Mentor Board of Education Meeting January 13, 2025

001Good evening. The January 13, 2026 regular meeting of the mentor exempted village board of education is called to order. This meeting is being held in accordance with section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code. Please place your mobile phones on silent mode for the meeting. Mr. Wade, please call the role. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. Here. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> here. >> Miss Ayapo. >> Miss Marchazza, >> present. >> Miss Cook, >> here. Thank you. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance if you are willing and able. 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. >> Yes, Madam President, uh members of the board, Mr. Heath, I would request that we remove

002item um from 6B3 with regards to the resolution for um design services. >> Thank you. >> I would like to welcome everyone to the January 12th, 2026 regular meeting of the mentor exempted village board of education. Board members have received the agenda and supporting materials for review and consideration through the district's paperless board of education agenda system board docs. The agenda is available for public viewing on the district's website beginning the Sunday prior to the meeting. Board members may contact the superintendent or chief financial officer for additional information regarding agenda items if needed. The board provides two opportunities for public comment. The first hearing of the public is limited to comments on agenda items. The second hearing of the public allows comments on any topic. Individuals wishing to participate must sign up prior to the

003start of the meeting either online through the district website or on site. Speakers will be called to the microphone. Speakers will be called to the microphone and asked to state their name and address and direct comments to the board president. Each speaker may speak only once per segment with comments limited to three minutes. The hearing of the public serves as an opportunity for community members to provide input to the board. And while responses may not be provided immediately, all comments are valued and will be considered thoughtfully with follow-up provided when appropriate to ensure an orderly meeting and in accordance with Ohio Revised Code 2917.12 and board policy 0169.1. Any individual who disrupts or interferes with the meeting may be warned and/or removed. This meeting is being livereamed and recorded and may be viewed live or

004on demand via the district's YouTube channel, Cardinal TV Menor, Ohio. Thank you. Next, we have the district highlights and recognitions. Mr. He >> good evening, Madame President, members of the board, and Mr. Wade. January is school board recognition month. Uh the entire Menor Schools community thanks you for everything you do to help make this school system so successful. Tonight, students from Hopkins Elementary School have a presentation for you. I would like to invite the Hopkins Elementary principal, Miss Anna Pepco, to the podium to begin the presentation. >> Good evening, President Cook, members of the board, Superintendent Heath, and CFO Mr. Wade. As we celebrate schoolboard recognition month, I am honored to stand here representing Hopkins Elementary and mentor schools. This year, our state's theme is scaling new heights in public education. While we often focus

005on the view from the top, our students achievements and milestones, we know that reaching those heights is only possible because of the sturdy foundation you provide. You are the mountain guides of our district. Your leadership, late nights, and dedication to our community ensure that every student and mentor school district has the equipment and encouragement they need to keep climbing. To show our gratitude, our students wanted to give you a glimpse of how your hard work translates into their daily lives. Our student council has worked hard to produce a special video tribute. It highlights the impact of your decisions on our classrooms. At this time, I'd like to turn the floor over to our student council representatives who will um be in leading us through the presentation, showing the video, and then giving a special tribute

006to each of you. Thank you. Hopkins students put together this video to help us understand what the Menor Board of Education does and how it supports our schools. Hi, we are students from Hopkins Elementary and today we want to say a big thank you to our board of education. Being a board member is a great job. There might be some people who don't know all that you can help us. So here is some information about how you support students like us and help us from every single day. The board says schools in great learning for the next stages of our lives. This helps us focus more on ourselves. The board sets the policies and rules that keep our school safe. This helps us get along and stay on track. The board is important. to make

007sure you're talking to your brothers. My brother chooses a superintendent to lead us. Having a great leader means our teachers have everything they need to teach us. Thank you for helping lead our schools. And by the way, I live in Junior costume. This gives us the best people in the schools for learning to help us learn. technology. I love how learn new stuff by my teacher. board picks the best books and lessons for our classes. This makes sure we're learning authentic things to help us grow. They also make sure to include extra classes like art, music, steam, and physical education so we can have a variety of experiences. >> In module one, the sea, we learned a lot about why people study the sea. One book our class read was called giant squid. In this

008book, we learned that squids have three beasts and that the predator A really cool thing we got to do is dissect the squid. We wore bottles and used special tools to locate the squid's body parts. We found the ink sack in the middle of the squid's body and we opened it up. Guess what happened? It spread all over this beyond. It was pretty fun. Thank you board members for selecting this reading program. It's a lot of fun. In the second module of living and wisdom, outer space, we've done learning about space and why people study it. According to Galileo, a famous astronomer, he learned the earth is not in the center of the universe. He also built a telescope and pointed it to the moon and found out the moon is not smooth or cracky.

009He had to he had to go in front of the pope and was sentenced to house arrest. Sadly, he became blind and died. 300 years later, the church pardoned him and finally admitted he was right. It's interesting to learn about him in space. Thank you for joining Big Brothers, listening to our voices, and making our schools a better place to be. We are so glad you're on your team. Happy school board recognition month. [applause] We would like to introduce you to the 2026 Menor Board of Education members. I'm Juliana Dunai and I'm here to represent Miss Cook. Miss Cook is serving her second term on the mentor public school board. She works as an educator for Shardan schools. Miss Cook lives in Mentor with her family. She and her husband Bill have two daughters. Hi,

010who graduated from Mentor High School in 2024 and Willow who is currently a junior and Mentor High School. I'm Ava and Mr. Hag attended Menor schools as a student at Hopkins Memorial and Menor High School as he worked for Menor as a teacher coach unit principal principal and director for elementary education. He h Mr. Hag and his wife Michelle have two children. Kira, who graduated from Menor High School in 2012, and Maddie, who attended Menor High School through 2012. He [snorts] is serving his first term as a Menor public school board member. Hi, my name is Charlie. I'm in fourth grade. I'm going to introduce Daniel Hardesty. Mr. Hardesty have built a career in business and serving the his first term as a mentor public school board member. Mr. Hardesty move meant to mentor in

0112019 with his family including his wife Jessica and his three children. Jane who is a senior and Mario and Claire who are sophomore all at Mentor High School. Miss Ayablo is serving in her first term as a mentor public schools board member. She has years of experience working in business and has been a substitute teacher in Menor schools. Mrs. Ayop lives with her family in Concord. She and her husband Jason have three children. Ian, who graduated from Mentor High School in 2024. Ellison, who is a junior at Menor High, and Laya, who is a fourth grader at St. Mary's. Hi, I'm Nora and I'm in fifth grade. Miss Machaza works in an as an editor and director for publica publications at Case Western Reserve University and is serving her first term as a mentor public

012school board member. Miss Marcha attend attended mentor schools as a student at Fairfax Shore and Mentor High School. She moved back to mentor with her own family, husband Chris, and children. Joseph, who is in sophomore at Mentor High School, and Laya, who is in fifth grade at Hopkins. Hello, I'm Andy Mayon and I am introducing your superintendent, Craig Heath. Mr. Heath grew up in Northeast Ohio and he is a graduate of Perry High School. After graduating from Ken State University with his teaching degree, Mr. Heath went on to earn his master's in educational administration and superintendent certification from the Ohio State University. Mr. Heath has spent over 30 years working in Ohio communities as an educator. He and his wife Kathy live in Meta and have two adult-aged sons. Hi, my name is Emory and

013I would like to represent Mr. Wade. Mr. Wade graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science and Chemistry and went on to learn his mers in education. He has over two decades of experience in education, administration, and financial leadership. Mr. Wade's career path reflects a deep commitment to student success, educational excellence, and responsible fiscal management. >> Thank you. [applause] We wanted to share a token of our appreciation. The Hopkins student council would like to give you each a metal men or cardinal yard sign. Some of our third grade students have also painted a menor cardinal for you. Thank you. Board of Education. [applause] Thank you. >> This is sweet. So cute. >> Tell me prizes. I am first day >> Miss Pepco and all of our uh Hopkins students. Thank you guys so

014much for your presentation. You guys did a great job tonight. >> Thank you so much. [applause] >> Thank you very much. Your your public speaking was very impressive. Your and your presentation skills it that was very brave. You spoke very clearly. It was very nice. And thank you for sharing your experiences about our curriculum. It was so nice to see the curriculum come to life and hear about your experiences. You are, you know, really the reason that we're here. So, thank you very much. You you are our focus. We now have a moment where we're we're going to move into our agenda. So if anyone wanted to leave at this time, this would be a great time, [laughter] welcome to stay. But All right, we will now have approval of the minutes. Do I have

015a motion? Motion to approve. >> Second. Is there any discussion? Mr. Way, please call the role. >> Miss Marchazza, >> yes. >> Missappo, >> yes. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. Motions carry 5-0. >> Next, we have the hearing of the public on agenda items only. >> Our first speaker of the night is David Lima. Dave Lima, Lichfield Drive mentor. Board President Cook, board members, Mr. Heath, Mr. Wade. I wish to speak in favor of the proposed levy listed as item 7A2 on tonight's agenda. An adequately funded school system benefits not only the students, but the entire community. These benefits range from improved educational quality and infrastructure to enhanced local economic growth and property values. research by the Center for American Progress, the University of Wisconsin

016Population Health Institute, the Education Testing Center, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Learning Policy Institute, among others, found that adequate and equitable school funding significantly improves academic achievement, graduation rates, career readiness, college enrollment and future earnings, especially among lowincome students. By allowing schools to hire quality teachers, reduce class size, provide advanced curriculum and tutoring, and offer other vital support services. Adequate funding is necessary to maintain our infrastructure and ensure security and safety standards and provide for long-term financial stability. Local levies allow us to fund the actual cost of educational programs. This is especially true as state funding decreases and federal funding remains uncertain. Well-funded school districts attract new families, new homeowners, and new businesses. Investing in our schools is investing in the future, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and civic engagement among its

017residents. Strong schools are a foundation of a strong community. For these reasons, I support the proposed additional levy. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Our next speaker is Brian Humphrey. See, Mr. Humphrey. So, our next speaker is Zoe Baner. Good evening, members of the board and Menor families and Menor students. I would like to speak on the new levy that the board is proposing. I understand that this levy is deeply needed and me and my family will vote yes on it. It is imperative to the community that we have good public schools and it is imperative to my family and many others as well. As many problems as I find myself having with the men school district, I will be the first to say that the quality of the education that I have received,

018especially in my advanced placement courses is very high. There is a reason that men schools outperform the averages on these tests and that reason is my AP teachers. But I want the community, especially those who are questioning the levy, to understand why the levy is needed in the first place. As someone who has scrutinized the budget decision-making of the Menor public schools, I have found no issues with the way the district chooses to spend its money. I can tell you as much as I try and find fault in it, there is no fault. The problem and the reason we need this levy is because of the many actions have that have been taking place in the state senate. It is my understanding that four board members are approving of this levy and one of them

019is not. But I would like to remind Miss Ayablo that it is because of her father's actions as Senate Finance Chair and his widespread support of funding private schools with taxpayer dollars that this levy is needed. One of Jerry Serino's accomplishments is the implementation of Ed Choice programs. This allows for vouchers to private schools and taxpayers time. Ohio's private voucher spending exceeded over a billion dollars in the 2025 fiscal year. Money that could have been used to support public schools. But instead, because of the actions of Jerry Senino and people like him, this money was diverted to private schools. These private vouchers are not necessarily going to the families that need them the most. About 75% of these vouch vouchers in the nation were used by students already in private schools. If Miss Aylo does

020not support this levy when it is very clear that we need it because of the actions in the Ohio Senate, then I do not believe she should be sitting up there and she should recuse herself of this board. Thank you and good evening. >> Thank you. >> Our fourth speaker tonight is Megan Shik. Good evening members of the board, Mr. Heath and Mr. Wade. My name is Megan Shening and I have three kids in Menor Schools. I understand that we are in a time where so many cuts are already being made. More are planned for the future and we are reaching out to our taxpayers to make up for the lack of funding we are currently receiving from the state. Most people would take this as hints that this would not be a great time

021to ask the district to spend more money. But luckily for all of you, I'm not most people. My current third grader had less than a year total of preschool because of closures during COVID. Compare that to my current eighth grader who had three full years of preschool. As a parent, I notice these differences still, and I only have three children at home in my care. So, I can only imagine the differences that our teachers notice in their overfilled classrooms. Hopkins third grade is currently at four sections with 20 students each. It's been a dream. My fifth grader has never seen those kinds of numbers. None of those fifth graders that were on that stage a few moments ago thanking you for your time and dedication to this district have ever seen those kinds of numbers.

022They are about to embark on a journey to middle school. And quite frankly, I'm nervous for them because I don't think they have ever been given a fair shake as far as their number of classmates. I've seen firsthand how these 20 students in a classroom have been able to bond better with each other and with their teacher. It has allowed our staff to address students who need early interventions. It has empowered them to have the time and room to focus on more successful classroom management and discipline. The list of pros goes on and on. But next year, as they enter fourth grade, they will be in the same boat as their peers as they will be moved down to three sections. their classrooms of 20 students each will jump to 27. Those differences in that

023lack of preschool they have experienced will be more evident than ever as these changes occur. We all know that smaller class sizes offer significant benefits like improved academic performance, increased student engagement, and better social emotional development leading to higher test scores, deeper understanding, greater confidence, and reduced behavioral issues. In the end, I firmly believe that smaller class sizes would lead to money savings down the road for our district because our students would be more equipped for what's to come. Let's stop waiting to August to see this as an issue. Our students are worth the investment. My third grader is worth the investment. They are most important investment and for them I support this levy. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, [applause] >> Lyn Mazika. Madame Presidents, members of the board, Mr. Heath, Mr.

024Wade, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this evening. You have on the agenda a resolution stating in part, quote, a resolution declaring it ne necessary to levy an additional 5 point I'm going to read this and get it right. Yeah. 4.9 mills. I just made you cringe when I said five, didn't I, Bill? Tax levy for the purpose of current expenses. While I certainly dislike seeing my property taxes rise, I have a responsibility to contribute to the quality of Miner public schools. In the four plus years I've regularly attended MER schoolboard meetings, I have been convinced that our schools continue to use our tax money wisely. In Ohio, when homes are re-evaluated, the schools do not receive a tax windfall. With most levies, the same amount of money that was originally asked

025for is received. In the meantime, school expenses keep going up and eventually the district must ask for additional funds. I know the board and administration have worked tirelessly to have expenses match the number of students in the district and also to save whenever possible. An example of this is the goal of reducing expenses by $2 million every year. At the same time, the state has cut funds to our schools and seems intent on continuing to do so. And then the Lake County commissioners have passed resolutions that will mean a loss of approximately $2 million to the men public schools. These are the reasons that I hope you will put the levy on the May ballot and I will vote for it and I will help in any way I can to see it pass. Also,

026it's schoolboard appreciation month. I want to thank you for your service to our community and to tell you that I trust you with our tax money. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Our last speaker is John Sanford. still um unfair to the tall people. Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Heath, Mr. Wade, I wish to speak again as everyone else has tonight in support of the the levy declaration resolution. I'm speaking as retired educational and me mental health professional. As a retired person, I am on a fixed income and as such must prioritize expenditures. This expenditure is one for the reasons I'm going to outline that I think is very important. I strongly support this levy. I believe that public schools are the public's responsibility, including those of us who are retired. Since the state

027legislature, including our own senator, have consistently cut funding to its lowest point in 30 years, and since our county commission has enacted further reductions in school funding, our school district has only one choice. To reduce the quality of education provided our children, which is unacceptable, or to generate more revenue. As a former educational professional, I have worked both as an instructor and as a dean, and I have seen what it takes to maintain an educational institution. I have been impressed by the work that this board has done to to date to cope with the ongoing reductions, and I understand the need for it, though not nearly as well as Mr. Wade, but I do get it. Furthermore, while working in education, I have both taught research methodology and conducted my own research. I have tremendous

028respect for the well-reasoned, clearly defined arguments which Mr. Wade has provided the board to serve in making this decision. Sadly, many of those opposing this action, even though they're not here tonight, there aren't there on social media, have difficulty identifying, recognizing, or understanding datadriven decisions. They instead listen to influencers and act from fear without any support. Finally, as a mental health professional, I can recognize the techniques being used to oppose this levy. As I said, they act to create fear without the benefit of any factual information, merely to create drama. To those who wish to stop this levy, I challenge them, and I know they're listening out there in the world, to take the time to actually go through and review Mr. Wade's information before you speak. It is readily available on recorded meetings on

029the Cardinal TV station. I know it can be pretty dense and slow reading. Sorry, Bill. However, because it is recorded, you can rewind and repeat until it makes sense. I know I have to. Then you can present your objections with sound data in mind. Without that understanding, you are just making noise and causing damage without contributing to the solution. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] Next we have our superintendent report and recommendations. Good evening again. Uh madame president, members of the board, Mr. Wade, I have the following recommendations listed under the consent agenda and recommend approval of item 6 A1. >> So move. >> Second. Do any discussion? >> Mr. Wade, please call the role. >> Miss Marchazza? >> Yes. >> Miss Aayafo? >> Yes. >> Mr. Heg? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hardesty? >> Yes.

030>> Miss Cook? >> Yes. >> Motion carries. 5-0. >> Uh, Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Wade, I'm recommending approval of the following curriculum revisions. >> Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Please call the role. >> Miss Marchazza? >> Yes. Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. >> Miss Aylo, >> yes. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Motions carry 5-0. >> Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Wait, I'm recommending approval of the following textbook adoption recommendations. >> So moved, second discussion. >> Uh, and just to catch everyone up to speed on this too, I will make sure and send the information. I I know Miss Ayppo was on our curriculum liaison committee uh that uh went through some of the information with us

031here in first semester. Now that we have Mr. Hagen, Mr. Hardesty on the curriculum liaison committee, I will forward you that information so that both of you have that in preparation for our next meeting that'll be later on in March. >> Thank you. >> Please call the role. >> Miss Ayo. >> Yes. >> Miss Marchazza. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hey, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Motions carry 5-0. >> Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Wade, I'm recommending approval of the resolution providing for employment of legal counsel for the board of education. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? >> Did we skip one? >> You removed it at the beginning. >> Maybe if I showed up on time. >> Is there any discussion?

032>> Please call the RO. Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Miss Marchazza, >> yes. >> Mr. H, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Miss Alo, >> yes. >> Motion carries 50. >> Madame President and members of the board, Mr. Wade, I'm recommending approval of the resolution declaring used surplus equipment are no longer needed and authorizing the sale of the surplus equipment by public auction. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? [clears throat] Please call the role. >> Miss Alo, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Mr. Hay, >> yes. >> Miss Marchazza, >> yes. >> Miss P. Uh, Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Yeah, that's >> Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Wade, I am recommending approval of agenda item C1 related to certified personnel and C2 through C4,

033all related to human resource matters. >> Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. >> Any discussion? >> Mr. Wade, please call the role. >> Miss Martza, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. >> Miss Ayabo, >> yes. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Motions carry 5 Z. >> This concludes my portion of tonight's agenda. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have the board of education report and recommendations. And the first item under board business is the board scholarship committee appointments. We're in an unusual situation right now. We have [laughter] so many of us with with older students and I know typically we have tried to avoid having seniors um parents of seniors on the scholarship committee because we know too many of the children. Um because I know

034Mr. Hardesty has a senior and um Mrs. Ayo and I both have juniors. I don't know what your thoughts are on this. I feel like I should probably not be a part of the scholarship committee. >> Is it with a junior? It It doesn't matter to me. I mean, I did it last year, so I don't know if somebody else wants to, but if they >> I was going to see if Mrs. Marchaza and Mr. Heg would be interested, but if you would like to, I have no problem. >> No, I'm good. >> Sounds great. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next, we have approval of the resolution declaring it necessary to level to levy an additional 4.9 mill tax levy for the purpose of current expenses and requesting the

035Lake County auditor to make certain certifications pursuant to section 5705.03 and 5705.21 of the Ohio Revised Code. >> Do I have a motion? >> So moved. Second. >> Is there any discussion? >> I have some things I want to say. Um, I'm not convinced that we're doing enough to reduce expenses yet. I think that levies are supposed to be a last resort that we we go when we can say we've done everything we've possibly done. Now, we need your support. Um we were given a list of cuts um recently that included cutting teachers which would in you know add to teacher um um what's the word I want exhaustion um bigger class sizes which you spoke about um we talked about on that list was busing cutting busing and and a multitude of student um

036enrichment activities what I didn't see on that list were many expenses like the OSBA membership and other similar memberships. That's $17,000 right there. The 14% retirement benefit for admin, which if you pull an average salary equals about $660,000 a year, the $40,000 a year in cell phone stipens and and just many, many other things that don't touch our students or teachers. Um, I'm hearing from senior citizens, from from parents, and even people that work in the district, and they're asking the same question. Where is this money going? What are we doing with this money? We know public education funding has changed, and we can argue back and forth on whether that's fair or who's fault for it. It's a House bill. Um, um, that was the budget, House Bill 96, not the Senate. Um but

037the fact is that the state just gave us um $1 billion more this year in this bianual budget than the last. They increased our funding by 4.7%. In 2026 they've slated 10.6 billion with a B billion dollars and in 2027 10.8 billion. We have to learn to do more with less because our our community cannot afford it. We have higher staffing numbers now than we had back when we had enrollment was higher. So, we have to ask why is that? I'm happy that we decided to make cuts and I think it's a good start. Um, but if we're asking for more money at a time when property taxes are just too high, we need to do more. if a levy was lucky enough to pass, and I'm I'm gonna guess that it's probably going to

038make it onto the ballot despite my no vote. Um, we're just going to find ourselves in the same position in a few years. So, I think what we have to do is rethink how we operate, how the district is organized, and how we function. New tax levies tend to fail in primary elections in May. Last year, new tax levies saw only a 40% passage rate, and in 2024, only 17%. We just asked the community two years ago and they said no. Not because they don't support public schools, not because they don't care about our kids, because they can't afford it. This board, we couldn't tighten our belts a week ago to forego $17,000 in professional development. But now we're turning around and asking our community to tighten their belts. I believe that we should eventually

039allow the voters to make this decision, but now is not the time. I think first we need to continue with major cuts and wasteful spending, not the typical cuts that are used to pull at the heartstrings of parents and and community members. It's not fiscally prudent to cut teachers, to cut busing, and there are other areas that need to go and can go. non-essential legacy perks like some of the ones I mentioned no longer align with our current financial realities. Until I see those types of cuts, I cannot support placing a levy on the ballot. I'll go next. Um I want to begin by saying something very plainly. Um and that is that we know that this is a very hard time to talk about taxes in Ohio. >> [laughter] >> Uh there's no question

040it's been in the zeitgeist for quite some time. Um Ohio is absolutely in the middle of a property tax crisis and many families, especially families with low incomes and seniors on fixed incomes, have seen their tax bills rise sharply through no fault of their own. Um as a school buo member, I live here. I have the same experience. I own a home here. I pay these taxes as well. Um so I empathize. I understand the anxiety and the frustration that people are feeling and I want those folks to hear me that we do not take this lightly. Um but I also need to be honest and and we should be as we are transparent with you all about the reality um facing public schools in Menor and and in much of the state. As a

041matter of fact, um there is a lot of misinformation um and misunderstanding out there about how public schools are funded. And some of that is well-intentioned, meaning me misinformation or misunderstandings. But some of some of that out there is disinformation as well, meaning it's not well-intentioned. So, let's just level set with some facts. For one, Ohio's constitution says that the state is responsible for providing a quote thorough and efficient system of common schools. And for decades, the state has failed to meet that obligation. Um, court rulings have said so, independent studies have said so, researchers have said so, and school district budgets across Ohio have shown as much. So when legislators say that Ohio has that they have given public education, you know, record amounts, they're almost always referring to total dollar amounts appropriated to

042the state budget without adjusting for inflation. So just remember that. Or enrollment changes or rising fixed costs like health care or utilities, transportation, special education. So instead of fully funding public schools as the state should, they have chosen instead to increasingly increasingly divert public dollars, taxpayer dollars to private school vouchers. That is the reality to the tune of $1 billion with a B. Schools, these these private schools are not accountable in the same way that public schools are. They're not accountable to locally elected school boards like this one. They are not subject to the same transparency laws or mandates. They're not required to serve every child who walks through their doors. And that shift, this shift in funding has happened without replacing that lost funding to public schools. So, as a result, Ohio public schools

043like ours are now more dependent on property tax levies than ever before. And here's another misconception that I want to address that I've seen out there. Public schools do not have unlimited ways to just raise money. That is not how things. We are not a business. We shouldn't operate like a business despite what some folks might say. We are a public service that every Ohio child is entitled to. We cannot fund raise our way out of this. We cannot charge tuition. We cannot sell services or raise prices in a way that can make up the money we have lost. Property tax levies are truly the only meaningful local revenue option available to public school districts, which is why our CFO has recommended it. When people say just cut spending, I want you to know that

044Menor Public Schools has already done that and we have repeatedly dissected that again and again and again in various meetings in the most transparent ways possible. Mr. Wade is open to talking and meeting with any constituent. I have watched him do it. I have listened to him do it. So if anyone's saying that we're not being transparent, I can assure you I have watched that transparency happen up here. Over the past several years, pardon me. Over the past several years, I'm losing my place here. Um, and I promise to wrap up soon. The district has made millions of dollars in cuts, and we've gone over those. Two million at least per year. Not theoretical cuts, but real cuts. Positions have been eliminated, programs reduced, services consolidated, maintenance deferred, administrative costs scrutinized. I've watched it all

045happen. Every line of the budget has been examined in public at open meetings with detailed documents available to anyone who wants to see them. And as somebody said to me yesterday, if we were any more transparent about this process, we would be windows. The board and this administration have been transparent at every step. We have discussed the financial challenges openly. We have shown our work. We have explained the consequences of both action as well as inaction. This levy proposal has not been rushed and was not taken lightly. The truth is this. There is no combination of cuts that we can replace the revenue from that has been lost from years of being underfunded by the state without fundamentally harming the educational experience and quality of that education for our kids. And that's the hardest part

046of this conversation because this levy is not about extravagance. It's not about perks. It's not about extras. It's about maintaining class sizes that allow teachers to teach. It's about keeping counselors, librarians, intervention specialists, and support staff who help our students succeed. It is about protecting academic offerings, career pathways, the arts, and activities that make menor schools great, strong, and competitive. It's also about finally our community. Strong public schools are not just a benefit to the parents who have kids in them. They protect home values. They attract employers. They attract young families. They sustain the vitality of Menor as a place that people move to. We are a destination district for that reason. I wish we lived in a state where the legislature fully fund funded public education so that local communities were not put in

047this position so that districts like us were not put in this position. I wish we were not asking the voters to step in where state legislators have stepped away. But wishing does not balance a budget and it does not educate our kids. What we can do is be honest, continue being transparent and accountable, and the Menor public school system has done exactly that. Tonight, I ask you to look past the noise and past the misinformation and focus on what is real. The reality is that without this levy, the cuts will continue and they will get deeper. The reality is that there's no alternative revenue source waiting in the wings. And the reality is that our students and our community will bear the cost if we do nothing. The levy is about sustaining the quality of

048education that Menor has come to expect and deserve. I want to thank you all for listening. I want to thank people for asking the hard questions as they should and for caring enough to do so. Thank you for paying attention. And as a board member, I know that placing this levy on the ballot is a difficult one, but I also know that it's the right one. Thank you. [applause] Okay, Mr. Hardy. >> Yeah, I would like to add a little bit to that. Uh, I don't think I can outdo that, but we'll [laughter] >> uh add to it. And in the spirit of transparency, I just want to talk about a couple of hot button issues that you're going to hear out in the public and that I've already seen on social media. They've been

049brought up at this table and I just want to bring some clarity to the situation. Um, we've heard about OSBA probably four or five times at this table. Um, 99% of Ohio school districts are members of OSBA. Um, it would be an extreme decision to leave OSBA. Uh, and I don't think Menor is an extreme community. um they provide services to our school that if replaced individually would cost us more than our dues with OSBA. So to exit out of it would just be a poor financial decision based on different motivations. Um and we're going to make decisions based on fiscal responsibility and what's best for the school district. Um, the next topic I'd like to talk about is this 14% pickup that you've heard about at public comment and you've heard it at this

050table. Um, I want to make it clear that Menor Public Schools does not operate in a vacuum. Okay. Um, this 14% pickup is part of a compensation package and we review all compensation packages just like all businesses do, right, for every specific role. And when you do a market survey across other Ohio public schools comparatively to our district, you'll find that the pickup is a part of the compensation package for public administrators. It's equated to deferred stock options or deferred comp or stock options in the private sector, bonuses, maybe a Christmas bonus, maybe some PTO. There's compensation packages that you put together and then you look at other areas and say, "Hey, are we comparable? Is it usual and customary?" This is a usual and customary standard standardized practice. Right? So, I think that I

051mean, I would like someone, anyone who brings this up as an issue to please bring me some districts that don't do the match and let's look at their quality. Let's look at the retention of their administrators. Let's look at their recruitment efforts and see if, you know, it's it's something that we can look into. I haven't received any information on any district that doesn't do the pickup that is outperforming us or I did research all last week. I couldn't find a district that was comparable to ours that doesn't do the pickup. So, you're saying that we're not going to do that and then we're going to be competitive in the job market? I mean, we're daydreaming without data. We're just throwing things out. I think that the cell phone policy, like I said, is another

052issue that's been brought up and that's definitely something that we can look at for the next administrator contract. Maybe the amount needs to be adjusted, but we can't unilaterally cut that right now. We can wait until the next um negotiation period and we'll look into it and maybe it should be reduced, maybe it is excessive. That's something we're going to look into. >> You know, a phrase you commonly hear is um don't hate the player, hate the game. Um we're a player. Um and games work best when the rules are static and they don't change and they're well understood by everyone. In Ohio, school funding is primarily local. This has been the case for a very very very long time and the rules about local taxation from the state change and the amount of money

053coming from the state change. I think we play the game extremely well. I think we're transparent. I think we try to communicate very very well. I think we try to cut I think we try to adjust our enrollment. We try to adjust our spending related to our enrollment and have done so since the financial crisis. Um, so judge us in terms of how we play the cards we're dealt because we're really trying to do that well. You know, I I moved to Menor for the schools and and part of what I was looking for in schools like like many people that I think move here for our schools is the academic rigor and the high quality education with such a large variety of academics. You know, you're looking at a a a big offering also

054with extracurriculars and sports. Um it's really unparalleled in the area and our community is really proud of that. We attract people to the community. Um the city of Manor was rated the number one city to live in in Ohio and that that has something to do with the schools. The schools make it a great place to live and it's why our home values are what they are. They're made they're strong because we have this excellent school system. Um, I was elected as a steward of this district and what I heard time and time again is that people in Menor expect excellent schools. I'm afraid that cuts, we have been making cuts and as we go down more and more down the line, we're affecting students more. We will affect students more and more and the

055quality will suffer. We will have higher class sizes. We will have reduced opportunities with class offerings, extracurriculars, sports, transportation, all of these things. We cannot do it based on our current revenue. The the revenue is flat. Um I understand your your numbers that you're giving, but we're talking about dollars here. And the fact is that the state legislature has legislation has allotted the lowest share of the state budget to public schools in like the last 30 years and the highest share to private schools. You know, Mrs. March's points about vouchers. I am not against vouchers, but I am against funding vouchers to the to the point where it's hurting the district. We have $2,000 that we get from the state for our high school students where vouchers get I think it's $8,400. If you were

056a a student that was taking a voucher to a private um private high school right now, I have a problem with that and it's the way that our system is right now. It is putting the burden on the taxpayers. I wish that we could say we're just going to tighten our belt and it's going to be fine. But the fact is we have roofs to repair, that cost goes up. We have paving to do, the cost goes up. The electricity, the water bill, all of these things go up. And yes, our our workers, they deserve health care, and they deserve raises. We have to remain competitive. We want to bring in quality. We want to have good class sizes. If this is something that our community values, we have to ask for more revenue. I

057think that the only thing we can do at this point is to be transparent and to say this is where we are. If you'd like us to have less, it will impact the quality of the education. We can do it. We can cut. We can find it. We're going to still be here. Our doors will be open. But the quality will be impacted. And without being transparent about that and putting a levy on and letting the community decide, I personally don't feel like I'm being a good steward of what I was entrusted to do, and that is to maintain excellence in men schools. I'm just going to wrap up, but the state budget arguments, I understand the vouchers, we can go back and forth. The community doesn't care. the the bottom line is we have

058we can't they can't afford to pay it anymore. You can we we can go back and forth vouchers um give more money per high school. Well, those those parents pay in taxes to help so that our high schoolers can go to school and get a good quality education. But I'm not going to that's a mood point because they're not thinking about that. They're thinking about how am I paying my bills and the argument of oh it's only 17 and a half thousand dollars a year for OSBA. um 99% who cares if 99% of schools go to OBA. We have to make decisions that benefit mentor. I don't care what what Columbus or what anybody else thinks. You know, the the if the majority of public schools are in the same boat as we are, which

059I think they are, they're also going to have to reconsider some of these perks like the 14% pickup. So, you know, I understand that it's the way it's always been done, but everything's changing and we've been saying that for two years. I've been saying it. Um, and we just we have to make decisions that benefit our students. And we and I'm sorry, but there are a lot of expenses that I don't think most a the average taxpayer understands go into MENR that we could cut and it's not going to affect teachers. It's not going to affect our students. It's not going to affect our quality of education or or transportation or any of those things. It's possible. We just have to do it. And that's all I'm asking to do. And then when we have

060done that, then we can all as a as a a collective say, "Okay, we've done everything we can do now. Now we need your help." But I don't think we're there yet. So, >> is there any more discussion? >> Please call the role. >> Miss Martaza, >> yes. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> Miss Appo, >> no. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Motion carries 41. Next we have the legislative report, Mr. Hardesty. >> All right. Well, everyone's going to get off easy tonight because [laughter] everyone's on recess. The House has been on recess. Um well, I don't know when they started, but uh their first session is going to be February 18th. Um the Senate is on recess. Uh their first session is 128, January 28th. They have 11

061uh confirmed dates for the session. Um and then they will go on recess again in mid June. I will bring up that there is SB19 out there which is which mandates uh tutoring and intervention for children that score poorly on math or English portions of the standardized test. And I've talked to Mr. Keith and we've discussed that primary education that that uh mandated tutoring or intervention is already in place and they have the staffing in place for elementary. Um it's also in place for secondary but there might be an increased demand if it's mandated >> and increased staffing levels may be needed. We don't have a projection per se on that um yet, but I want to make it clear that this bill does not provide any funding for this mandated tutoring or intervention. Um

062so it will be a challenge if passed and we do need to increase staffing on the secondary level uh to provide the service. We'll keep you in the loop and give you updates as it moves through. And that's all I have. >> Thank you. Next, we have the student achievement report. Mr. Hag, >> thank you. So, I'm not Jenny Jess. [laughter] Um, but I'm going to give it a try. So, the spelling bee is coming up. Now, if you haven't been to the spelling bee, you need to go. Drama is where you want to be for the spelling bee. If you haven't been to the spelling bee, what's the matter with you? you go to spelling be. So, it's coming up on Tuesday, January 20th. Uh, it'll be Memorial Middle School as always. Charming. The

063word caller is Bill Porter. Now, I did it about 20 years ago, and I was not that good. Bill Porter is going to be wonderful, and you're going to want to see that, especially if he's not good because you're going to tell me that. But the winner of the spelling be will will advance to the Lake County Spelling Bee, and that'll be on Tuesday, February 10th. And I should be advancing my slides. Look at that picture, Mr. Heath. All right. You can tell that these young people have experienced drama. All right. And there are the dates and times for the spelling B. Okay. There was a CTE CTE expo uh just recently on January 8th and the sophomores at the high school had the opportunity to attend it at Paradigm and learn about programs available

064to them. But let's let them talk to you about that >> video. Okay, >> reaction time. Insert. Pull back the chin. So, here we are at the 2026 EPS here at Conor High School. This is some of the welding equipment. We have 12 junior programs represented. Excellent opportunity for our sophomores specifically to come down and learn about their room back that are offered here at High School. Think of the graph. people just like walk by here like few seconds of interest or talk about it and it's great. It's definitely a a big life. So this particular event is so important because now they've been exposed to all the other opportunities they can have out of the regular education. We really like offering these opportunities for our students to be both college and career. >> Thank

065you guys for spending the time here. Okay, Mr. Heath will be giving the state of the schools at the Men Menor area Chamber of Commerce once again. Um he um that is on the 27th and he'll be here at Paradigm and he's going to showcase the student and staff achievement as well as highlight some of the latest accomplishments from our framework of the future. So people know I have an interest in AI as we all do I think. Um over the past year a committee of students, teachers, instructional coaches and parents have been working on a preliminary scale for students and teachers to use for classroom assignments in the age of generative large language models. This scale which I will show you now, this scale which is just beginning to be rolled out requires students

066and teachers to consider very critically the role of AI in all as aspects of their work. This work will continue and we will meet the state requirement for having a robust district model in place prior to the deadline of July 1st this year. So if you take a look at this just under use less AI to more AI. So students need to consider is it AI free? there is no AI involved. Is AI a collaborator or assistant in this work? Is AI a co-creator in this work? Or is it entirely AI generated work? And again, it's teachers and students working together to make decisions as to how it will be used as a tool in the classroom because the classroom must continue to be a human centered endeavor. And it's not a presentation if you

067don't have a quote. [laughter] Thank you very much. >> Thank you. At this time, >> we have the chief financial officers report and recommendations. Mr. Wade, >> Madam President, members of the board, Mr. Heath situated here. I apologize. Too many slides open on my uh computer here. So, as we head into uh kind of the halfway point uh a little bit, you know, as we get past December, um our current year-to- date revenue collection is yes, that says $13,28 favorable. So, we're trending pretty close to what we would expect from a revenue standpoint. And we're equally as close on an expense standpoint where we're favorable by we're under spending by about $35,000 which would then um actually be favorable impact on the cash balance of $48,278 bringing our operating deficit for the year um as

068we project out to about $274,000 difference. Uh actual revenue for the month was up uh compared to last year. Again, these are typically just timing changes and we're through the same period 35 or $3.5 million higher. And again, the majority of that coming from that advance back into the general fund uh from the money that we had to uh expense out last year at the end of the fiscal year because of career tech trending uh again pretty close to exactly where we thought from a forecast standpoint. October. Just a reminder that February is now the next update to the forecast. It is not May. Um so be prepared next month uh for a stunning and probably longer than usual presentation on the district finances as we kind of check in there. Moving over to expenses,

069uh actual expenses were down about $716,000 compared to last year at this time. Um and we're about 109,000 down compared to the year in total. The majority of that is because last year we had paid uh some tuition costs in December. Uh those are going to come back in January. So that change is mainly again because of timing as many of the things are when we see discrepancies in the budget. Uh all in all, we're trending about where we should be um at this time in the year and and trending pretty close, which is exactly what the citizens financial advisory has continued to challenge us to do is to make sure that our projections and our actuals are are going pretty close. I did want to share uh if you remember the effective millage rate

070for 2024, which was collected in 2025, put mentor at the third lowest effective millage rate. Um, again, when I show this graph to the board, I include all taxes that go towards education. So, I include the vocational taxes that would be for the districts that participate in our career center, which is an additional 1.5 mills, as well as those districts that are involved in the joint financing district. Um, there's four districts that are involved, Fainsville, Riverside, uh, Madison, and Perry. Uh, so they have additional taxes that they generate that goes towards educating their students. So, I include those in. Uh when you do that, it put mentor last year um at the third lowest. Interestingly enough, if you fast forward to this year, this year schedule A's were put out. Um we saw some reductions

071in certain valuations and they uh dropped us down to the second lowest in the county uh to next to Perry uh who doesn't have an actual levy on the books um because their last levy was when they did the hospital 920 uh in 76 and then they have the power plant money. So um they're able to generate additional revenue from that. Um, so we have dropped to the second lowest. I felt since I am the CFO, it would be worthwhile to just say a few uh comments on the levy that the board just approved for me to take to the auditor. Again, I think it's important to remind the board and the community this levy is to provide the district's day-to-day operations. Um, it is different than the levy that we had on the ballot

072two years ago, which was for permanent improvements. Um this is to maintain our current programs and services. This money can be used for staffing, transportation, safety and security and building operations in the form of maintenance and utilities. Um it's our first operational levy in 10 years that we've asked for. Uh and again we've only passed one levy since 2004 in the fiscal crisis. It will generate $13.5 million approximately annually. And from a taxpayer standpoint, uh the average home, as we have discussed, is about $242,000 in mentor. Um which equates to $415.12 annually or about $3459 a month. Um and then I put on there, you know, $300,000 because I like whole numbers. Uh as well as the fact that it's sometimes easier for people and it's more common. We usually talk about it in $100,000

073values because if your house is not $300,000, maybe it's $200,000 or it's $500,000, you can take that value and multiply it by the respective uh amount. Um, so that would be the impact on the local taxpayer if the board um passes the second resolution once we get it back from the county auditor. And what would happen if the levy does pass based on the 2025 tax year effective millage rate? Uh, we would go up to still be in the lower half of the county in effective millage rates. um just above Riverside and Madison at that point if the levy did pass. So again, I think it shows that um we continue to demonstrate fiscal prudence uh and while giving a good return on our investment with the academics that we have in the the district

074uh with the opportunities uh and the variety that we're able to offer our students. And just uh so the board has it uh I updated um the five-year financial forecast. Uh this is pretty close to being what you'll probably see next month. Um I have started to put in the decreases that uh we've spoke of with regards to freezing administrative salaries for next year, no bonuses, no steps. Um reduction of the eight staff members, the corresponding reduction in um healthc care savings with regards to that as well as the um reductions uh that we are speaking of with regards to um retirements. and and kind of sticking to that bachelor's zero um that we didn't have in October. Um the one thing I have to try to capture still and I'm going to figure out

075how best to do that would be the 5% budget reductions uh as well uh that we have committed to as well. So that's kind of puts us at but I think what the reason why I wanted to show this tonight is if the levy was to go on and did pass um it would have a lifespan of at least six years. Um again kind of higher than that at you know typical three to five years that uh some districts are experiencing. Happy to answer any questions. >> Just a comment actually on your um this this slide here. So if the levy passes, we would still be the fourth lowest in the county, but that's also I mean a lot of these districts, they also will have leveies or income tax levies, property tax levies on

076the ballot as well, right? So that's not even accounting for whatever they end up. >> Yeah, we know for sure uh Payneesville is going to have an income tax on. I think Will easily passed the first resolution last night to put a 1.5 mil or not 1.5 mil, 1.5%, excuse me, earned income tax on. I know Madison is considering in the near future as well. Um >> property tax or income income tax. >> They haven't decided yet. you know, those are I mean, when we hear discussions, when we're at meetings and we're meeting with the commissioners, we know that there's other districts >> that are getting to that point as well. I mean, we knew this was coming. I think if you were on the board a few years ago when I did the um

077coursework with Georgetown >> in the finance uh they they called it the bloodletting kind of of public education because of all the money that was being infused into public education in the form of grants for >> CO. um and districts were going to see that stop and then they knew the economy was going to turn that they knew that districts across the country and in particularly we're seeing it here in Ohio in Northeast Ohio um are experiencing that kind of slowdown and that's why we've been for years now since even since 2021 since I became the CFO with Mr. Porter and it's and it's really happened since 2004 with Dr. points taking the reigns and we've just continued it constantly trying to figure out ways as enrollment drops that staffing has dropped proportionally. Um, you

078know, we saw that uptick during COVID, what we were using our CO funds for. Um, that wasn't general fund tax dollars. Those were CO dollars that we're using. Um, and if you look remember from my appropriations presentation, uh, in September, our staffing numbers are below what they were in 2020. >> So, um, we continue to make sure, and that's that graph I always showed too, right? that shows teachers, you know, staffing decline versus enrollment, making sure that they're in congruence there and in parallel in that in that way. So, we're continue to do that uh as well. >> Thank you. That's important context. So, um Wickliff, Willoughby Eastlake, I don't know about Fairport, what they're doing. Um Payneesville, Menor, of course, um I'm not sure what Riverside's going to do, but and then Madison will

079will put something on the ballot and all in May. No, I think some of the other districts are not necessarily going to be this year. They're probably looking >> in the near future. >> Gotcha. Okay, thank you for that. >> I had a real quick question. Can you expound a little bit on the benefits of putting a levy on the ballot sooner rather than later? Uh, I think anytime I mean it's it's always a balance, right? You know, you don't want to put it on so soon that you're building up a stockpile of money that could be in the hands of the taxpayer when they could be getting it if you we don't need it. So, that's why we've been, you know, waiting and kind of figuring out the best time to do that. Um,

080you don't want to be in the situation that we were in 2004, uh, where you wait too long and then you're having to make really deep cuts or you weren't aware and you kind of go off the cliff, so to speak, um, is how Dr. Hines used to explain it when I first got here. Um, so I think it's a matter of you have to have made sure that your budget is in line with kind of what's going on in in in the community. And I and I I hear the board discuss what they think should be cut and you know and I think those are all good comments and everybody has their opinion on that and I think [clears throat] ultimately it's the job of Mr. Heath and I to recommend what we think

081is the best way to do that. >> Um there are things when we talk about cuts with regards to administrative compensation packages for example that we can't necessarily make right now regardless because they're part of a contract that's been agreed to. So we're bound to that. Could it be changed in the future? 100%. But we have to make sure that we're, you know, we're living up to the the legal requirements of of some of those perks and benefits as well. And um I think it's always good when the boards are having discussions. And I've said that what makes good board members is when they ask good questions. So to really not take over and go off on a tangent to answer your question, I think you have to look at where you're at from a

082day's cash on hand is how we look at it. And we look at to the point of where our monthly expenses are, what we have in the bank because you don't want to get to the point where you can't cover your monthly expenses, you can't cover your payroll, right? Then then you're too late. So, we're kind of at that point from a comfort level standpoint where it is time to have these discussions. And we've been able to push it off to this year uh to do that. And you know, we've been able to maintain because we have consolidated the district. We have redistricted. We have had a decline in enrollment. So, we've been able to make the savings that we've had to kind of push out this levy for 10 years. So, we're at that

083point to do it now in May because if we don't pass it in May, we still have another opportunity in November. And this is kind of the discussion that we were having at the work session uh back in December as well is that you know again you don't and we don't want to we would we're going to lose $6.7 million in revenue that we would collect in the second half of next fiscal year. So it's important to get that revenue now to to give the opportunity to the community to make the decision so that we can make sure that we have the revenue that we need. Any any more questions for Mr. Reed? >> Madame President, members of the board, Mr. Heath, I would act that ask that we act on items B through F

084in one motion. Please move. Second. Please call the RO. Miss Applo, >> yes. >> Miss Cook, >> yes. >> Mr. Heg, >> yes. >> Mr. Hardesty, >> yes. >> M. Mazzna, >> yes. >> Motions carry 5-0. >> We have one item under unfinished business this evening. Um, we would like to provide a recap of the OSBA capital conference that most of us attended in November. um per our policy when um we are paid to go to a conference when when the taxpayer pays we would do a summary of what of what we learned and and why we were there. So I don't know if anyone would like to start. >> I can go first real quick. Um, >> first of all, I'd like to thank uh the board and the administration for allowing me to

085go because at the time that I went, the election was still in flux a little bit [clears throat] and it allowed me to kind of prepare and learn a lot. I went to a few sessions that I'll highlight. I went to one about tiffs which definitely helped me understand the uptown menor situation much better and will help me in the future when future tiffs come up and just the impact on that how they actually work the mechanics of them um that they're for such a long time [laughter] uh you know uh but yes uh learned a lot about tiffs at in one session Then I went to a session about board relations because it was a part of the campaign and my election and um you know I just wanted to prepare be on a

086board. Um and it was very interesting. Um a board much like our prior board as far as the composition was the one presenting and they talked about having an accountability agreement um just that they have one that they signed that says, "Hey, we're one board. We act as a board, not as individuals." and they've had uh some some good points and and uh parts of their agreement, you know, just showing respect and being able to be a functional board acting as one on the to be fiduciaries for public schools. Um so that was very good. They talked a little bit about the continuum of yes, which I found very interesting, which is you're not going to be over the moon about every yes vote, but there's sometimes that it makes sense to vote yes, even

087though you're not in love with the policy, but you're it's better for the district, but it's not, >> you know, some some things you're very passionate about and some things are, you know, good for the district and not nec necessarily something that you're extremely passionate about. Um, and I went to new board member sessions, which is just like how the mechanics of a board works and you know, kind of just your role on the board and introduction to the board basically. I'll go next. Um, I want to echo what Dan said about it was great to be included. Um, and I appreciate the opportunity. It's a soft way to start. You know, it's really wonderful to be in be in a place with so many people who care so deeply about public education as I

088do. Um the session that I remember the most and that I was maybe most impactful with me was leading in the age of AI. And um [gasps] they brought up a concern that I really hadn't thought of, but it really made a lot of sense as we talked about it. And it's a notion of students using AI companions and how they experience friendship and sometimes make really poor choices based on someone that they really believe to be a human being that isn't. Uh it's an AI hallucination that they've created and um just really scary and it causes this notion this this tremendous isolation and I think it's something we need to watch for and be aware of. It's really really quite frightening to me. Um, they also made the point that our students aren't going

089to be employable unless they have AI competency, unless they have core competency in AI. Um, and I think that's a real responsibility. But throughout they stress that humans have to be responsible. Classrooms have to be human- centered. teachers resistance is is an issue, but it it it they can be brought along if they understand that they're irreplaceable and if they understand the tool and the way forward for students to be ethical in terms of how they use them. Um, okay, enough with the AI, me and the AI for a moment. Um, I'll tell you, I went to our presentation, Mr. Mr. Heath and Christie um presented on the autism school and I'll tell you that presentation. I wish everyone could see it. It was fabulous. Mr. Heath just extremely well done. Um leadership and transitions.

090It was new board member highlights. Um I thought here's an interesting uh visual for you. Uh they said the superintendent hits the gas pedal and the CFO hits the brakes. So there you go. um and the idea that they have to work effectively with the city. We have to find ways to know what everyone else is doing, what the cities are doing, as well as the board of education, which is something I also believe. So, um thank you so much for the opportunity, uh to go down to Columbus and to be with other like-minded people. I appreciated it. >> Um to your point, Mr. Hey, I about AI. I think that there it is an issue worth exploring. You know, how kids are using AI um and relying on them in sort of like an

091emotional support sort of way. And I know that the Ohio Department of Education released some model guidance around AI and um we of course have a policy, but I it could be worth exploring [music] maybe in a in a meeting here coming up. Uh is there something we want to do to enhance our policy around that? I mean, this is just developing so quickly and it might be worth a discussion. I'm not sure how you feel about that. >> I absolutely believe it. Um, we so I've read the policy. I've been through the toolkit. Um, I want to move beyond compliance to that policy into leadership in that policy. I think we need to be leaders. Um, I think we need to be a lighthouse. Um, and I think it has to be ethical. It

092has to be safe, but it has to be forward thinking and forward-looking. >> Yeah, I agree. Um, so I'll go next. Thank you so much for allowing us to attend this conference. Um I agree it's just wonderful to meet other folks who are working on similar issues and um network with other people to talk about um you know board related issues, policy issues. Um getting to attend uh the presentations for our own staff and admin is terrific too. I got to see the kindland um initiatives presentation which was terrific. Uh so for me my main takeaways um I I will just share that I went to it's called the Kaspa Kaspa organization. It's the um consortium of state school boards associations and they're a nonpartisan um alliance. They uh share resources on federal advocacy to

093support promote and strengthen state school boards and uh local school districts. So I went there just to learn about federal advocacy. Um, and you know, a lot of the recommendations were very similar to what we might do with our our state legislators. Um, but I I think I I realize that we don't really do that enough with our federal um our federal representatives. Uh Dave Joyce himself sits on the appropriations committee. So there there could be some work that we could implement there. And in fact, you know, we've talked repeatedly about engaging more with our electeds anyway. So, um, I think that we could do this across the board. Um they also talked about uh you know kind of talking with our our legislators at the federal level and again I think this applies across

094the board. Um but talking about how you know education is the first step in workforce development. I think that's that's hyper local in fact. So something that is worth talking about with our local electeds too. Um, and if you want a strong workforce and 80% of your constituents go to public schools, then you've got to support where they're trained to contribute to a future workforce. Um, talking about outcomes of our programs, whether they're CTE or or um or otherwise, and what they help do and um share the good news. Um, invite them in for tours, something we do do with some of our electeds anyway. Um, so that was also that was all very good information to take away. Um what I also want to share I went to several um sessions but I will

095leave it at our um the OSB OSBA legislative platform delegate assembly meeting. Um I was the liaison. So I'll report back that um we did update the platform. So OSBA added some we when we talked about these gosh was it feels like a million years ago but it must have been in the summer. Um we talked about the um the different amendments that the uh that the organization would like to add. These are amendments that were um proposed by um OSBA members to enhance their um lobbying platform. So, we added things that were approved. Uh the things that we discussed back in that gosh, August meeting, I want to say it was um included legislation that supports uh local control of school districts, um increasing special education funding, the centralization of career tech planning districts,

096um and universal school meal programs. So, we added all of those to the lobbying platform. So, OSBA will on our behalf um lobby with legislators to um bring those things to fruition or um to support legislation that has anything to do with those things. And then also to oppose any legislation that reduces or eliminates tax revenues from voter approved levies, which should be received by locally elected boards, and forces school districts to return any revenues once received. So, those are things that are new and part of the lobbying platform officially. And that's it. I also thank um the community for supporting our trip to OSBA. I always learn a lot. Um I was proud to attend two different sessions that Menor Schools presented at. Um Mr. Heath was a presenter on on both things. He

097did a panel presenting about promoting a c a culture of kindness, caring and respect with with kindland and how we are um bringing working with kindland to bring forth that initiative. And in addition um Mr. Heath and our cares director um Miss Leaglia presented about our um service model for students with autism with the cares program that was very wellreceived and and I know Mr. Heg mentioned it as well. It was a packed house. There were a lot of questions because um we're really a leader and and it really kind of stood out on on how much our program is is forward thinking. It's really a model for the tri county area. It provides an excellent education for our students that need that more intensive autism program um without a cost to our taxpayers because

098it is funded by enrolling students from out of the district in and it's a self-sufficient program. So just really well done. And there were a lot of other districts there thinking about how they can emulate a program like that to provide excellent service for their students and to also help them save costs because these programs can become very costly. Um some of the other programs that I went to that really stood out for me were was one that was um connecting students and with workplace opportunities and they were highlighting practices that worked with their local leaders and their businesses. They worked closely with their city and with local businesses and like alumni networks to provide career training and I'd love to see us um kind of expanding those types of things. And then I went

099to several sessions on school funding. Um one being um the fair school funding plan update kind of like okay fair school funding you know really isn't isn't being funded completely now. What now? What how are other districts being impacted? Um it was a big discussion on, you know, kind of going back and and how levies could could be looked at and what kinds of cuts and and things different solutions that they were talking about. And then um I also went on to one on the voucher lawsuit update and um you know they were just updating that the vouchers um the there's a lawsuit if you if you're not aware throughout the state there's that um districts can join. We are not a part of the lawsuit but the voucher up the voucher lawsuit um is

100moving forward. They were ruling vouchers. They're they're contending that vouchers are unconstitutional in five different ways and there was actually a ruling that the vouchers are unconstitutional on three different counts. The state is appealing. So, you know, we're going to be watching that for sure. Um, but they talked in depth on the three counts that the voucher system was ruled unconstitutional. >> And that is all. I think the next hearing on that is um late spring, early summer is what I heard. Saw that report last week. >> I think that sounds right >> last week. Yeah, >> at at this time they didn't have a date yet. But I think I did just hear that. >> Yeah. >> All right. Um let's see. We do not have any items of new business this evening, so

101we can move on to hearing of the public on any topic. Mr. Wade, >> our first speaker is John Sanford. Madam President, members of the board, Mr. Heath, Mr. Wade, just wanted to follow up on the fact that this is board recognition month. Um, I am deeply impressed and we really wish to commend you all on the hard work that goes into maintaining a good education system. I have been listening to the comments to the board on a variety of factors from books to funding to any number of things over the past year or so since I've been coming. And it struck me that one of the most critical parts as an educator myself that I ran into is the necessity to teach our students how to think critically, which means challenging them with uncomfortable

102ideas and being comfortable with the idea. I'm going to teach you to think and then you may think things I don't like. But that's what your job is. And I really honestly respect that despite all the flack you get. I remember the first time I spoke to the board, I commented how difficult the job must be because you were getting railed over whether some books bothered some people in the city, which was unfortunate because that is how you teach kids to think, how you teach them to learn, and that's hard. Thank you so very much. >> Thank you. Lyn Mazika. Thank you, Miss Mazika. Zoe. Uh, good evening again, members of the board. Um, it just occurred to me while I was sitting here that I do want to talk about something else, but I'm

103one of the only high school students here and I just wanted to talk about how important my teachers have been to me. And I understand that a levy would change some of the things for, you know, how they do their job. But I think any student in the Menor schools has that one teacher that just absolutely changed their lives and has helped them grow as a person. And I actually have quite a few of those teachers now. And I've had teachers throughout all four years of high school stay after school and help me do my math homework or just talk with me through things I didn't quite understand. um from everything from English to math to social studies. I've had some of the most amazing teachers and I would not want to see anything um

104go wrong. But I would ask anyone who doesn't want this levy to pass to, you know, ask a mentor student about that teacher because I think every single one of us has that teacher. Um the other thing that I wanted to speak about um is what I've spoken about throughout the past 600 some odd days. Um what I am currently disappointed in at the moment um is the fact that I know we passed some new curriculum but I am still missing that sexual assault prevention curriculum that I think is going to be so vital to our district. Um it is my hope that this new board may make headway on this issue because it is a very grand issue that many students have brought to me. Um in the past two years I have done

105several surveys and I have had over a hundred high school participants. Um and I almost every single one of those participants said that they wanted to receive this prevention education and I think that speaks volumes within itself. Um, and as I've stated before, um, throughout my analysis of peer-reviewed surveys and all of that, that students entering the ninth and tth grade and students entering college are the most vulnerable to these assaults. So, it is essential that we prepare them before they get there. Um, one of the things that I wanted to talk about is that I have had 71 students say they know a peer who was sexually assaulted and told no one. And I just wanted to remind this new board that this is still a very big issue throughout the entire time I

106have been talking about it. Um it is I mean I just can't even imagine 71 students sitting in this audience right now and feeling the way they feel. But um I have 15 seconds left. So thank you. Good evening. [cough] >> Thank you >> Alex Fish. >> Last speaker is Lindseay Leuda. Hi, good evening. Uh, first off, just want to say thank you for your service. Um, new board members, welcome. I know you're definitely coming on at a pretty challenging time. So, I thank you for your service. Um, what I'd like to talk about today, uh, is a topic that was brought up a few board meetings ago on, uh, specifically House Bill 96, specifically the provision that would allow nondist uh, students to play hockey for the for Menor High School. Uh, a little

107bit about me, I have three kids that attend school in the district. uh they all grew up playing youth hockey uh here in Menor and I volunteer for the Menor youth hockey program. So with that said um currently I'm I'm the president of a booster club. I just want to say I'm not speaking on behalf of the program nor am I speaking on behalf of a booster club but I just want to share some insights. Um this past year Catholic announced that they're reinstating their high school team. So, this is actually going to affect uh menor high school hockey significantly. And the reason why is in the past, I don't know if you guys know this, but we've benefited from having Lake Catholic players play for Menor High School. Uh the current the current rule

108is if a in district um private school doesn't offer a sport, uh players are allowed to play at the public school. Currently we have six Lake Catholic players uh that play on the high school team. Um so we've been able to gain depth through this program. Um so like last year the team that that was mentioned that went to the state semi-finals they had four Lake Catholic kids on that team. So, not only will we lose the depth that Lake Catholic has provided, um, but they're also going to recruit in district players as well. Um, and that's something that we're going to have to watch for. And now, uh, we mentioned school vouchers. With school vouchers in place, it's easier than ever for families to to make that switch. Uh, the second point I want

109to make is hockey numbers can fluctuate significantly. It's not a sport that a lot of people play. And not only that, but it's also a sport that it's not easy to pick up later. Like skating to get proficient in skating takes a lot of work. So we're pretty limited to like in district kids. Um and in the past uh because of this JV numbers have kind of been um kind of uh been compromised and also uh surrounding goalending. Last, I just kind of want to add I'm really fighting for the men or youth hockey kids that don't have a high school program as well. These kids are not viewed as outsiders. They've grown up playing for uh men or youth hockey. Uh they have been uh they wear Cardinals jerseys. They have red helmets and

110um they just don't happen to reside in our boundaries. So, I'm just asking the board to um revisit the conversation and um just kind of wanted to add that programs like Shaker and Orange also um have already approved it. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Luna. As you were about walking up, I was responding to your email and my advice was to come to a board meeting and speak. So, thank you. Is it true you guys your youth group, your youth hockey feeds all of high school players? >> Um, yes. Well, yes, for the most part. I mean, it could be the case that there's players that potentially have went to Cleveland that might come back, but we don't really see that the case very often. >> Okay. Thank you for speaking out. >>

111That's our last. All right, we will not be going into executive session this evening. So, um, do I have a motion to adjurnn? >> So, moved. >> Second. >> That was me. Second. Seconded. >> Yeah. >> All right. Please tell the role. >> Miss Marchazza. >> Yes. >> Mappa. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hague. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hardesty. >> Yes. >> Miss Cook. >> Yes. Meetings adjourned at 7:44