sets the tone for learning Let's face it by middle school students know if math comes naturally or if it is a subject they struggle with
035In coach dave's class there is if there is a struggle Gets left at the door If it is a natural gift the challenges are accepted This is all due to the fact that when students walk in they are in a classroom of acceptance celebration and learning he sets the tone in the classroom of productive struggle Engagement and positive outcomes all while fostering relationships with his learners the relationships are amazing in his classroom His math lessons transfer into real life applications that I wish I would have learned Within opportunities to dabble in things like a mock stock market and prototypes for investment chris dave gets middle school He gets middle school learners. He gets middle school learning and understands the impact of a strong foundation for our students For all of these reasons and more I
036am proud to present coach dave to the board for continuing contract So that our students now and in years to come may have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential Led by a teacher who cares about content as much as he cares about his students Congratulations, and I believe this is yours Good evening, everyone. My name is wendy hubbard and I am the assistant principal of belstone elementary It is my honor and pleasure to introduce to you. Mrs. Brittany arnold Brittany is a third grade math teacher at belstone elementary Brittany has been in canton city schools for eight years She began as a core sub at belden elementary for two years and in 2021 she became a STEM teacher at belstone My first experience with britney was her observation As we met in the kindergarten
037hallway britney was getting off the elevator with a cart And containers filled with water and if anyone knows anything about belstone There is only one way to get a cart to the hallway and that is up a steep ramp Brittany carefully got that cart up the ramp without spilling one drop of water And I was amazed because I was truly thinking the worst was about to happen I then went into the classroom and watched as she did a phenomenal job With a sink or float activity and amazed the classroom full of kindergarten students that felt like she was showing them how to do magic tricks From then I knew there was something special about britney One thing that i've learned from being her evaluator for five years is that she is very hard on herself
038She has high expectations for her students, but she holds herself to an even higher standard She expects nothing less than their best and she holds everyone to a high standard of excellence She does not take any excuses and hold students accountable for their behavior and for their learning Brittany is known for her hands-on experiences in math, which makes learning easy and fun From learning fractions with mini hershey bars, which is my favorite activity To weighing objects like skittles and starbursts and paper clips while measuring greater and less than Brittany makes learning fun and enjoyable for all She is truly an accomplished teacher With that being said I am so proud of her and i'm excited that she has now earned her continuing contract On behalf of our principal, mr Stone and I and the entire
039bellstone family We want to say thank you for being a rock star teacher and congratulations on your accomplishment Real quick congratulations to everybody honored tonight. It's been a pleasure Um, mr. Brown. I think you have the next Thank you. Okay. I recommend that the board of education enter into the executive session to discuss employment compensation of an employee second Mr. Gruber call the roll Mr. Bay and omen. Aye Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. We are out at 652 and we will be returning Okay, we are out of the executive session at 723 Back to superintendent talver Thank you. Mr. President. We have a couple or three presentations tonight And the first one will have elena monahan come up and talk to us about preschool Tuition changes for the 26 27 school
040year All right. Good evening. Mr. Superintendent assistant superintendent treasurer. Mr. President mrs vice president and board members I am coming today to talk about our current preschool tuition and a proposal for future Tuition for the 26 27 school year So what you have before you is our current sliding free scale for our families. So If you take a look at this line that minimum you're going to have a family that is a two-person family Because unless you have a gainfully employed three-year-old which would not happen You're going to have a parent and a child. So this is our current tuition and that's the sliding scale we have for that and unless families can Apply and qualify for that early childhood education grant, which is a guaranteed four thousand two hundred and fifty dollars This is
041what our families would pay So with my little mathematical mind I did a little bit of an analysis of what this looks like for our families So at minimum if a family is does have to pay something which would be twenty dollars It turns out that they are paying a monthly payment of twenty dollars, which equates to about 45 cents an hour And for a year long they are paying 180 dollars and this can includes either breakfast or lunch If at maximum they would end up paying 85 dollars a year I'm sorry monthly with a dollar 89 per hour if they were paying that full amount And at at maximum it would cost them seven hundred sixty five dollars Our current sliding scale is the same whether the students are there half day or full
042day So what that means then if a child is there full day, they're actually paying for preschool 18 cents an hour if they have the minimum cost Or 77 cents an hour if they have the maximum cost, but the final nine month What it accrues to is still 180 dollars or 765 and those both include breakfast and lunch for those So that's our current how we currently Charge families for tuition unless they apply for the early childhood education grant Which the vast majority of our families do qualify for but you're going to find that not all apply So what is the early childhood education grant? It is a state-funded grant and it's awarded to early care and education programs who are required to hold provide developmentally appropriate learning environments And it relates to ccsd because
043for every child that applies And the family qualifies for it. It is a flat four thousand two hundred and fifty dollars Which far exceeds the seven hundred sixty five dollars we would get if they paid that full tuition So currently in our district 70 students have a disability we automatically get that four thousand two hundred and fifty dollars for our students with disabilities In addition to that the remaining students only 47 of our non iep students Are applied for and receive the grant so that's 30 percent The remaining 60 percent of our families that are non iep students, which is 168 out of 280 Are either Not paying anything because they qualify in that sliding scale or they're paying at most 765 a year if they're doing 20 and the vast majority of our families
044don't qualify for that However, the fact that they're not applying for the grant means we do not get that money So that's it. That is a lot of money sitting in a grant that we could have our hands on that we don't So that's one piece of this so Because the scale is the same for half day or sliding scale i'm coming to you with a proposal for a new tuition For next year So what we would like to do is instead of having the minimum Be zero to one hundred dollars for full day or half day We are proposing that our half day be that zero to one hundred dollars Our full day then would be double that they would pay at minimum fifty dollars or Two hundred dollars a month. But again that
045depends on their income. There are many many factors However, if our families didn't did apply for the grant and received it They wouldn't have to pay anything and our district would get the four thousand two hundred and fifty dollars to support the students in their education So I did another cost analysis with this new proposal So the first proposal is with the half day sliding skill of a max of one hundred dollars Here our families would be paying At most two hundred and twenty five dollars and or at least two hundred and twenty five dollars and at most nine hundred dollars for half day Again, most of our families would qualify for the grant and they wouldn't have to pay anything or If they went half day At minimum i'm sorry if they went full
046day at minimum They would pay four hundred and fifty dollars a year up to eighteen hundred dollars a year if they have the income that allows them to do so What we I also wanted to do is give you a comparison of other school districts So there's these are two districts that are within our start county that are have similar populations to us Their half day they only offer half day. We do offer full day, which is definitely a benefit to our families Their their average hour hourly rate is two dollars and eighteen cents for the first However, they do include transportation and either breakfast or lunch And then the other half day averages out to two seventy six per hour And they also have transportation in either breakfast or lunch and just to remember
047our Hourly rate would be either a dollar eighty one or two dollars and twenty two cents So I am proposing that we go to this half day scale and full day scale With the minimum for half day being twenty five the max for half day being one hundred And then the full day scale minimum fifty dollars Maximum two hundred However, that would be our that would be our tuition We really do want our families though to apply for the grant because that saves our families from having to pay Tuition at all and it also provides us more so we are working with our child early childhood center To encourage families and to work with families to have them apply for the grant If they don't qualify or if they choose not to Apply then this
048would be the cost for them for for early childhood education So the two I I believe that you received in the update the sliding skills So you can see them and if not, I can give them to you in print But I just wanted to propose that half day that new half day schedule and that new full day schedule And then know that we really want to push our families and encourage them to apply for the grant So having said that any questions Questions from the board All right. Thank you. Thank you. Mrs. Monahan Next we'll have um, mr. Tamiko hatcher come and present um Our student handbook for its first reading for the our student handbook for the 26 27 school years first reading Uh, good evening board president scott russ vice president kim
049brown superintendent jeff talbert And the rest of the board members Tonight we wanted to spend a little bit of time going over the student handbook that would have been sent out last week as a link in there the information is divided into four critical categories where we have information that Will change or be modifying or adding to the current student handbook the first group of policies that we're looking to introduce Are the anti-harassment policy? That is worthy of spending a little bit of extra time on as you continue to review Some of the recommendations or suggestions for the upcoming student and parent handbook This particular anti-harassment deals with updated language For alignment with many of the new state standards The second one is the protection and privacy of student data. I know you're seeing a
050lot of different data breaches across the nation Ensuring that we are in compliance with parents who want to request access to their student data the conditions under which we will do that as well as some of the other requests will come in the form of directory information And if we deem that though that particular information is normal directory information We would be very forthcoming in providing those particular requests The second one is a security protocol And what this particular area does is it increases the emphasis of how we are managing our secondary students As you know, we've done a lot of new revisions in terms of yonder bags With the latest being the institution of the x-ray machines So we're looking to include a little more clarity in how those particular systems operate moving forward
051and then the latest that the other one that we had at the tail end of last year was The emphasis of students having id badges On their persons at times or upon request. So we wanted to make sure that we provided some additional clarity For that policy The next area deals with grades gpa and recognition The mandatory uniform or the uniformity of Weighting grades a policy had come out that requires school districts to treat all of those policies the same If your district offers weighted grades in which we do whether it's a 5.0 scale 4.0 scale for various grades The requirement states that all students who are taking those higher level courses receive the same weight And this moves us in compliance with that. We actually had made The changes for this current year But
052we are currently reviewing the current policy to ensure that that language is clear the grading periods Ensuring that we send on report cards at the end of each nine weeks And then the last one is the class rank moving to assume a system And then that particular system moves as you guys may have also been made aware across the nation where you move away from Competing one student versus another student for class rank in this particular model you shoot towards taking highly rigorous courses to allow students to compete against the scale versus another classmate and there's a lot of Research around just that pivot and the pressure on students To outdo another classmate versus striving towards excellence and this moves us in line with that The third category deals with some of the latest innovations
053we're hearing a great deal about ai There's some recommended policy regarding the framework how we use it what it can be used for And then following many of the policies that's ethical use of ai So you'll see some recommendations as we move towards the final reading of the student handbook The other component is early graduation It's been allowed for students for quite some time But what we're also finding is that there's been some very unique cases or circumstances that come up So we're trying to weigh those and see if that's going to have any impact on our current Guidelines as students are requesting early graduation Ultimately, what we want to ensure is that as they graduate that they can persist past high school making sure that Students aren't doing the minimum and then what we
054find is that later on They may not have acquired the necessary industry recognized credentials employment Credentials to be able to persist or to move into Higher education institutions go right into the workforce and or enroll in the military And then the last and final one for the innovation and attendance is the reporting off from school From parents ensuring that They're using some of our our modes of communication To ensure that we know where students are and when they are not going to arrive that they're following many of those protocols And then the failure to do so making sure that we're communicating that with students and families Regarding sending in the proper documentation so that those absences can be categorized appropriately the last group is the Board clarification on the student discipline codes. Those are all
055highlighted in the documents that we had sent We're making sure that those are Continuing to be in alignment with what we're seeing and that they're utilized across the board in a fair and equitable way As you transition from building the building and that our expectations continue to maintain high levels of excellence and expectations for our student body and The due process steps that we see and hear as we continue to strengthen our policy It's also in the implementation of how we interpret it and how we deliver that to students and families And that is where you'll hear a great deal about due process And that's when you move through parents feeling as if students rights may have been infringed upon or there's clarity in What we have the right and how we must go about
056Ensuring due process is taking place This name image and likeness Another popular term that you're seeing across the board Predominantly in the athletic realm At the collegiate level but Ohio High School Athletic Association has made a ruling in regards to high school athletes and how they Or whether or not they should be able to receive Compensation for their name image and likeness and under what conditions so there are some recommendations there from our legal team for us to review and to make sure that we're aware of what is being recommended and how we will be a Interpreting that through our membership with the Ohio High School Athletic Association And as we continue to as you will see in today's board agenda Some of these policies are going to be voted on today as their third
057and final reading and then you'll see those Transitioned over to the student handbook Once your decisions are made with those policies Do you have any questions regarding those from the board? The only question I have is I know Superintendent tobert and myself had been talking with jim thomas in the state of ohio was looking at overriding the ohsa Recommendations on nil Is there anything built in for that or will we just have to adjust it? If that becomes the case as of right now that's on hold um But if it does change then we will receive update to the policy Thank you, sir. That's the only thing i've got Thank you. Mr. Hatcher. Thank you for your time Okay, the final presentation is my presentation on um the updating the budget reduction plan from february
0589th that And making the recommendation that we close an additional building that additional building Being gibbs elementary Made the recommendation at a special board meeting um Wow, was that last week week before last on thursday the week before last and last week we had an opportunity to hold a meeting At gibbs that was well attended by both parents staff members and community members um got a lot of questions at that meeting and we also Had several conversations with community organization and and district partners We held phone conversations and meetings We even have some meetings scheduled for this week that have come from those conversations Though while people so far while people are emotional about gibbs And they they understand that as a district we're in a pretty tight situation and over Overwhelmingly most of the
059people understand that this is where we're sitting is not because of something that is district cause it's kind of us reacting to policy changes and funding decisions that are coming from columbus, but Tonight, I kind of want to go over the the the recommendation again And and give folks clarity on the rationale the same questions keep coming up one Why are you doing this now? Why are you surprising us at this last minute with this recommendation? Um, why gibbs? Why are you doing gibbs? What's going to happen to the building Um, and then what are you going to do to support support the students as they go through? And where is my student going to go to school now? um and and so i'm going to kind of go go through that a little bit
060again tonight and then um Later on in the meeting, you'll have an opportunity to To vote on the recommendation So why do we need to close another school? Without going on for for a long period of time just want to take people back um We we lost nearly we lost seven million dollars a year And we were we were told um that decision was made back in in july or august Um, we knew that there were going to be some cuts, but we didn't realize at that point in time that targeted Um supplemental assistance 4.7 4.2 million dollars, I believe That we received every year and for mr Gruber and myself it's the first time that we've ever seen the state take money away from a district. We've been we've seen districts be held flat
061um, but for them to actually take money away and and and in essence we Really combining state funding and federal funding we were nearly seven million dollars reduced and over time That ends up to the huge deficit we ended up with Once we did our five-year forecast in october state notified us that we needed to address a 17 million dollar deficit in 2028 And we had to have a plan in place Um and board approved and that was initially set for us to do that by the end of december I was out for surgery in november. So they they were grace They graciously gave us the opportunity to continue that into January and we had to have that done by um by february and we voted on that. I believe february 9th um, and that
062plan included the reduction of some buildings the cutting of Some staff positions Reduction in what we were spending on materials and supplies and at that point in time We pointed out to people that the majority of our money is spent on people And so we wanted to be able to make these cuts without telling members of our family That they were not going to be here anymore And so we were going to try to do that through attrition and the way to do that Is to combine your resources into as few buildings as possible So you can utilize staff in the most efficient manner. So we set out looking to reduce buildings best part about that is if there is a bright side to this whole thing is We were already in the process of
063building new buildings and we already planned on Consolidating buildings to become more efficient So the majority of the plan approved in february the majority of it was something that was already on the books as a part of our strategic facilities plan But because of the huge deficit we were in we sped the plan up and added some new buildings at the end of that When we approved that plan there was a 15 well before there was in 27 Well when we approved that plan in 27 we were now 15 15.5 million to the good And fiscal year 2028 were 1.3 million to the good And there was a ten and a half million dollar Deficit in 2029 what I can tell you is that With the cuts that we have in place Where we currently
064sit We are at 1.3 million dollars in 2028 or maybe better And and and and later later on in this board meeting you're going to take action On reducing some positions and and we've really lived up to the plan We put in place when it comes to that and we really lived up to both trying to do as much as we can through attrition And so 2028 where we're looking really good right now but in 2029 That number is at 10.5 million dollars and and and based on Costs that we can anticipate changing right now When when we approved that plan diesel fuel was at about three and a half dollars a gallon As we speak it is approaching six And our buses are still running so that 10.5 million dollars could be worse And
065if we don't attack that now The state will be here. I believe in august because mr Gruber has to do another update and so a budget um five three-year forecast in august and so that 2029 will be in year three Is that it right year three or year two seven twenty twenty nine? Yeah It'll be in year three and when it's in year three, we're going to put another plan together and and me for one Putting that plan together making sure you're able to implement that plan takes our entire team Away from focusing on the work And all we're doing is focusing on trying to reduce the budget So our goal Is to reduce that as much as we possibly can so we can get back to making sure our focus is on the main
066thing so Why are we looking at closing another building? So once we made the decision to close buildings and um And we looked at where students were going to go and we assigned teachers and staff and students based on the new attendance zones After february 9th here was the enrollment we had and you can see that our low buildings Gibbs had the lowest Enrollment projected enrollment for the 26 27 school year having 282 students And I highlight it harder because that's the first thing people point out well your closing gives why not close harder Well harder is actually closing but it will close for the following school year and right now they're Because lincoln the new lincoln elementary building will not be open until the 27 28 school year And there's there's not enough room
067and cedar to put those 172 kids so That building will be closing as a traditional school the following year But gives us that 282 students if you look at the other enrollments, we're going to increase belton By nearly 100 students We're going to increase cedar By a few students we're going to increase claredon where claredon is going to stay flat and take that back patrick's going to stay flat Summit's going to go up a few students Timpkins going to go up over 70 students And yutz will go up a few students All of those buildings will be closer to capacity putting more staff in them making them more efficient And this will also keep us. I think we were going to have to post four additional positions If we did not make this move by
068making this move that will save four teaching positions Um and and and and other classified positions such as custodians secretaries um and my um the Media specialists those types of positions Building changes if we approve this What will end up happening is belton will be k6 starting next year Cedar will be k6 and then they will transition to lincoln the following year gibbs now will be closed harder Will be k4 Next year will be closed the following year. It will open up that year as A school dedicated to serving students with autism And we hope that that will be a service that we can provide to the entire region Stone will be closed this year claredon Is the 46 currently will become a k6 next year. McGregor will be closed this year Which is a
069year earlier than what we presented with the very first part plan back in january Yutz Is a will be k to six next year Moving from a four six patrick is already a k6 will remain a k6 Their enrollment will drop which will allow them to have classrooms for art and classrooms for music Porter's collaborative on a story will remain a k6 summit Will return from a magnet school for the arts will return to a k to six neighborhood elementary Allowing more kids to have elementary right in their backyard and to be able to actually walk to school and see the school from their house Um whirly is already it's a k6 and whirly will move to the new building that we'll get the keys to sometime in june And will be a k6 will
070be a very large k6. So we will move from 12 elementary buildings to 9 buildings in 26 27 to 8 buildings In 27 28 and that is getting us closer to being right sized as a district as I mentioned wow back in 2020 fall of 2020 and spring of 21 We were still operating the same amount of buildings. We operated when we had 13,000 students and we are now at 7,200 students, so this is the right thing to do Um, it is a tough thing to do, but it is the right thing to do so again Why why close one of the reasons that we're closing gibbs elementary enrollment again enrollment? 282 it is down location gibbs is in the middle Its attended zone is in the middle of the temkin be in between temkin
071yutz valden Summit so it is right in the heart of our community And it is easier to move kids and so we have four buildings that have buses Coming into that area and so it would not take our transportation much To just route those buses into that attended zone and pick students up and move them so enrollment is low location is perfect and then While we did not receive a large number of transfer requests across the district Gibbs had the second most Of students requesting to leave but the fewest amount of students requesting to go there Um, we had buildings we had one building that had more students requested to leave But that building also had the same number of students requesting Um to come there And and so that would balance out so it
072makes sense for for it to be um gibbs So this is what will happen to the students and We're we left this as a drawing Because I think this is the easiest way for us to show how the zones change The when we put it in the system It just makes the zone and doesn't tell you what it used to be and I think this will tell you where students Where they the gibs students are actually going to go So if you look at this map You can see we divided up the the light green right in the center That is the current gibs zones as it stands today before we take the vote The northern part of the gibs zones will those students will go to temkin and the dividing line will be fifth
07315th street to market Then we'll go north on market and come across 16th street And continue across 16th street all the way down To st. Elmo And then we'll go back up to the north on st. Elmo to 17th street and run that all the way down To harrisburg road And that would be temkin Then if you see that little that little rectangular area there where it says yutz that starts at st. Elmo runs along I believe 16th street there And then all and that runs again all the way down to harrisburg road to the south there to the to the east of Um gibs avenue, yeah to the east of gibs um Yeah to the east of gibs and To the south of 16th street all the way to harrisburg road that that will
074be built and to the west of of gibs and south of 15th street Is summit and so you can see how we just widen some of those areas To make sure that we capture all of those students Again, those students will grab they will catch buses. They will receive transportation if their parents want that transportation So one of the other questions we got what's going to happen to the gibs building gibs is one of our newer buildings Um built with the last the ohio facility program and so We we are committed and believe that it makes sense for us to remain and to have a strong presence in the gibs neighborhood So that that building you've heard us say before Stone will be listed for sale and we will we will Get rid of stone.
075We were looking to get rid of fairmont And there will be some other buildings as we go continue this consolidation process that we are looking To no longer belong to the district Gibs will not be one of those buildings. We will why I can't tell you exactly what will be there The plan is to look at relocating relocation a specialty program Especially programs or school Relocation of district administrative services some things that we do here Um Relocation and consolidation of family support programs some things that we do to support families um, or some type of combination of the above for instance stone and Gibs have 21st century money that does not expire until next year So we have the option of either moving that along to where the majority of those kids are going or
076there's a possibility and thought about maybe Having those kids come back to give and have that service right there in their neighborhood And so those are things that we have to talk about and decide what we're what we want to do And we will determine that before the end of the school year and have plans in place of what we what we want to do Worst case scenario the building will be mothballed like whirly And like mcgregor for a year But again, just like mcgregor and just like whirly we we don't have any intention Of not operating those buildings with programming and then for the district in the future so um That concludes my presentation. Um And I open the floor to board members for any questions questions from the board It's not a question,
077but can you explain again? It was on the fly, but I don't know that people saw that about how the school was budgeted for the 21 based on on 2021 the funding from the state yeah, so So we want to go back here. So so Back when the budget came out for schools um for school funding um, there was a there was a decision made by the state to Not fully or totally fund what was called the fair school funding plan And so they decided that okay, we're gonna we're gonna fund The final years of this where instead of growing the cost and in fully funding the plan we're going to fund it to the levels in 2021 so Instead of raising the inputs and saying this is how much it costs to educate a
078kid um in the canton city school district or in the state of ohio In the in the 25 26 school year We are going to give you money based on what it costs to educate a kid In the 2021 school year um And and so for us normally the state share for educating students here is about what 75 76 percent maybe 80 Between 78 and 80 between 78 80 percent And so their share that they were going to give to us that money was going to be based on 21 expenses now the the Game that they play or the moving of the shells around um our share was determined based on the most current valuation of our property taxes Which of course everyone knows property valuations went up with inflation so for us They're determining
079what we have to pay based on current costs But what they have to pay is based in 2021 and that's the disconnect And so that's why you're seeing not only the canton city school districts having to make a lot Of budget cuts, but you're also seeing other districts have to do it as well now Good news for this year is that the formula only has one year Of the three used to determine how much money we get from the state Use only one year of the new valuation is in that bad news for us is next year Two of the three will be there, which means the state the 2021 levels that they're giving us They're going to give us less of that and they're going to expect us to pay more of it because
080we became really rich overnight um And we're expected to pay based on the new rates Um, and then the following year if they don't change anything all three years will be based on the new so when we tell folks that We're here Not because of of mismanagement Of state funds if you go our forecasts are online if you want to if you want to fact check Because we we live in a time of fact check to everybody if you want to fact check our five-year forecasts are online And we were doing really well Um up until there was a a decision made In columbus to not fully fund Public education And and so you've seen that that narrative has been out there. It's not something that we're making up That's what happened. And so what
081we're doing as a district is making tough decisions now Because we are not allowed To have a forecasted negative budget Within two within three years not legally not allowed So therefore we have to make cuts now We can't wait until the next budget comes out and there have been folks who said we will get this right We have evidently we have things to fix. We will get it right next budget cycle. We're not allowed to wait So you're going to have to make a decision or the state will come in Here And they will make the decisions folks and they know nothing about this community. They will just look at dollars and cents And they won't look at our our students or our staff or what this community values And so that's why i'm making
082a recommendation to make this close this closure Um, it allows us to continue to live within our means It allows us not to have our class sizes blow Way out of proportion. It keeps us at this point in time Not having to make wholesale cuts of people. I will be making a recommendation later in this board meeting where we're going to suspend contracts But we're talking in the 20s and 30s and not hundreds like other places And and so by by being proactive making tough decisions well in advance of the crisis We're in a situation where we can do right by our people and we can do make sure that we provide the best services for our students Thank you, miss brown any other questions? Thank you. Superintendent talbert We'll be right along treasurer gruber.
083You're up Yes, mr President i'd like to recommend that the board approve items one and two under the treasurer's report this evening item number one being Uh approving the monthly financial reports for both february and march of 2026 and item number two Approving the list of donations which are much appreciated So moved second any questions or comments? Just want to say thank you everyone for the generous donations that you make to this district. Mr. Gruber call the roll Mr. Van allman aye Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye Superintendent your traveler your backup sir. Mr. President. I recommend that the board of education Approve section a human resources certified staff, which tonight includes retirements and resignations leaves of absences appointments um a new job description um And two new salary schedules so move
084second Any questions or comments from the board? Hearing none roll call vote Mr. Van allman. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye Mr. President, I recommend that the board of education approve section b Human resources which tonight include retirements and resignations leave of absences appointments and adjustments It also has uh two resolutions We put in as an addendum a resolution eliminating positions, um due to Budget cuts and a resolution suspending contracts Due to also do the budget cut so move Second any questions or comments from the board? Hearing none roll call vote. Mr. Van allman. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye Mr. Russ in that what you just approved um the first time and and in my career as a superintendent that Um, I had to make a
085recommendation to eliminate so many positions Um the positions we we voted on today are all from our our classified positions um And and with that we we suspended 27 27 total Um positions and those are those are 27 staff members here 27 people that um That we consider family members Um, we hope that as we continue to receive Resignations and retirement notices that we will be able to call all of those those people back um The the list of people suspending contracts is not as high as um I believe the total of 81 positions we eliminated And and that has that is because we had a significant number of people who have already um resigned or or retired and um And so we're going to continue to look for ways to do this through attrition
086um because our values dictate that and direct us to do that so but um Today 27 of our of our family members did receive letters suspending their contracts um and Letting them know that they do have recall rights and so This is probably the the worst part being a superintendent and probably the worst part you guys have as a board member But we will are committed to making sure doing everything we can to to call those folks back moving on um I I recommend that the board of education approve section c Education our education services report. Um, the first item I want you to approve is an overnight field trip So move second any questions? hearing none Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye Um also under educational service
087port service report item number two Um, I recommend that the board awards diplomas of graduation to those students who completed the plus 22 program during the 25 26 school year So move second any questions just congratulations to those students hearing done Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye Um under item number three under c education service report I recommend the board of education increase preschool tuition To the following rates for the 26 27 school year half day preschool zero to one hundred dollars per month Full day preschool zero to two hundred dollars per month. So move second Any questions? hearing none roll call vote Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. And finally under item four under educational service report Recommended the board
088of education approve the adoption and purchase of success for all elementary reading curriculum for pk through six For the 26 27 school year the cost of this purchase For year one is six hundred and seventy five thousand dollars So move second any questions? hearing none roll call vote Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. Moving on to our operations report item number one. I recommend the board of education approve the request For proposal for new roofs at Crenshaw middle school steam academy at harford And mckinley high school this resolution authorize our assistant superintendent to go out Um walters to look for someone to see receive bids on fixing the roof, I guess We'll beat that up So move second Any questions from the board? Hearing none roll call vote.
089Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. And finally under operational report, I recommend that the board approve the purchase of two air cooled chillers for mckinley high school So move second any questions? Hearing none roll call vote Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mr. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. Those chillers will be purchased off state terms. I'm correct Next under e superintendent action items Item number one I recommend the board of education approve the second reading of the following board policies and revision So move second any questions? Hearing none roll call vote. Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. And then the final item Recommend the board of education approve the amendment to the budget reduction plan previous approved Um, and that
090should be changed to i believe february. I'm correct. We did that february night I think was that february it was actually due on january 26 january 26 see i'm using the wrong date. Thank you To close gibbs elementary school and adjust attendance zones for belton elementary summit elementary timken elementary and yutz elementary school So move second any questions? Hearing none roll call vote. Mr. Van Olmen. Aye. Ms. Watkins. Aye. Mrs. Brown. Aye. Mr. Russ. Aye. That concludes my report for this evening. Thank you superintendent talbert Uh, no another business. I will make the motion to adjourn Second all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Everyone have a safe night. Thank you for joining us