001Regular meeting of the board of education is called to order. Please rise for the pledge. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Mr. Sheraldi, please call the role. >> Mr. Aim, >> here. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> here. >> Mrs. Click >> here. >> Mrs. Mahalis >> here. >> Mr. Sabolski >> here. >> All right. We begin tonight's meeting with special reports and recognitions. Tonight we have two students from the high school being recognized as Rotary students of the month. They are Cameron Taylor and Andrew Mueller. May I please have a motion? >> Moved. >> Second. >> Mr. Shaldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Click. >> Yes. >> Mr.
002Sabolski? Yes, >> Mrs. Mahales. >> Yes, >> Mr. Aim. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Schneider. >> Yes. >> All right. Would the students please come forward and get your certificates and start? [Applause] So, congratulations. Thank you for holding the grand stand. Congratulations. >> Make your way to the podium. >> All right, Dr. Pilooki, whenever you're ready, you can introduce the students. Our students are inspiring and the positive culture of nurturing and caring for students is a community effort that makes Aurora City School District a magical place to be. So, first and foremost, thank you to our Aurora Rotary for having this opportunity to celebrate our student leaders. Today, I would like to present Cameron Taylor, our Rotary Club student of the month to the board of education. She is truly exceptional and holds a special place
003in all of our hearts. In the words of Melissa Lindley, Cameron is unstoppable. She leads with grace, kindness, and a respect for others. As our senior class president, Mrs. Watt admires Cameron as she radiates kindness and love, creating a sense of home wherever she goes by making every student feel seen, welcome, and heard. She is a joy to teach. Mr. Price and Mr. Dr. Ray Cao conveyed that Cameron is extremely intelligent and supports the success of those around her, helping to create a highly engaging and intellectually challenging classroom environment. One day, Cameron aspires to practice law and is interested in international relations. Proe Bronazio has commended her for her drive and selfm motivation in becoming bilingual as part of this long-term vision. The impact she has made and is making at the greenhouse her senior
004year is a clear indicator that this young lady is headed as far as the stars. We are so proud of her and cannot recommend a better candidate. [Applause] Good evening everyone. I want to begin by thanking the Rotary Club and the board of education for this incredible honor. I also want to thank my mom, my sisters, and my teachers for their guidance and support. My achievements, perspective, and goals would not be possible without those who have shaped me along the way. The the Rotary Club has inspired me since my freshman year when I participated in and won the Rotary 4-way speech contest. That experience introduced me to the club's commitment to education and leadership. I believe that building a better future begins with expanding both the access to and the quality of learning. Seeing an
005organization like this in action reminds me that meaningful change is possible when people work together toward a common goal. At school, I am involved with Greenman Global, a program I founded where AHS students visit Kraok Elementary to teach young students about the history and culture of different countries. I enjoy this activity because it allows me to collaborate and witness authentic curiosity grow. I remember being a first and second grader in those classrooms, eager to learn about the very cultures that I now have the priv privilege of sharing. That experience reminds me that education is not just about facts. It's about connection, empathy, and opening minds to the world. The two classes that have influenced me the most are AP US government and AP Spanish. Mr. Rubin's commitment to fostering dialogue among students with different perspectives
006models the kind of political engagement I hope to see in the future. I also discovered the value of listening, understanding, and finding common ground. Skills I hope to carry forward in shaping a more thoughtful society. And in AP Spanish, Senora Broncazio's emphasis on the culture behind the language truly motivates me to learn more, and I am passionate about becoming fluent in Spanish one day. Already, I've been able to use social media to share history with the global audience. On my Instagram account, I post five monumental historical events a day to over 300,000 international followers. I have also published a children's book to introduce young readers to history across cultures. Looking ahead, I hope to continue expanding access to education with modern technology. I believe that when people are empowered with knowledge and perspective, they can
007challenge divisions, tackle global problems, and create a brighter, more connected future. That is the world I hope to build, one where everyone has the tools to make a difference. Thank you for listening, and thank you again for this incredible honor. Congratulations, Cameron. Members of the board, I would like to introduce Andrew Mohler as our second candidate for Aurora Rotary student of the month for Aurora High School. Andrew is heavily involved in our school community as captain of the swim team as well as a community lifeguard. Andrew is hungry to learn and truly values the process. Mr. Rakeout conveys that he is extremely attentive in class, but he makes the depth of his engagement apparent when he raises his hand to contribute a well-considered comment or insight or ask an incisive probing question. His insights reflect
008deep critical thinking and contribute to a rich culture of discussion in class. Mr. Price also spoke to his character. He is extremely polite, kind, and respectful. He lives our green standard and makes AHS an outstanding place to teach and to learn. Andrew aspires to be a biological engineer and invent a new life form. His love of the life sciences as well as art, specifically photography, will take him far within his professional career. Congratulations, Andrew. [Applause] Um, hello everyone. Good evening. My name is Andrew Mueller. I'm a senior at Aurora High School and I am proud to be recognized as Rotary Student of the Month here today. I would like to start off with a couple of thank yous. First and foremost, I would like to thank my biology teacher, Mrs. Bureau, for nominating me for
009this award, as well as all of the other amazing teachers and staff at AHS. I would also like to thank all of the leaders and members of the Rotary Club as well as the board of education for considering me for this great honor. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support throughout my school career. The Rotary Club has significant positive impact on local communities through its commitment to service, leadership, and charity. Members of Rotary Club work together to address local needs such as providing educational opportunities, promoting peace, and supporting everyone in the community of Aurora. By funding local projects, supporting youth programs with scholarships and leadership training, and partnering with other organizations, Rotary Club helps strengthen community resilience and improve overall quality of life. I myself also try to help
010my community. I'm involved with the Aurora Interact Club, the National Honor Society, the Varsity Swim Team, and many other school clubs. The Aurora Interact Club works very closely with Rotary with many overlapping events, and I feel that they share all of the same values. I'm also the treasurer of the National Honor Society, which means that I'm in charge of managing the money aspect of the club behind the scenes so that our fundraisers can run smoothly and provide for the community. I'm also the team captain of the swim team and have been a varsity swimmer for the last three years and I'm playing on fourth. I also participate in the environmental club, student council, stars, which is our debate club, and stop the hate club, although to a lesser degree. I love the sense of community
011I get from participating in these activities. My favorite class at AHS was always biology because I always found it fascinating to learn about how our bodies work and how organisms interact with each other. Because of that, in the future, I plan to study biological engineering, and I want to become a scientist to uphold the standards of medicine and food safety. I'm currently undergoing the college application process, so I'm undecided on where I will go, but I'm looking forward to the opportunities I know college will give me. I hope to bring the values of the Rotary Club and AHS to wherever I end up. Thank you for your time and consideration. [Applause] All right, they they'll get a picture. Thank you um Cameron and Andrew for coming tonight and to the families who came too. All
012right, while they're doing that, we will move on to hearing of the public on agenda and non-aggenda items. The board and administration do not typically respond at board meetings. Uh but someone can get back to you. We have one person who signed up if you so desire. Um the public comment period is a maximum of 30 minutes and each speaker is limited to a total time of 3 minutes. Mr. Shiraldi will keep the time and include your name and address in the minutes if you'd be so kind as to give it and Casey, you're up. Casey, >> oh, do you mind going to the podium? Yeah. Casey Krebs, uh, 148 Burning Tree Drive in the Oaks of Aurora. >> Yeah. And I can give him the sheet, too, when we're done. So, go ahead. >>
013Um, mine's real simple and brief. uh with kids that are out of the school district for a long time and grandkids and the whole thing, I feel a little bit disconnected as far as the information uh that I can get on what's coming up in on the next ballot. So, other than the school um website, um are there any other places I could get that information? >> That's all I got. >> Okay. Well, one of us will get back to you. Okay. Yes. This week. Thanks, Casey. All right. Um, next we move to the approval of minutes from our regular meeting of August 25th. May I have a motion, please? >> Moved. >> Second. >> Are there any comments or edits additions to those minutes? All right. Mr. Shiraldi, please call the role. >> Mr.
014Solski? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Snider? >> Yes. >> Mr. Achim? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Click? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Mahales? Yes, minutes are approved as written and now we'll go to the superintendent and assistant superintendent reports. >> Thank you, Miss Mahalis and board of education. Tonight, um as uh I mentioned uh previously, I wanted to follow up uh based upon our interactions with our architects, TDA, then design architecture. And so, um we had a follow-up meeting with them to sort of map out the big picture of the essential plan. And so I wanted to just take a little bit of time tonight to take that overview, that big picture, and then break it down into a few different segments and talk about what's uh ahead moving into next November. So the visual up there is
015the entire timeline, which obviously I know you cannot see, although the board members do have the visual in front of you. So we're going to break it down into some palatable chunks here, and talk about uh what's coming up this semester, what's coming up next semester, and then also what we are looking at next year. So the first portion and this is kind of where we are right now um with uh TDA then design architecture um we um tonight actually have the uh ELP application uh that needs to be board approved uh that would give us sort of the uh the green light to move forward with the state funding. So that's uh first part of this uh application. Um we will also be updating our enrollment uh projections here in the next month or
016so and working with um OFCC on um our uh equity rank and that's just sort of um the way they go about deciding how much uh funding that we would uh eventually get on any project that we would do. Um so that's the first part of this and then in October um as we had talked about uh previously um we are going to engage the staff internally. So, in our upcoming PD day, actually on October 13th, uh they are going to be coming and we're going to be working with Maria Goodman and her prekk staff on uh the design of that potential uh addition to Miller. And then we're also be working with Miss Stewart, her staff, and then the third grade staff from uh Leighton as well to talk about with that new one
017through three building, what are the needs. So that's sort of where we are uh right now in terms of some of the steps with the essential plan design, the OFCC and state aid. Moving on to this next chunk here. Um and this would be sort of uh I guess it's some of it's into December, January, but it's really sort of the second part of the year, second semester. And there are a number of different pieces um of this. So uh one of the things that we're going to have to do is um look at uh enrollment again. and then also uh potentially take some uh school tours. One of the things that the elementary principles mentioned brought up with TDA is is it possible to have some groups look at some other elementary schools that
018are being built and look at potential needs. So that's something we're looking at potentially doing in January. Um, in February, uh, we need to to work with TDA to finalize the PO and, um, that is really just what's the P is the architecture term for really just what our needs are. So, what is the scope of the project, what how many rooms, what kind of rooms, square footage, you know, those types of things. So, we'd have to uh work with them on uh that. And then if you see the the um the gray squares there in terms of uh projection of costs and uh the final agreement as we get into March and April um TDA will work on updated costs. We can estimate that now but the new costs for the following year um
019will not be released until uh March or April. So that's why we have to finalize those and finalize that agreement um later in the spring. um we would need to uh the school district would need to approve the ELP uh project agreement and return that to OFCC, but that would a that would be after we finalize some of those costs. Um meanwhile while we are on this uh this part of the project this is that second semester is when we will have um scheduled a number of community engagement um opportunities uh potentially here potentially atratic um potentially even other places throughout the community to get feedback on the design and what we're working on with the essential plan. Um there are a couple with going with uh OFCC um which is the state funding source
020there there's some extra requirements. So uh you can see above June there school district required board resolution number one for necessity. So essentially what that is is just the board signaling that we we do have a necessity for construction. We are intending to move forward with this project. Um so that's sort of a step one. And then the uh last purple box up top would we would have to do a resolution number two to go forward uh with the bond issue. So these are all sort of just detailed steps that we have to sort of step through now and through uh the end of the year uh into the summer. the last portion here. Um, and there's just still some of the segment from the um the previous uh part that I had up there
021um for the bond campaign really uh starting in the summer uh once everything is approved by uh the OFSC and ELP and by the board um and we have moved forward with putting a bond up next November. Um, a state of Ohio controlling board would also have to approve the agreement. And then really the target date is next November, November of 26 for any type of bond issue that we would put up. Um, in terms of the bond campaign, uh, from the school district standpoint, that will simple simply beformational. I think we've talked about that before. So from myself, uh, Mr. Hayes or Mr. Shaldy or anybody else, um, it's really just, you know, here are the needs, here's, you know, the rationale. It's not campaigning, you know, yes or no or trying to persuade
022people. That's some not something we're allowed to do. Um, however, uh, we do have citizens and we have groups that have stepped up before that might uh, want to be doing the uh, the advocating or the lobbying um, which they are able to do. Um, but that's uh, not necessarily the the role of uh, the superintendent and obviously not board members when you're acting as board members. When you're acting as community members, there's a little bit more latitude. So, that's that's sort of the uh the big picture view, all the different steps that we need to go through between now and next November. Just one last uh I guess reminder, cuz I know we've been through this before with the the the previous uh bond project with the OFCC. Um and this commitment, they will
023only fund aspects of the project that fall within the scope of what's approved OFCC work. And it will also, it's not something that comes up front. you have to get in line, so to speak, and then you get reimbursed later on um for whatever that that value is. Now, the last time we went through this process, we they put us at 13%. I I can't tell you what it's going to be. I'm guessing it's somewhere in that neighborhood. So, whatever the the the project is. So, right now, as the initial design shows, it's roughly $80 million. That's roughly what the essential plan would be. So, if it's the same, it would be about 13% of 80 million that we could recoup at a later date. Um, one thing that I have discovered lately in talking
024to some other superintendents at some meetings recently, there are not a lot of bond issues that have passed um in recent years and so that timeline has been moved up in terms of getting the extra funds um to almost immediately during the project right afterwards. So that's really a good sign if the bond issue were to pass in terms of the district receiving those public funds from the state at an earlier date. So I know that is a lot of technical talk and timelines and all these steps that that we would need to do in order for to move into that bond issue. I do want to pause and see if there's questions about any of those details before I turn it over to to Mr. Hayes for the curricular related report. >> Any questions?
025um especially probably starting in January um when um communication starts going out to the with through final forums to the families that have children >> enrolled in the district. Is there a possible way to make that available so that other community members who might not have a direct tie to the district could sign up for those emails and be added to that list to make sure that they would get that same communication? >> Yeah, that's a good question. That's actually something that we tried to do last year and we have um you know I can't remember how many butund and some emails I believe that we had collected through the surveys. And so actually on all my final forms I've been sending out, I've actually included uh some of those community members and I know
026we had a public comment about that. So yes, absolutely. There people that want that information, requested information, we will absolutely add their email addresses. Good question though. >> We'll also post where those communications are communications on our website. >> Yep. Yes, we can do that as well. and and what we did before the last time was there was a there was a designated portion of our website to that project with all the information communication details. We we can't do that yet because we're not at that point because it's still early. But we will do the same thing where we will create a designated portion of our website on the essential plan that will have all the timelines, details, communications. Yes. >> Anything else? >> All right. I meant to tell the students and their families
027you're welcome to anytime you'd like. >> Yes, let me go ahead and go. >> However, I know Mr. Hayes has some good news for us. You might want to stick around for that. >> You can go ahead and start. >> You are welcome to stay. We're not kicking you out, but you may have homework based on those resumes and speeches. >> All right. Go ahead, Mr. >> Good to go. Okay, >> you're good. >> All right. for my report. It's uh part two of our out our annual check on outside audits. So you may recall that uh in August we did an overview on AP outcomes and then uh this month for September we're kind of doing an overview of OST Ohio State test outcomes uh which are connected to our state report card which
028was just released uh last week which Dr. Milstitch and I will go over a more detailed account of next month where we'll get into all facets of that report card. But these OST outcomes are uh what really drive the achievement portion of the state report card which once again we were uh one of only 47 districts out of over 600 in the state to receive the best possible rating of five stars from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. So kind of going into the data, what I've got provided here is uh three-year historical trend data uh including last school year 2425. Uh and on on the screen here we've got our state tested subjects um down from Leighton through Harmon. And on the next slide I have uh the same data from the high
029school. And so uh as I mentioned last month, there's always a qualitative story behind quantitative data. And in our district, we always talk about nurturing the roots of our students, valuing the process over the product. Uh so there's so much that goes into uh these products or these outcomes. Um, but I think with with me noting that these are the types of scores that go into the achievement aspect of the state report card, uh, pretty much any of the any of the other 553 districts that did not receive a a fivestar uh, report card would would love to have these types of outcomes. Uh, doesn't mean we're always satisfied with everything. So, there's always the aspect of uh, reinforcing the great things that we're doing, uh, reflecting and working to refine the things where we
030want to continue to grow. Um so just in general we see kind of similar data at you know from each year. Uh of course there's a couple outliers that we've already taken proactive steps to to look at and examine where uh we didn't get to an area that we're accustomed to or uh would be happy with. Um so we've already made some personnel adjustments looked at refining some PLC aspects uh have done some curriculum uh updates and changes over the course of the summer uh to you know continue to uh refine our strategy so we can best serve our kids. Uh, and again, there's always some anecdotal stuff that goes along with that. So, some of the outlier areas, we had some long-term substitute teachers that impacted over 70 students uh in our in our
031in our district. So, uh those were some of the things that stood out there. But from an overarching perspective, incredibly happy with the uh continual trend data that uh really continues to uh rise as uh students continue their career, which really emphasizes that notion of the productive struggle that uh uh is so important for our students to continue to learn and grow. Moving forward then to um the high school data again you can see very similar tren uh trends here continuing to be um you know around that 90 plus percent uh aspect for all of our state tested subjects um and again this information is really just a piece and so you'll hear people talk about things like the state report card or some of these OSD outcomes as just another data point for us
032to reflect upon. Um, you know, obviously there are more than five, six, seven subjects or in the lower grade levels, ELA, math, science, or social studies. There's so much more that goes into the holistic aspect of our education. And that's why we talk all the time about the green standard. So, we're looking to always be within a certain plus or minus range within uh these data points that we're accustomed to so we can stay uh you know, remain excellent. Uh but at the same time, um we want to celebrate the good things that are are happening. Um, so really this is just uh an overarching view of just hey we're on track. We we're pretty pretty much aligned with where we've been over the last several years. Uh, and we've gotten some good data points
033to know where we want to continue to grow, refine some things and and move forward. So that's pretty much everything I've got for you. I just want to kind of keep it at an overarching view and as I said once we get into uh next month, Dr. Dr. Ditch and I will go over the five areas of the um state report card and kind of a more detailed account of the actual data points there, but open to any questions or or comments from from the board at this point in time. um questions. >> I was just say this isn't a question, but maybe we could throw in a question mark somewhere, but um just with recent attention being paid to the release of some of the NAPE reports recently that showed trends declining even before
034COVID on a nationwide schedule uh size. It's really encouraging to see we're continuing to make that progress and it confirms what we're doing is is working really well. Yeah, I appreciate you saying that and we'll talk about it again next month. But one of the cool things when you look at actually the last five years of data from whether that's a performance index score data of our entire district or even building specific, you can see the amount of students that are scoring in the limited range shrinking and shrinking every single year. And the student scoring at the accelerated and above rangers is continuing to grow which is a testament to not only our families uh the foundation that they're providing but uh the work ethic of our students and of course the dedicated efforts of
035our staff to help continuing to uphold rigor and push our kids to grow grow at un you know unbelievable levels. >> I saw those stats too and it was shocking. I mean I wrote it down 22% of students seniors are proficient in math across the nation. I know that's not the same. might talk to Paul about that today. But um congratulations to all and and including the elementary principles we have today because you're part of the qualitative story that lead to these quantitative results. So thanks to everybody. >> Thank you. >> That concludes your report. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> We had to leave plenty of time for the financials. >> Yeah. >> All right. So we'll start with the monthly financial reports. Um again this month you have the two different ones. Um for
036the month of August, revenues exceeded expenditures by 3.7 million. This increases the general fund cash balance to 25.6 million to end August 2025. Through the month of August, uh revenues were 4.7% greater than projected while expenditures were 4% greater than uh than projected. The district will receive one more tax settlement from Summit County in September, which will uh be the last tax collection for fiscal year 26 until spring um when those uh tax settlements start coming in. Um so that's really our big influx of of money to start the year. Um from here on out, we'll kind of get our state foundation money, which isn't a whole lot, which you'll see in the forecast. Um again revenues for the month of August is down 1.7 million compared to last year uh year-over-year change of minus
03718%. However fiscal year to date uh through August revenue is up 1.1 million compared to last year a year-over-year change of 6%. So that's mostly due to uh the timing of tax revenues being received. Um, so the 6% increase overall is more in line with our projections than the August decline. Again, a lot of that is just the timing of when you're getting taxments in uh tax advances and settlements in July and August. Um, revenue received through August totals 20.2 million of the annual budgeted total of 51 million. Um, the amount budgeted the amount of budget revenue remaining is about 30.8 8 million um that we projected expenditures for the month of August expenditures are down 246,000 compared to last year a year-over-year change of uh minus 5%. Uh but again uh yeartodate expenditures are
038actually up by 400,000 compared to last year a year overyear change of 5%. Um the decline for this month is due to a decrease in purchase services and supplies compared to last year. But overall we've seen an increase in salary and benefit expenditures resulting in the year-to-ate increase. Um again this increase is from um carryover from prior year. We had a lot of uh severances that were paid out. Um so that that's what's mainly causing that increase so far. um teachers new salaries kick in in September. So we'll have a better idea after this month and probably after October of what our you know actual salaries and benefits for the year is going to come out to monthtomonth. Um but right now it's still a little early. Um expenditures through August total 9 million of
039the annual budgeted total of 52 million. The amount budgeted of budget expenditures remaining is 43 million. Um the total cash balance for all funds is 28 million with the general fund having a cash balance of 25.6. This overall cash balance is again 3.7 um more than that of the end of July which can be accounted for by the tax advances and tax settlement in August. And that's the monthly report um through August. Okay. Exhibit D1, a resolution to approve financial statements and reports. May I have a motion, please? >> Uh, chair seconds. Are there any comments or questions? >> All right. Then Mr. Sheldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Mahales, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneder, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> All
040right. And now we will go through the financial forecast. Um this year it is this is the fall submission uh fiscal year 26 through fiscal year I will be presenting um all five years. Um so it will be through 2030 um with the information I gave you. However, as you'll see the state now only requires the current year plus three projected years. So it'll only go through the submission will actually only go through 29. But I will be talking about the five-year as you normally see. Which button is it? Oh, it's got a delay. Did I go too far? We'll find out. All right. So, forecast requirements. Uh, as I talked about, the new budget bill no longer requires a five-year forecast. It is now what they call current year appropriations, revenue and fund balance
041assumptions and projections are the same for three years. Uh since that is a mouthful, I kind of most treasures are referring to it as the financial forecast now. Um because they didn't give us a real good name for it. Um some treasures did want to call it the forecast, but I didn't want to get it's only my second board meeting. I didn't want to get too fancy with it. >> I didn't think treasures had a sense of humor. Um, also the timeline for the forecast was moved up. Previously there was a November submission in a May update. Um, this year the due dates are October 15th and February 28th and then in future years that October due date is then going to be in August. Um, now there's there's a lot of issues with that
042because kind of like I talked about the salaries, new teacher salaries don't start till September. So, we really don't have a good idea of salary like what our salaries are going to look like for the year. Our tax advances and settlements don't come until, you know, we start getting some in July. Um, but they really aren't completed. We still don't have our Summit County settlement. So, um, it kind of puts us behind on we're basing more and more off of prior year than what is currently happening now. Um, now I still update the forecast as the year goes on. So, it's not like I'm not looking at it, but as far as what I'm presenting to you um for the actual submission to the state. It's just they're they're forcing us to provide, you know,
043not not as much detail, not as much accurate data because it's just doesn't get in on time. The old timeline was a lot better for getting all of that in, making sure we can actually project that out. And now they kind of squeezed it. So, it's it's just not quite as possible. But again, I will continue to update it. So, it's not like we will be out of date. However, what gets submitted to the state will be a little behind as you'll kind of see as we move on through this forecast. Um required funds mainly it's just the general funds. So like our federal grants and stuff are not included in there. Uh some emergency levy funds and some debt service stuff but the main focus is the general fund which is our main operating
044fund. Um so what is a forecast? Why do we do it? Um a financial forecast is projection of the future based on a snapshot of today. Another thing like again this is projections our best guess of what's going to be happening in the future. So what happened the one we submitted in May has changed a lot because the new budget bill didn't take effect wasn't approved and put into effect until after that submission. So it's a living document that's continued to be updated and changed as things in the district change and things in the state change. Um but it is a good management tool. Um so we can do some long range planning for what what's going on in the district and what we think is going to be going on in the state. Uh
045the notes and assumptions part of the 5-year forecast is an important part because it gives meaning to what some of the numbers actually mean. That underlining detail is important to know. Uh the financial forecast encourages district management teams to examine future years uh and identify when challenges will arise. Um so again the main goal is to engage the board and community about long range planning and discussions um of the district. It also serves as a basis for our 412 certificate which um kind of certifies that we have funds available to to do something like when we uh pass our AEA agreement, one of our CBAs, we sign off on a 412 uh certificate certifying that we have the funds available to do this. So this is the basis for that. um and it allows the
046state to identify potential um financial problems in certain in districts. Some of the key line items for those of you who may not be familiar with them. Um there's two sections, the revenue and expenditures. Uh revenue is made up of two main sources which are local and state funding. and expenditures are salary, wages, benefits, purchase services, supplies, and materials. Um, line 6.010 is excess revenue over under expenditures. So, that's your kind of profit loss for the year. And then 7.02 is your ending cash balance for the year. So, that's that fund balance I talked about um a little earlier. Uh, so on to some of our numbers. Um, as you can see from this graph, uh, the black is our revenue and the gray is expenditures. Um, so as you can see, and that yellow
047line is our cash balance. So as we go through the life of the forecast, expenditures continue to grow, grow, grow, and revenue kind of starts to taper off. Um, you see the little orange bit by the by the uh on the black there, that is a renewal levy that will expire in fiscal year 28. But even with the passing of that renewal levy, expenditure still outpace our revenue growth. So that's why it's important that we continue to pass these renewal levies. Um, because like I've said before, we are not very heavily funded by the state. About 19% of our funds come from the state. So, we rely very heavily on our our local community. Um, ending cash balances. The district has generally a 60-day cash balance target. Um, some districts target about 90day cash, which
048is a pretty comfortable area. Um, but still, that's 90 days of being able to operate just on your fund balance without anything else coming in. It's not a very long time. Um, in fiscal year 28, the district will be kind of at that 60-day target. And then after fiscal year 28, we're projected to dip below that um as cash reserves begin to dwindle. Again, these are projections. Things will change. It's not all all bad. Um, so here's kind of what I've been talking about. Um, local taxes make up 77% of funding in fiscal year 26. So, Aurora School District is mainly funded by our local taxes. State funding makes up 19%. Um, this is why it's important. Uh, you know, during the budget bill, you heard a lot of people talking about the funding formula.
049Um, you know, should they change it? What what information are they going to update? The base cost inputs in that um help determine how much the state's going to give. So, what they've been doing is updating the local uh data information. So the property values, the income of our district. However, those base costs like teacher salaries, stuff like that, they're keeping it at previous year's levels. They're not updating it to current levels. So what that does is make districts look wealthier than they actually are because those costs aren't being increased with they're increasing every year, but they're not doing that in the formula. So it kind of skews that formula to make districts look wealthier than they are. and that state share continues to shrink. Um, as for our district, we are on the state
050guarantee of the funding formula. So, we are guaranteed a certain level of funding um, regardless of kind of our enrollment changes and stuff like that for now. Um, a lot of districts are on the guarantee, but with the with the um with the funding formula, a lot of districts, it's shown that a lot of districts have made progress to get off that guarantee and become a formula district. That's why it's important that we keep updating those costs. Um, as I talked about, district enrollment is an important key in that. So you'll see here um we've actually been done a good job of maintaining and even increasing. I know these lines look kind of big but um projecting about three three new students a year which is pretty conservative. I've looked at some of our like
051live birth data compared to kindergarten enrollment and our kindergarten enrollment is over 100% like 150% some years was 200% of what our live birth data is. So that means we're enrolling more kids into our kindergarten than are actually being born in our district, which means we're we're a great district. People are coming to us to bring their kids into this school, which kind of goes to show that we're doing good things and we're on the right path because we're a destination that people want to send their kids to. I always like to look at it because I just I just find it interesting to see um you know, how many of those kids were born here and then ended up coming to kindergarten here. were over 100% which means kids are moving in from other
052places to come here. Um but as you can see with and a lot of districts have been struggling with enrollment. We've been able to maintain I know this spot right here uh was a a bit of a dip, but we're continuing to grow. And I'll talk a little bit more about enrollment stuff as well because um there's some more stuff going on which is right here. vouchers. Another important thing that you probably heard about with the budget bill, um, as you can see here in fiscal year 23, um, with Ed Choice, we had less than 10 participants in our district. And 24, that jumped up to the Ed Choice expansion, 87 students. And then in 25, the Ed Choice expansion was 136 students. yet we haven't lost 136 students in our district because those funds
053are already going to students who are not attending this school. And that's happening all over the state. So when the state continues to fund these vouchers saying they're going to these public school kids so they can have better opportunities out there, it's not coming to the kids who are coming to our schools. They're going to kids who are already at these districts who are already paying the tuition, but now they're getting state funds, taxpayer dollars to attend those private schools. Um, that's a big key and important for the community to know. Uh, and that's why I like showing that enrollment graph compared to these vouchers because it just proves the point which districts have been talking about for years that that money is not doing what it's meant to do. It's just going to kids
054who are already attending private schools. they never attended public school in the first place. That's my little rant for today. Sorry. Um challenges to operating revenue. Obviously, the bienial budget dictates how the state funding formula work. I talked a lot about that here tonight. Um it's important to continue to reach out to legislators. Um as a community, as a district, support public schools. Um, it's not just us, it's every school in Ohio. Um, just just continue to be vocal and and reach out. It's it's vital. It might not seem like it, but it really is. Um, as I said, the state did not update the base cost input. Um, with growing property values and taxpayer AGI, lo localities look wealthier, resulting in decreasing the state share. um from fiscal year 26 to fiscal year 30,
055total revenues estimate to grow at a lower rate than expense expenses. So that's why when we see renewal levies on the ballot, it's really not to gain more money. It's just to continue operating at a level um the current level we're at. Um it's it's our job to look at the expenditures, but we appreciate all the support from the community and we've had great support from the community and hope to continue to do that as we continue to fight some of these funding struggles and battles that we have with the state. As for expenditures, our personnel cost is the majority of our spending. So that includes salaries and benefits. Um it's around 87 80 88% Typically for a school district you want that closer to eight. Um now again this is going to change because
056a lot of it's based on prior year. We did make a lot of changes and turnover but we don't have the data yet to show what that full impact has been for this year. So some of it is a little skewed. Um so I expect this number to change uh later in the year as we see how it's really kind of turned out. But this was kind of a conservative conservative conservative estimate based on the information I have right now. Um and what some had Bill had built in there as well. Um some of it carried over. Um the daily cost to educate. This is another interesting one that I like to show is that the daily cost to educate per pupil. It costs our district $103 to educate a kid per day. one kid
057per day, $13. Um, I send my son to daycare and it is a lot more expensive than $103 a day. So, we are very economical with our taxpayer dollars. We stretch it as far as we possibly can and get everything out of it. As you can see from our test scores and everything we've done here, um, we really are great value uh, for your dollar. Um and the per people expenditure support you can see resident property owned portion is 62% while state federal business taxes and others is about 38%. Um, this isn't in the report, but I just read something that said the increase in residential and agricultural, so like home property owners and farmers has increased from what was the numbers? It was like 30% up to 40 or 60%, it was kind of
058a ridiculous jump. Whereas businesses, their share of that that same tax has decreased over the years uh to the lowest it's been in a long time. So, a lot of what the legislator is doing is making it cheaper for these businesses and putting the burden on the local homeowner and taxpayer. Um, it's not something schools are choosing to do. It's something the state has done and I'll make sure I share that report with the board. I believe I shared it with you, Dr. Militic. Um, >> yeah, it's going to be in my weekly update to the board on Friday. >> Perfect. Perfect. But it was it was a very interesting read to show um really just how the state's policies are impacting the local taxpayer. There's a lot of talk out there about property taxes,
059how they're so expensive, this and that. Well, it's happened because of what the legislature has been putting out there. It's it's not an accident or coincidence. They've been doing this and pushing it to this spot um where the local taxpayer has been carrying the burden um for those taxes. key factors to watch. Um again, renewal of our operating levies are going to be important. Um bianual budget decisions again every two years they they they uh approve the banual budget. So we'll see what um the new one is in place for the next two years and after that we'll see what what brings. hopefully um we kind of get some traction and some positive momentum in the legislature, but um it's going to be, you know, even though that's a couple years away, we still have
060to continue to be vocal from today till then. Um um and again, the personnel costs, that's one we're going to have to keep a close eye on. Um we're a very fortunate district um with a lot of great staff. Uh, but it's something that we have to keep a close eye on and something we've been working on for sure. So, I expect those numbers to adjust later in the year and we'll continue to keep an eye on it. And that is all I have. >> Okay. So, exhibit D2 is the resolution to approve the financial forecast. >> Correct. That's what we're calling it, the financial forecast. >> Yes. >> And and you're going to file that on October 15th. I'll probably file it prior just to make sure it's >> sub by October 15th. >>
061Yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. May I have a motion, please? >> Second. >> Are there any questions? >> All right. Then Mr. Sheldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Aum, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Okay, forecast is approved. Thank you for your report. >> Thanks. All right, move on to new business. We have a resolution to accept gifts and contributions. Anonymous donation of $180 to the science department at the high school. Nicole Morgan Roth donated $50 to the swim program and the Harmon High PTO donated $10,000 to Harmon School. May I have a motion, please? >> Moved. Second. >> Any comments about that other than thank you. Right. >> Okay. Mr. Shiraldi, please call the RO.
062>> Mrs. Click. Yes, >> Mr. Achim. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Mahales. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Schneider. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sabolski. >> Yes. >> All right, moving on to the personnel resolutions. I'd like to take E1B1 by itself. It's a resolution to accept resignations and retirements. May I have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> Right. I just wanted to make a comment about Lois Mudrey. We're thankful to everyone on this list for their service to our schools, but um I think we need to make special mention of Lois Mudrey, who whose service um to the schools as a bus driver can be measured in decades, which is really saying something, right, with the problems we're having now. And she drove my children to schools, so it's it's been a long time. And we thank
063her. And I I hope that um her retirement is everything she hopes it to be. Um are there any other comments that All right, then. Mr. Sheraldi, please call the role. >> Mrs. Schneder, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> All right, that resolution is approved. And then without objection, I will take E1B2 through E1B10 together. Um, I'll read through them, then I'll get a motion. E1B2 is a resolution to award supplemental pupil activity contracts to non-district personnel. Exhibit E1B3 is a resolution to approve the introductory appointment of support staff. Exhibit E1B4 is a resolution to award supplemental contracts to district personnel. Exhibit E1B5 is a resolution to employ support staff substitutes for this school year. Exhibit E1B6 is
064a resolution to employ licensed substitute teacher, just one teacher for this school year. Exhibit E1B7 is a resolution to employ event staff workers. Exhibit E1B8 is a resolution to approve the reclassification of licensed staff members. Exhibit E1B9 is a resolution to approve an updated job description for network manager. And exhibit E1B10, there we are, is a resolution to award a teacher a one-year limited contract. May I have a motion, please? >> Chair second. Any comments or questions? Mr. Sheldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> All right. Resolutions are approved. Next we have a resolution to approve um to approve payment in lie of providing transportation for two students for this school
065year. May I have a motion please? >> Moved. >> Second. >> Any comments or questions? >> Explanation this is >> yeah in certain situations we are obligated to provide transportation. Uh and if a family fills out the form or makes this request we actually give them payment in lie of that transportation. And that's what these two families have requested. >> How much is that, >> Mr. Sheraldi? The amount >> there is a state uh range or minimum and maximum I believe were it's like $500 some dollars, I believe. >> Right. Roughly. >> I don't know the exact number. I apologize. >> All right. Mr. Shelley, please call the RO. >> Mr. Aim, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mahales. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Click. >> Yes. All
066>> right. Exhibit E1D is a resolution authorizing the execution of a contract with Virtual Healthc Care Solutions doing business as National Telealth Solutions. May I have a motion, please? >> Moved. Second. >> Are there any comments or questions? Would you like to just take a minute? >> That's what I was going to ask since this one is a long contract and a little bit complicated. I know I put it in my weekly updates, but I'll try to simplify it. Essentially, this is a group that secures federal funds uh for school districts and other entities. Um and they provide uh mental health services, telealth services to students, staff and to families. Our only obligation is to sort of act as a pass through. Uh so that's why we were negotiating the contract for amount of time
067uh that we would hold on to those funds and pass it on to them. Um that was one of the hang-ups in the contract, but they are working to secure for Aurora. Um it's about $2.8 8 million for those services. It varies per school district. Like in Solen, it's I believe it's a little bit more based upon uh their their population. Um and then our our only obligation is to take those funds, pass them to this group, and then obviously we would publicize these services to students, staff, and families, but they're not our services. We would just provide that information. >> Okay. >> Question. If the student underage, do they contact the parent services? They advise the parent. >> Yeah, the the parent um the student staff, uh the families, they're going to have to
068seek these out. Like, we don't enact these services. So, the parent of that underage child would actually have to sign their children up for it. >> Okay. >> Good question, though. >> All right. Mr. Sheldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneder, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click. >> Yes. [Applause] >> Exhibit E1E is a resolution of intent to participate in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission expedited local partnership program. May I have a motion for approval? >> Moved. >> Second. >> Any comments or questions? >> Yeah, pretty much explained that in my report. >> Just take a minute. >> No. Yeah, that's that's simply all it was. This is what my mostly what my report was about in addition to the
069timeline is just we have to uh send in this application with this resolution so that the Ohio Facilities Commission um can process our application to potentially receive state aid on any construction project. >> If I remember correctly, is there a um something that has to go on the ballot in order to receive those funds like a half mill? >> Yes. So that would be uh in the future if we were um successful with the bond issue and then we build it that there is one more uh step where we would have to pass that. Um yeah, I think it is a half uh uh half mil bond issue in order to access the whatever it would be probably 10 millionish I'm just guessing dollars based on this project. >> That would be a later step
070though after the timeline that I showed today. >> Right. Okay, Mr. Sheldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mr. Aum, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> All right. In exhibit E1F is a resolution to approve an emergency school closing. May I have a motion, please? >> Move. >> Chair second. Oh, go ahead. >> All right. And Oh, this was for the electrical. >> Yep. That was the uh calamity day for just Harmon when the blow. >> Okay. Mr. Shaldi, please call the RO. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mahales, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> All right. And then we have no discussion items tonight. And
071under board items, we have exhibit F1, which is a resolution approving a memorandum of understanding that was regarding uh the bus driver wage increase. May I have a motion, please? >> Second. >> Are there any comments or questions about that? >> Did you want to say something? >> I can. I'm waiting to see if that's what you want. Yes. So, this was a unique situation. Um, also I put in the weekly update and obviously work with uh Miss Mahalis as the board president and the OPC president. We um as everybody knows, but as the board knows, we are down to uh no subs. Uh we had one and we're working on some more, but uh we we we have enough drivers to uh cover our daily routes. Uh we are struggling to even cover athletic
072events, field trips, things like that. we really should be should have five or six more subs than we have in our um you know on our list of drivers. So what uh this is we were pl we uh have to negotiate the OC contract uh before uh the end of the year. It's going to be in sort of an October November uh time frame negotiation, but this was sort of emergency pay raise for our bus drivers. I don't know how to say it any better. We had already lost uh seven drivers to a neighboring district that paid more than we did. Um and we're on the verge of losing more um until we engage in some dialogue about that. Um and essentially uh this is just getting us in the same neighborhood as that neighboring
073district so that we do not lose any more drivers and can maintain our routes um with no subs but uh so it's it's a very difficult situation but this was this was absolutely needed and appreciate the support of the board and Mr. Mahalis. >> Are there any questions that all right then and Mr. Mr. Shley, please call the RO. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneder, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mr. Achim, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Are there any other board items? >> Then could I please have a motion to adjurnn? >> Second. >> Mr. Shaldy, please call the role. >> Mrs. Mahalis, >> yes. >> Mrs. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mr. Sabolski, >> yes. >> Mrs. Click, >> yes. >> Mr. Aum. >> Yes. All >>
074right.