May 9, 2025 Board of Education Special Meeting

001the order at 7:30. Harry, can you call the role? Scott Dishell here. Dennis Keaney here. Denise Brster here. Linda Gracie here. And Lori Kiski is absent. Stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance 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. Okay. So, I move to amend the agenda to and this will be there's an item on the agenda to talk about it almost in conjunction with that. Um, there's a $200,000 of CTE furniture purchase in the 2025P permanent improvement fund report. And I move to move that to the 2026 uh fiscal year. Can I get a second? Second. Thank you. Garrett, can you take the [Applause] role? Okay. Scott Fischel. Hi, Dennis Keaney. Hi, Denise

002Brewster. I Linda Grassi. Um, I whatever. Okay, thank you. Um, okay. [Applause] I'd like to know if I can request amend the agenda. I know it will be a moot point, but I'd like to do it anyway. Okay. Request to amend the agenda. Yes. I would like to remove or table for further discussion at a later date when all board members can be here. Items A, B, and C. um under the board of education business. Um okay. So those were two different motions. You want to make it one motion? It was one motion and all three of those items or table it. Yeah. I think basically to postpone postpone we'll use the word postpone the meeting. Okay. when all board members can attend. Okay. And the motion is to postpone items A, B, and C.

003Yes. Uh is there a second? Uh hearing none. Move on. And so, um consent agenda, finance and audit. Okay. [Applause] Um, you can make the motion and we could we'll pull we could pull things out and discuss them individually. Okay. Yeah. After the motion's made. Okay. Yeah. Or you can discuss it after the motion is being discussed items and decide to remove it at that point. Right. Right. Right. Either way. But we'll make the motion first. Right. Yeah. Okay. So, we got A B C D. Oh, ABC. ABC. Okay. ABC. Okay. Um, make a motion to approve the agenda items list on the finance audit consent agenda as recommended by the treasurer. Second. Any discussion? My discussion is I guess well let's let's uh vote on that first but that's including I think the things

004you guys want to discuss. Okay. Yeah. We'll we'll pull out uh the uh B and C together to discuss because they kind of overlap and there could be an explanation on those. Yeah. I mean you guys can go ahead and discuss it now as part of the consent agenda and then if you want remove it and vote it separately you can do that. Okay. So maybe at this point it' be appropriate for you to explain. Yeah, I'll actually turn it over to Dan McIntyre since he's here and it's his Okay. his agenda item say. Yes, it's agenda item B and I guess it's also part of C as far as the then and now for some of the work that's done. So part of the representation that my office provides to the district has been

005representing the district in real property tax complaints and those include both commercial and non-commercial properties which are primarily residential. Um although there are are other classifications. Um historically we've done all of that work under the retainer. Um the retainer was set up to absorb um what we call a routine amount of this type of work. Um however, this year um there was um approximately uh an eight times increase in the amount of work that has historically been done. So Dan, can you just explain like in numbers? Okay. How many how many uh houses typically are you looking at and how many were this year? Um, so somewhere in the range uh in a I'll I'll compare try to do a best apples to apples comparison because it varies every year. Yeah. But approximately Yeah. Uh

006um more or less in the range of 10 to 20 in a given year and this year there are more than 160. Okay. So it's a it's a little bit out of the norm. Right. And I've prepared for you if I could approach the board table. Um we we prepare this each year uh so that you know so that Gary's office can track Thank you. the cases um the amount of money that's at uh jeopardy in each of the cases. Thank you Dan for this. Should we take an hour and read this? No. Okay. I can summarize for you. Um, so this is a listing of all the cases that have been filed as of right now. You you'll know that the deadline for filing tax cases is on a rolling basis. Um, so as

007things stand right now, this is a listing of everything. And you'll see it's done by the property owner, the address, the parcel number, the type of uh land use that it is, the auditor's current value, the property owner's opinion of value, um where we are with the value, the BOE's valuation, and then the difference between what the auditor has as the value and the owner's opinion of value, and then a potential loss of revenue listed in the far right hand column. Um, if you go to the last page, you'll see that all of these cases add up to a potential loss of revenue to the district of $197,461. So, any one case might not be a large case. Um, but we look at the valuation complaints as um in their totality. Um and so what

008we do is we have because my office represents um many districts in this area, we have a essentially an efficient system where we compl compare where what we think the fair market value is with um where the owner's opinion of value is and then um a counter complaint is filed on behalf of the district. Um each of these cases will be scheduled for a hearing before the Lake County Board of Revision. Um the property owner um is almost always present. Sometimes with their council, sometimes with their appraiser, we are also present um and we submit um our evidence in support of the auditor's value and then the board of revision makes a decision based on all the evidence submitted. These cases are often scheduled in blocks, especially when you have as many because you could

009imagine how many total cases the Lake County Border Revision has. I mean, several thousand at least. And so, we hope to be able to do it as efficiently as possible. Maybe as many as 10, 12, 14 cases in a given day. But even if we were doing say 16 cases in a day, you're talking about 10 full days of hearings um doing one case after another. So that is the reason for the request. My office estimates that the total cost for this work will be somewhere in the range of 80 to $90,000. That's just a rough estimate. Um, for example, if the Lake County Board of Revision decides to schedule only five cases in a day, then we're talking about 35 days of hearings. Um, but we're we're assuming a fair amount of efficiency. Um

010we um have asked for an increase in the retainer of $50,000 with the difference um being that the that 80 or 90 um we would just absorb that as a part of the retainer. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Yeah. Question is what u approximately what kind what a percentage of these cases actually get reduced you know historically? Uh well I would say that it you know it it's a difficult number to predict but I would say to we would probably be in the range of a 25 to maybe even as high as 40% reduction. So a potential a realistic potential loss to the district of probably somewhere around 50 to $80,000 in revenue. And again, this is just a a one-year snapshot. You know, taxes are assessed each year and so the

011potential loss could be greater because if it takes longer than one year to do the case, then your law potential loss automatically doubles. If the case is done quickly and the new value is set and put into the system, then House Bill 920 helps to respread that loss of taxes. Um, but it is it's still automatically going to be if there is a reduction a one-year loss in revenue. These people are already paying these taxes. So, most people do pay. Although, you do have the right to estimate what you think your new value is going to be and pay based on that new estimated amount. Most people do not do that. So, they if they're successful, they would get a refund. This is unprecedented amount of people just to list. Well, and is this the

012um this is set for the next what is it? Seven years, six years. So, it's uh it's basically it the values are revisited every three years. Oh, every three years. Yes. They do a full reappraisal every six. Okay. And then in the alternating third years, uh they do what's called an update. They don't actually reappraise, but they do do a a market adjustment. So, every three years you'll see values change in some way. So, so basically what you've got here, the potential loss of revenue, that's about 50% of their tax increase. They're they're pretty much paying double that as an increase in their taxes because we get 50 about 50% of their money, right? That's Oh, no. This is the loss to the district. Yeah, this is just the loss to the district. So, when

013I'm looking at a number and I see somebody says $1,200, basically their tax went up $2,400, give or take, right? the the loss to the other taxing authorities is another 50%. I'm just trying to put it in perspective on what somebody's tax increase was. So you're showing one year what this would mean and and you gave us a percentages that sometimes are changed but then for the next two years after this well it's times three years three years. So the fact is that that's a loss up to us for that period of time. It isn't just one year. That is correct. it unfortunately these things with uh the way taxes are assessed um in Ohio um I if the if there is going to be an adjustment in value and we can make that adjustment

014e you know through the border revision process and that number can be finalized before the auditor certifies the duplicate for next tax year which would be in say late October or early November. Um then what ends up happening is um you you lose all the inside millage num you know anything that's an inside millage assessed um portion of this that's automatically lost. But anything outside the inside millillage um essentially that loss of value gets respre all the other owners in a very small fractional amount. And so the actual loss to the district would then only be the inside millillage. If it takes more than one year, for example, let's say somebody appeals, they can't certify the new value and it takes two years to do the appeal, then you're looking at a three-year loss. So,

015in counties less efficient than Lake every multiply that 197,000 times three because it just takes forever. in Lake County, they're far more efficient, thankfully, and we can expect to see um the vast majority of these cases completed by the end of the summer, but there has been a historic number of cases filed. The Board of Revision only has so many days for hearing, it's going to take them a while. So, it's likely that some of these cases will not be completed before the reertification, which will mean if there's a reduction, then it's a two-year loss. who sits on the board of revisions. Um so it's a representative of the um commissioners, the auditor, and the treasurer. And they have um really very good qualified people to hear the cases. And um and again, they're very

016efficient at the way they schedule. So we're hoping that they schedule um you know, at least two cases in an hour. Um so there would be eight cases in the morning and eight cases in the afternoon. Um, so that would be 16 cases in a day. But inevitably, somebody says, "I'm on vacation. I can't be there. I can't get off work." And so then they push them down the schedule to later in the summer and they try to do these sort of catchup days, but then some sometimes that doesn't work because this isn't ever their main job. And so while we're available, uh, so things just keep getting rescheduled and rescheduled and rescheduled. Sometimes we'll show up at a hearing day where we have a schedule, a full schedule of 16 cases and we'll find

017out only two cases will be heard that day. One at 9:30 in the morning and one at 3:45 in the afternoon. Um, but that's just, you know, that's just how it works. So, so the question, the auditor has the assessed value, the owner comes in with what they believe their real value is and then you uh represent the school district basically restating uh what the auditor has said. We support the auditor, right? Correct. And and bringing some evidence. Um so the question I have is if you were not present and the auditor through their stated value uh makes a decision because the auditor is the sole person making this. I mean basically I mean there's you know the board but they they're they're the entity that makes the decision on the valuation. So if you

018weren't there how much movement in that valuation do you think there would be I mean it's a great question. We we feel we bring significant value to it because we bring actual evidence to support the auditor's value. When there is a mass appraisal, which the auditor engage in engages in, and you're talking about a 100,000 parcels of property in Lake County or more, you you use what's called a mass appraisal system. You look at large market trends and you apply those trends to literally thousands of properties simultaneously. What we do in our office is we look at the individual property and we bring specific data that supports that. So for example, if it's a a residential property in a g given subdivision, we don't look at other subdivisions. We look at the sales in that

019subdivision to try to estimate what I think the auditor or the board of vision would do if we weren't there. It's hard to say. I guess I just have always believed that if the voice of the school district isn't a part of the process, you're never going to get the best possible result. I we we've you know, we believe that. We we've seen it over and over. Um, I do value the board of revisions um, assessment abilities. Um, but at the same time, if we're not feeding and providing really good quality evidence, then then I I just don't know if they're really have the fullest picture of the property because they can't they can't necessarily do on every single case because they have all of your cases and all the other school district's cases what

020we can do on an individual case. So, so as an overview, what you're saying then is they're looking at it in a mass picture. You're looking at it more, they're a macro, you're more micro. They're not bringing their own micro evidence, which then almost leads credence to an individual challenging some of the valuations because they've not given micro evidence for that valuation. No. And we respect all taxpayers right to come forward and we do hear cases where where we say, you know, I I actually think the taxpayers got this right. Our job is never to artificially inflate anybody's value. Our job is to make sure that every property in your district is valued fairly so that everyone pays their fair share, not more but not less. So in that sense, the board of education is

021actually giving the community a service and actually protecting some of some of them from the from the county, from the government. if you will, if they're mass in a macro sense overvaluing their property because they don't have the micro information and you bring that micro information. Yes. I believe that it's a one it's a an important constituent service to make sure everyone's paying their fair share because if for example your neighbor has a home and we've all experienced this um and that home value is onethird or half of your home's value and you feel like the two homes are similar that's not a fair outcome. What we want to see is, you know, if one is too high and one's too low, we have to bring up the one that's too high and lower the

022one that um that's that's too high, we we want everyone to pay their fair share. That's always been the principle on which this district has pursued these tax complaints and appeals. So, since it's taxpayer dollars that is that are paying your services. Yes, sir. Then it's important to note that those taxpayer dollars are not just looking for more taxpayer dollars from people that are paying your services that they would view against them. You're actually offering a service in the micro as I just stated that the county does not offer and you're actually protecting their interests in some cases. So I just wanted to make that we believe that to be true. Absolutely. The homeowner has has there's good evidence for homeowners to bring their complaint in a lot of cases. they can bring their own

023data. I mean they it's it's not difficult to ascertain that information from records and whatever and you know and they do and they do and maybe they refinanced recently so they have an appraisal report from their refinancing. Um that time that often happens. Um but in some cases you know we're dealing with situations where somebody says well look at my two neighbors values. They're lower than mine. Why is mine so high? That's a fair question that anybody has the right to ask. However, this is a process that has to be based on market evidence. So that it's incumbent on that property owner to say my property is too high, not because my neighbors are too low, but because the market data doesn't support the value that's been assigned. And then that that's where we introduce

024on a basically looking at on a per square foot basis what actual similar properties have sold for. So Dan, do you have another question? Yeah, just I see the majority of these are not recent sales, but some of these are recent sales within the last year or so. and the sale price and the valuation price has, you know, a broad distance in between them. And I know all unless you're in a real cookie cutter subdivision, you know, all you know, real estate is kind of individual there. There are some commonalities throughout, but you know, here here's a case one sold uh October of last year for $29,000. They have it uh assessed for 153,000. Now, we don't know the particulars about that, but that's a broad gap there. And you know it it should be

025based on market data which is uh arms length you know transaction you know all those other things involved and that's easy to sort out. Um but some of these uh here's another one. It sold for 295,022. They have it at 435,000. Um have another one. It sold. That was 21. We're going back a little bit more. [Applause] 22. I say most of these are not recent sales. Here you have one. I don't know what the particulars about that. This was in 22. It sold for 60,000. and they have it um valued at 525, but the owner says 300. So, that would need need some research in it. Um in a lot of cases like that, it's a it could be an estate. I sold it to my kid. Like there's there's those aren't arms length

026transactions. Well, but they are, but you wouldn't know that from the state. Well, no, because when it go when you go and file that, you have to state that when you file, you know, for transfer of deed, you have to record, was this an armed blank transaction or was it sold to a relative? See, those things I don't know how that's been sorted out at the county. It should be, but you have to know the history of the sale, condition of the property, have they fixed it up since then? and that should be then uh have some permits that were issued in order for upgrades that they could follow that. So yes, if you bought something for 10,000, you put 5,000 into it uh and that's documented, well then the value would probably be $15,000.

027Uh there I don't think there would be any argument there, but we see just really large increases in some of these. And uh here's one sold uh just a year ago in October, $300,000. They have it as $410,000. And the owner says, "Well, $300,000 is probably the right price." So these are the ones that, you know, I'm a little concerned about. All these others, there have been no recent sales, but there should be, you know, with the mass appraisal. This wasn't a full appraisal. This was an update this year. In 3 years, we'll have another full appraisal. But the mass appraisal and the computers used to work that, there's a lot of flaws in it. There's a lot been a lot of arguments. So, I think the people have legitimate right to question it because

028a lot of the data was corrupted. Uh, so I guess we'll have to do what we have to do. what on on recent sale cases, you know, the majority of these are not sale cases, but as you pointed out, there's a handful, more than a handful that are sale cases. If somebody has a recent sale, um, and when I say recent, I mean in within um 12 to 18 months of the tax lean date. So the tax lean date for all of these cases, the moment in time that we're looking at this property's value is January 1st, 2024. Taxes in Ohio are done a year in a rears. So even though we're in calendar year 25, we're in tax year 24. And so if somebody has a sale that occurred in 23, even in mid22,

029that's probably a very good indication of the value of that property. However, as you point out, Dennis, that's not the only indication. For example, let's say somebody bought a piece of property for $200,000 and put in $100,000 in improvements. Well, those improvements have to be captured as well because even though they occurred after the sale, they occurred on or around the tax lean date. And so, that has to be captured. But our approach has never been to argue with a legitimate sale and to say that it doesn't have true evidentary value because it does. We you know we we respect that. But is there more to the story? Was it was it truly an open market sale? Was it truly an arms length sale? And are there other factors that influence the value of the

030property? For example, sometimes we see situations where a property sells for $300,000, but then we pull the financing and we see they have a $400,000 mortgage. So then we know there's more to that story that needs to be explored. Um, and so th those are th that's our approach to sale cases. We we never want anyone to feel like the an a true recent open market arms length transaction um is something to be ignored. It's probably the best evidence of value, but often times there's more to the story and we try to be there to be a part of that. So that's what the mass appraisal fails to find out. That's all I'm trying to say. Yeah, agreed. So, uh, Dan, could you please explain in in item B, uh, there's the resolution to approve

031an additional purchase non-retainer legal services in the amount of 50,000 and then and then in C, it says to approve in the amount of 12,495 for non-retainer legal services. Can you explain those two? And do they do they overlap? They do. So, the $12,495,000 $495 uh that has been build already um was done to prepare all of the counter complaints and to do all of these filings. So, that number is within the $50,000. So, what would left what would be left to be build would be about $37,500. That's an accounting item. So, it's not 62,000, it's 38 approximately. Correct. And I just wanted to make that clear for anyone that might look at this. Simply, we didn't have a purchase order in place before the work was being completed. And that's what these any of

032these that are now over $3,000 over because of our highrise code 5705.41. If we don't have a purchase order in place and the amount exceeds $3,000, we have to get board approval just to be able to process that in. Right. So, what our treasur is saying is we're following the law. Right, Gary? So, yeah. So, okay. Okay. Anything further? I have a question. Yes. Okay. Um I just wanted to ask about the um and I think I heard you talk about this before, but Robert Trump um about the $4,000 of federal program consultant services. Is that Yeah, he does um he's a consultant. He does all of our nonpubs for title one. He does make sure that we are in compliance and if we are ever to get it audited or um he helps making

033sure that everything is clear. It's it's a service that is worth it. It's it's it's a service that almost no one knows how to do. Exactly. So, he's he's been retired. He came out of retirement. He went back into retirement. I think he's going back into I think he's retiring for the fourth time or something. Okay. Okay. I just wanted to have a job for Mr. Schlick. And then some of these other items, um are we paying for them? Are they um for example mowing or you know the performances? Is that coming out of a certain fund that like activity fund for that club? The the pool rental fee comes out of the athletic fund. Um the Concord youth baseball comes out of general fund. We've always had an agreement with them that they both

034and we split it used to be split three ways. Now it's only split two ways, but our max is $3,000 on that one. Um and the Great Lakes Theater, I'm not 100% sure. It might be an activity fund, but I'm not Okay. I just wonder for what length of time is that full rental fee? That's for the season. For the season. Yeah. Okay. Any further discussion? Uh Gary, can you take the role? Scott Bishell, I. Denise Brewster, I graci I. Motion carried. Uh consent agenda personnel. Okay. I make a motion to approve items uh A through E list on personnel con consent agenda as recommended by the superintendent. Do I have a second? A second. Any discussion? Do we have to vote on these? Right. Really, really sad. Really sad to see a lot of

035these individuals leaving. Yeah. Congratulations to our retirements and well, well earned careers, well served and thank you on behalf of the district. I'm sorry, Mr. Schlick. Have you have you reconsidered? Are you staying another year? Well, that would mean you were two years past because the rule changed and it Yeah, it it did. and that that um accelerated the time frame for some of our retirees uh to make that decision. And best of luck to both Gary and Chris on their new endeavors. Yeah. And um on the retirements, of course, it really didn't affect you cuz you were planned anyway and then they accelerated. But Miss Lanning, that was a a change and understand a difficult decision to make. But uh you know there is also with the retirement uh an added financial incentive that

036that was part of that. So it's difficult to turn down. So but congratulations on making that decision. Of course we saw each other yesterday and thank you. I there's sadness in the district. There is it's it's it is there really is I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have worked in the district for the past 26 years and the people that I work with. So, um, it's while I'm looking forward to retirement, it's not going to be easy to leave people that I consider family and a place that I consider my home. So, thank you. To call to travel. What? That isn't my plan. You know, like how I Maybe I'll maybe I'll jump on a plane with you somewhere. Just call me. I'll go with you. There you go. Right. And there's more travel

037plans in the future. There it is. Right. And I know how involved your position is and I totally respect your body of work and what you contributed to this district. Thank you. And thank you. That really means you're truly a star. We really appreciate all the work you've done. Thank you. So, we're going to be calling you for advice from time to time. As long as I'm not out of the country, I'll answer. Okay. Promise. No. Right. Your number. I just had and probably mine too, right? So, right. Uh, the only other question I had probably for Dr. Ratino is the umou um is there any changes or updates since you talked to us about it? Not since I shared the last one with you. No, we we cleared it up um adjusted the years.

038Okay. Yeah. And all that. So, another So, it's accommodate I shared it Friday. Retirement. Okay. Yes, it is true early retirement. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Any other discussion? Okay. Gary take up. Dennis Keaney. Hi. Denise Brewster. Hi. Linda Gracie. Hi. Scott Fishell. I. Motion carried. Uh, Board of Education business. Uh, GMP for the CTE edition. The Riverside Local School District Board of Education hereby approves the attached guaranteed maximum price amendment to an agreement between Cleveland Construction, Inc. and the Riverside Local School District Board of Education for the Riverside Campus Improvement Project at a total cost of $3,229,290. Can I get a second? Second. Thank you. Discussion. Um, uh, we have a statement from Lori. Do you want to read that? Would you like me to read it? Yeah. Uh, this is a statement for Mrs.

039Keski who cannot be here. I have a hard copy, too. I do print out to them that she she asked that we read into the record. So, thank you. Good morning. Unfortunately, I am un Let me start over again. Good morning. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend today's board of education meeting due to prior professional commitments. I had offered alternative dates to allow full board participation, but unfortunately, the meeting proceeded as scheduled. After speaking with our construction manager, it was confirmed that the meeting could have been postponed until the following week without impacting the project timeline. As a former board president, I have always prioritized ensuring all board members, regardless of differing viewpoints, had the opportunity to participate in important decisions. I believe this collaborative approach is key to effective governance and is and it

040is disappointing to see this principle disregarded. I would ask for the board president to take this into consideration in the future. Though I cannot be present today, I want to reaffirm my commitment to serving this board and representing our community. I remain dedicated to advocating for student centered decision-making, responsible financial management, transparency, and meaningful community involvement. One significant agenda item for today's meeting is the approval of a $500,000 advance from the general operating fund of the permanent improvement PI fund. I spoke directly with our with our treasurer who explained that this advance was added to the agenda so he could legally certify the funds available in the PI fund for the construction contracts related to the high school CTE edition and rearview expansion. While this advance is expected to be repaid during the next fiscal

041year, it is essentially a short-term financial maneuver that shifts funds around to pre to present a more favorable financial picture. The greater concern is that our district is deficit spending in the general fund. This advance does not address the district's long-term financial challenges and merely defers them. Our treasurer feels compelled to take this step because he believes that a majority of the board members will approve this moving forward with their contracts even if the the necessary funds are not available in the PI fund at the moment and will look to the administration to find a solution later. This is not s sustainable financial planning and it only postpones the inevitable consequences. It is also important to note that our treasur Mr. Placo has previously expressed concerns about funding these capital projects in this manner. He

042has cautioned the board that relying on internal fund advances, particularly why the district is is already in deficit spending, is not a sustainable financial strategy. His professional guidance highlights the risk of shifting money between funds to create the appearance of solveny, and he has advocated for a more responsible long-term approach. Ignoring that advice not only undermines the role of our financial leadership but also places our district in a v vulnerable position moving forward. Another troubling issue is is the dismissal of community feedback. When this plan was initially proposed, members of the public attended meetings and voice their concerns. These concerns were heard but ultimately disregarded by the majority of the board. The community now has no meaningful vo meaningful outlet to voice their opinions. Even though these decisions will have a lasting impact on our

043district, this situation could have been avoided if the board had developed a comprehensive long-term strategic plan for the district that is supported by the administration, staff, and community. We have an incredibly talented and qualified administration and staff who are fully capable of creating and executing a plan that addresses both immediate and future needs. It is crucial for the board to trust and empower the experts within our district, allowing them to do their jobs, develop tactful steps, and create a path forward that prioritizes sustainable growth over short-term fixes. I do strongly advocate for transparency, accountability, and giving the community a voice in decisions that affect them. Major capital projects like these should be a part of a larger, well thoughtout plan that includes input from the community, ensuring that the community's voice is heard and respected

044instead of the current approach. Instead, the current approach silences those who will ultimately bear the financial burden for years to come. If we continue down this path, prioritizing unplanned capital expenses over operational stability, we risk triggering deeper financial challenges. We owe it to our student, staff, and taxpayers to make sound, transparent, and responsible financial decisions. These choices have long-term consequences, and I believe our community deserves a full and open discussion before committing to this direction. While I cannot be at the meeting today, my request is the board postpone any action on the agenda items related to moving forward with these capital projects. This pause would allow our district administration the necessary time to develop a fiscally responsible plan, one that addresses our facility needs without jeopardizing the long-term financial stability of the district. We we

045must ensure any major investment is part of a thoughtful strategic approach that protects core instructional priorities and does not create undue financial strain in the years to come. Thank you for your understanding. respectfully. Lawyer Keski, Riverside Board of Education member. Thank you for that. And that is put into the record. So, I would like to I would like to further the conversation on the items that are up under this section of the board agenda. I'm just going to pass out this worksheet. Um, so I I took the liberty of taking the last PI for 10-year forecast that Mr. Platco had provided and updated it to include um the actual GMP information that we have received and that's in this board agenda. Um, I pro provided that to Mr. Platco. we had some consensus on what

046was included in there. Um, and albeit that you've decided that you would like to move the CTE furniture out to 2026 end of year, I want to keep in mind that in this worksheet that I'm providing, we have the $500,000 advance. It's highlighted in gray. It's up on the top of the sheet. And you'll see from year to year all the way through 2030, we have advances that have to be made back and forth to the PI forecast just based on what had been presented earlier um in order to accommodate the pricing that has come in at this time. Um it has also taken out the buses that were removed from the PI forecast for the year of 2026. So all of those things are in here. here. And again, this this information matched what

047was provided with us earlier with the exception of the things that are now highlighted in a different color. Um, it just bears in mind the fact that while we're doing that for this current year and we're advancing $500,000 to the PI fund, or that's the plan anyway. It's not sustainable for our general fund when we are in a period of deficit spending within our general fund. Um it is concerning that we are going out to the year of 2030 and continuing to say for example in 2028 that we would have to advance if all things were equal and we continue to spend as this would indicate that we would expect to be spending in our PI fund an amount of 300,000. We might not even have that in 2028. Um it depending on what happens

048at the state level with the state budget and the takebacks of property tax dollars. we we're assuming that we're even going to have dollars to be able to fund additional projects. And again, this doesn't include the dollars that um our agenda items do not include any dollars for Buckeye, but we have Buckeye in this. And with the prices coming in for the other two additions that we're doing right now, I would anticipate that the expectation that we have for Buckeye is going to be greater than what we already have. I'm sorry. said Buckeye is in this. Where is Buckeye in this? Buckeye is down on the last line and and that's your financing and that's what Gary had on his PI forecast. So you're you're looking at that as the approximate amount of the payment

049correct on the future um loan if you will for the Buckeye project. That is just just to be clear. Yes, that was what was um provided to us previously on Gary's worksheet. And so I'm just continuing with that. I didn't want to change any other data except what I'm changing which is the Riverside CTE expansion project, the Riverview project and again and then accounting for the advances that we would need to make going back and forth. Without those this fund will be insolvent um and we can't have insolvent funds because per law every fund has to have a positive balance at the end of the year. Mr. Plaos suggested the transfer only because and it's not a transfer. I'm sorry. It's an advance because advances have to be repaid. Transfers do not. So, we can't

050permanently move the money over um because then we would be taking money from the general fund that we wouldn't get back. It's just concerning to me. It is it's concerning to me. Our general fund can't afford that at this time. So, I think your numbers are a little bit different. um which I don't think warrants a lengthy conversation at this time. I think uh we have a board meeting coming up and certainly we can delve into that a little bit more. Um but um yeah, I think your numbers are a little bit different than what other numbers might be as far as projections go. That being said, thank you for your worksheet. Um Gary, I know that we had met and talked yesterday and I know there's architectural fees in here. Maybe this is the

051might might be an appropriate time to explain the architectural fees for the CTE wing. You had mentioned that they were maybe mis itemized as to where they would be located in the in in our financing. One of the things so when in my prior PI projection um that was provided previously I had estimated that $2 million $25,000 would come out of the of the CTE grant edition would go out of come out of the grant fund not against the PI fund. We also that $2,ion25,000 number would actually include the architect fees as well. So the actual amount of the CT addition is a little bit less than that that would come out of that would come out of the grant fund. It would be a little bit more onto the permanent improvement fund. And how

052much is that? It's around 200,000. At the same time, when we originally did the um we we originally did the architect contract for the CT grant back in August of last year, I think it was, or maybe early September, we had planned on doing some improvements to the high school up to about $2.5 million. Um, so there was about $160ome,000 architect fee uh that was encumbered for that. We obviously are not doing that at this time. So I was able to take that encumbrance off the PI fund. So it kind of it's a close to a wash between those two variances because I mean $40,000 difference maybe. Right. So we are projecting some additional cost and a mis misstatement of where the 200,000 only only is a negative of 40,000. Right. But it but in

053the terms of a $2.6 million budget, it's it's fairly immaterial at this point. Um it is concerning that our perm improvement fund balance is projected to be as low as it is through uh several upcoming fiscal years based on our current spending and based on the projections for Buckeye, which you know, we know the scope is not fully defined on that, but with the current economy and the way costs have been increasing, it it's very concerning. uh depending on what that ultimate will be. And so you'll have a new PI uh statement um that shows future balances at the next meeting, right? I can have that prepared for the next meeting and and because the the item uh there's been a couple changes and those changes would would change the u the future balances. Um,

054and the future balances are going to be a lot healthier than the last PI statement. And so it would be good to have that for the next meeting. Um, what kind of what kind of changes are you suggesting because I think Mr. Placo had already updated the forecast for increased property taxes. um he had already well there's uh one small change is uh and and I had amended the agenda to put it on and we'll be we'll talk about that but moving the $200,000 well first let me ask our curriculum director who's shopping for furniture have you started your shopping for the furniture I have and what have you found well I I I have to touch base with Ryan to make sure that I have everything covered I think the it's we're going to

055come in lower than the 200,000. I don't have an exact cost yet because like I said, I need to make sure which pieces are going into the furniture. So, I mean, we're on the way. It'll be it'll be ready to go. I have a a list. Do you have an approximate number of how much you think the cost will be? I feel like we're probably not going to be over 150. Okay. We might say 40 to 50,000. Yes. I think that's a reasonable thing. just but again that's I'm saying that with the understanding that I don't I have to get with Ryan and know exactly how many chairs I need you know what I mean like how many tables did he plan for a couple things like that so and Gary and I were talking

056about that yesterday more I was talking about that and that everyone does things differently and and sometimes you have to start to see where the walls are to see what finishing touches you need and what fits where. It's funny you say that because part of it is I don't know if he has tool storage built in as far as part of the casework or if I need to be looking at buying that as part of the furniture. So, it's interesting you say that because I have a couple of things on there that and that's why I need to get with him. So, that's exactly right. It should be finalized in the next two or three months. Oh, for sure. I I I would say I would hope by the end of this month so that

057and we can order I mean whether we order in June or July is not going to make a difference one way or the other from my perspective. So that that was my point. So it obviously the f the furniture will be purchased in the ne next fiscal year which starts July 1st. Right. and that would be and so it just made sense to since we're not purchasing it in 25 to move that $200,000 into the uh 26 fiscal year and and that was I was amending the agenda to do that. So we'll we'll get to that and but that doesn't really change the fact that we're still spending the money. So whether we spend it this year or whether we spend it and cover it next year. Thanks for that that input. Um, so if

058I'll finish my comment. Okay, thank you. Um, and so that'll be a net zero cost. Actually, we're going to save 50,000 on it. I hope. We're going to save some money. We're going to save some money some money. I believe whether it's 20, 30, 40, or 50, we'll be saving some money. Right. Right. Right. So, thank you for that work. And and we had had, just so everyone knows, we had had that discussion previously and and I had asked whatever you could do to shop judiciously, frugally. Yes. And and and thank you for that that work. Okay. So the 200 and most likely less, okay, uh would be zeroed out because there is uh a $200,000 savings in the 2026 um permanent improvement fund projection. Uh if anyone knows what that is. Okay. Um All

059right. So, we have uh $825,000 projected for a yearly uh payment, right, Gary? On the uh on the money we'll be borrowing for the Buckeye project. Let's call it the Buckeye project, which includes Mel Ridge. And um we're not going to be borrowing that money for July, August, September, most likely. That'll be three months that we're not paying. So that'd be about a $26,000 savings on that $825,000. So that's going to improve our bottom line by $26,000 assuming that's the case. Well, typically the the trustable payments are made annually, right? So it just depends on the timeline of when those payments are going to occur once that borrow and so it's it's really it could be in it could still be that full I mean it's we're assuming a $12 million borrowing. Obviously the scope's

060still in flux. So, and there's also you could shorten or lengthen that borrowing. So, that number is is a placeholder. We don't know what it's going to be until. And so, assuming that's the number, we're going to save about 206,000 and we can determine uh what that yearly payment date is. Correct. I don't think so. I something I have to talk to Priscilla about, right? Because that's and so there's more that goes into that discussion which I don't want to confuse everybody, but we'll have approximately a $26,000 savings on that. And um and again there's more information that goes in into the timing of the payment. Uh how much the payment is uh how much is borrowed, how much that affects our our our in that case the 2026 our present year uh numbers. So

061anyway, uh we we'll have about a $26,000 savings, which will improve our bottom line by $26,000. And and thank you for saving money on the furniture, which will further improve our bottom line by let's say tens of thousands of dollars. So I just want to make that note. Okay. So um All right. Is there any other discussion on the C? Just CT. Um we apologize for this brief inter Okay. Um it's my understanding there's leftover funds at the state level for um CTE that was unused. Are we asking for additional funding? The high department of education reached out in March. uh they informed all the current grantees uh that there was additional funds available and they had a a survey firm form basically an application that you could fill out uh to apply for additional

062funds and so I submitted an application it was April 1st deadline so it was sometime before April 1st uh we applied for an additional million dollars we have no idea how much money is available what could be how many districts applied how much you know it's all unknown but we put in for Uh, I sent a followup, a couple follow-ups, and the last thing I heard a couple days ago was they have not made a decision yet, but doing that soon. Don't know what soon means. That could be a week, could be a month, you know, it could be a year. I don't know, but soon, you know, but realistically, Gary, it has to be done by June 30th, the end of the fiscal year. They have to do it by June 30th. Um, so

063we should know soon. I would assume we'd know something in the next couple weeks, but it's great. It'd be great if we get additional funds, but obviously we can't. And and you put in for a million. I put in for a million. Okay. Thank you for doing that. Yeah. And so we had a discussion about that and thank you for putting in for that and and um I did call our state representative Jamie Calendarer and asked him to go ahead and make a call and advocate on our behalf for those funds andor the funds that we could receive. And then also I contacted our state senator Jerry Serino and asked him to do the same thing. So, we've done everything we can do. Um, and we'll find out soon. So, whatever soon is. Whatever soon

064is. Right. Right. And and whatever the amount is. I mean, obviously a lot of people probably put in and we'll see what happens. Right. And who knows if you know if districts are able to mobilize that quickly. I mean, for us, it's it's already moving. And so it's it's we could encumber those funds immediately where other districts may not have may not based on their plans may not be able to do that. So I don't know if that's going to factor into into that decision or not but I guess we'll just so we moved as quickly and as efficiently as we could. Right. Yeah. So all right. Well good good on that. Um anything else? Can you take the role? Denise Brewster I. Linda Grassi I. Scott Fishell I. Dennis Keaney I. Motion carried. The

065GMP for the Riverview edition. The Riverside Local School District Board of Education hereby approves the attached guaranteed maximum price amendment to an agreement between Cleveland Construction Inc. and the Riverside Local School Board of Education for the Riverview Elementary School expansion and improvement project at a total cost of 5,64,612. Can I get a second? I'll second. Thank you. Discussion. How much greater was this than our original anticipated projection? Was our original anticipated projection about 4 million? It was around I think 4.4 to 4.5 million. That did not that budget did not include an estimate for the parking lot portion of it. At the time it was just for the the building piece. I don't think we ever had a formal estimate on the parking lot piece of it. So, we came in about $5,64,000 where the

066GMP came in and it includes I think it includes the parking. I think we talked about that yesterday. I remember what the number was. There was I think Roger mentioned there was $450,000. Yeah. Parking and all that. Yeah. The original I think estimates did not include the land that we purchased. you know, so we had no room for a large parking lot at that time, right? And so originally in a global sense, what I had looked at when we were originally presenting was a $5 million project. Um I think we're real close to that. And at that time, like Mr. Keiny said it did not include uh after having purchased the 3 plus acres from the Sidley family uh the parking lot because we didn't own it own that at that time but it has

067added a substantial cost. Also, additionally, we originally were looking at an eight classroom addition and the administration um was asked for an administrative office and a secretar's office accompanied with that which added about somewhere between $225 $250,000. So, we're able to incorporate all that into what I had projected as an original $5 million project and and it looks like we're we're going to be pretty close to that. Um but yes as we were moving and general construction costs were coming I think you had noted about 4.3 as a projection and uh based on some numbers uh you know people had offered some preliminary numbers and and then things changed. So yeah we had that and um uh when you look at the parking lot and and the administration office and the secretary's office we're looking

068at almost $700,000 difference. So we did accommodate that. Can I And that entrance is um like a safe secure entrance, right? Okay. Correct. Because we you intended it for drop off pickup. Correct. Yeah. Right. It's a secure entrance just like we have in the schools now. So, so can I ask a question because I think we approached this from the very get-go that this was going to be space that would be utilized for students and potential future growth of students that were coming in from um developments that haven't been started yet, but we're not housing new students there. We're like, we're moving our preschool there and we're moving our special ed units around and whatnot. And we're we're rearranging our current students. We're not creating space for additional students. I just want to be clear

069that that's not when we have we have students coming in from new development behind there that's not going to house these students because there's just it's not adequate space for them. So, I've been to Riverview several times and um you know they have very overcrowded conditions. They are um so congested in the pods trying to cover um support services. Um we've taken away the music room. We're we're trying to reduce um the number of rooms we need for for classes and some of our class sizes are a little large. Um that we want to rightsize that school and um as we get in students, we're going to be able to have the space needed. Right now we um had taken away space from um you know our special education programs and uh one was housed

070at Buckeye, one at Mel Ridge. And so yes, we are giving that space back uh so it's equal in the district. And then also preschool uh to have a presence with perhaps two classrooms. That hasn't been decided yet, but perhaps two classrooms over there and two at Melidge, but we are looking at how that will play out. But right now, uh, we had to move those programs from Buckeye over to Mel Ridge in order to make space, um, to, you know, uh, have the trailers or modular classrooms, uh, removed. And so, um, you know, it's somewhat of a musical chair situation where we're moving people here, there, but then until construction is done, will everybody fall into place in in appropriate spacing? Right. And I think it just confirm it's just is confirming that we're

071not creating spaces for new students for the influx of students that we'll get with the new developments. You know, exactly. We are creating space for the students that'll be flowing in because we have 1,500 homes that are scheduled to be built. We're not creating over the next 12 Oh, yes, we are. Over the next 12 to 15 years. And some of those are now being built. You said they're not being built. Yes, they are. Fairway Pines is being finished. Uh we have other developments that are starting. Uh the ground has been broken at at the casement and and um you know we the projected students coming in was the end of the 2026 school year which is next year. And so you know this project's not going to be built in in 30 days. And

072so after the project is completed it will be available for students that are coming in into the district. there will be approximately enough students to take about one classroom a year. We're hoping that it's a little less than that. So, so that we're not filled up in five years, but it will be a little bit longer, maybe six years before we're going to need additional space. But certainly what part of the what we're solving right now is the overcrowded situation. We're what's called minus3 classrooms right now over there. We do not have enough space for the kids. are there now. And so we're solving two problems. We're solving the overcrowded condition right now and we're also making available space for the kids coming in. Uh I know that when I had joined the board, you

073had suggested because of the overcrowded situation, we put another trailer, a modular unit at Riverview, which was a fairly new school at that point. It was only 3 years old. You think I suggested that? You did in a meeting. And I'd like to know what that was to solve the overcrowded situation we had over there. And so, yeah, what we want to do is make enough space for the students because we want them to be comfortable. We want the teachers and administrators to be able to have enough space so they can adequately do their jobs. And we'd like to improve the uh the outcome of this district as far as as our state rating as a district. I believe we're at 2.5 star now. Is that correct? Um I do not So I think I

074think we're three. Okay. So, the last online uh was 2.5. So, we're either 2.5 or three. And I know when we look at a neighboring district like Perry, they're a five-star district. Okay? So, we have a lot of room to cover. And you can't do that when you're overcrowding students and putting uh students in in areas like over at Buckeye where you have one space with partitions and you have four different teaching things going on in one space and you can hear each other. It's not conducive for for for good outcomes. And so in creating this eight classroom addition, yes, we are solving the overcrowded conditions right now and we're solving that problem and then also creating space for the years to come and that's not going to be enough space when we get about

075five six years down the road. That's not going to be enough space and there's going to be another move that's going to need to be made. But we won't talk about that right now. Well, I think that's unfortunate because I think the community was under the impression when we started this project, the conversation at this table was that we were creating spaces for new stu the influx of new students coming in from developments. And I don't think we're doing that. We're housing in eight classrooms. We are moving people around and housing preschool and moving preschool over there. We are not creating space for new students. I just absolutely creating space for new students. Now, do you think 15 houses get built in one year? not creating we are not creating space for new students. That's

076that's all I'm going to say. And I would like some documentation on record like of when I suggested that we put a trailer at Riverview. Well, I don't think I'll go back and look at but I remember if you're going to say that then you should really come back and tell me when I said that because I don't think I've ever said that. Yeah, I remember you saying that and and we said no, we're not putting a trailer over there. We said no. Like that was a consensus. Really? Well, then if that was a consensus, please bring me the data. So anyway, um the Mr. Fish, if I can interrupt, we are three and a half stars as Okay, good. So we're three and a half and we have another star and a half to

077go. We're getting Okay. Okay. So So we have a lot of room to cover and and we want to be a five-star district. And I know that when I was elected to the board, my statement was and still remains, I want to make Riverside the gold standard. And and so we want to we want to elevate ourselves to that five-star rating. Um, so yes, we have some territory to cover and we need the space to have proper teaching areas and and also learning areas. And so, uh, Miss Gracie, when you're building, 1500 homes and they're all ready to get started, you are you have to have space for those kids to come in. And those houses will not all be built in one year. It will take over 10 years for all of that to

078be built. You need to be prepared. So that the statement is yes, we are creating space for the new students to come in. Okay. U any further discussion? Uh Gary, can you take the role? Wonder. Scott Fishell I. Dennis Keaney. I booster I motion carried. Okay. Um advance to well first uh the next item is advance to the PI fund. was noted at 500,000 and I had amended the agenda to move the furniture uh the $200,000 cost from the 2025 uh to the 2026 PI statement. And so can I get a second on that? Second. Any discussion? This is to move the 200. Yeah, just because we're not going to purchase it until after July 1st anyway. Denise was the second one out. Yes. Okay. Gary, can you take the role? Scott Bishell. I Brewster.

079I Okay. And then the next item on the agenda is advance to the PI fund. um resolution to approve an advance from the general fund to the permanent improvement fund in the amount of $500,000 funds to be returned to the general fund in fiscal year 2026. Uh can I get a second? Second. Thank you. and discussion on that is that uh Gary you and I talked about this yesterday and and I think that maybe you want to amend that at this time to change that number. Yeah, we had talked that because the when when I creating the board agenda has to be done 48 hours in advance of the meeting and the initial close GMP numbers I had gotten from Roger were a little bit higher than what was the ultimate final number that we

080had gotten after the agenda was released. Uh so I'm comfortable with reducing it to 325,000 based on on that information. Um, you know, there is going to be a cost for abatement that's going to come with the CT edition that will have to happen this fiscal year. I'm not sure what that cost estimate is at this point. They're finishing up that study yesterday. Um, and so there's an unknown there. So, we might have to adjust this back up at some point depending on what that looks like. But if we we I'm comfortable flooring it at this time and then but if we have to make that preliminary reports of that that I was I found out last night I would perhaps maybe adjust a little bit. It may be a little more expensive than anticipated

081to abate. How much are they thinking? Um I've not heard any numbers. I've just heard that there's a lot more than they abating that's going to be needed than they they anticipated. Can we just leave this at 500 and give you the flexibility? Because just because we approve 500 doesn't mean you have to actually move 500. Yeah. So we're moving $200,000 off of this year. I realize that. But if we're going to have abatement, so there's 200,000 and and Roger was saying it's not going to be real expensive as far as abating. I I think he got the new last night and I think it's more than in the morning when we discuss. Can you explain what this abatement is exactly? They have to go through and make sure that all the asbestous is removed

082in any of the areas that they're working on. So this is for the campus the CT the CT just to be clear the report riverview is moved because it's new and there's nothing there. So the abatement at Riverview there was a report done just to make sure okay there's nothing needed there. this we're going into an old building and you're going to run into as as bestas in places and that has to be abated and so it what it comes down to is what's the cost of abatement and so the question is is it going from 20,000 to 40,000 you know so the the question is how much will that be I don't have a number and that's what I was saying Roger was saying that the general amount uh of the abatement uh would

083not be a real high number so even increasing considerably the amount that it was I'm not so sure is going to be a lot. We will find out. I I'm hoping to find out either end of today or Monday. More likely Monday. Precision. We could act on it at the next board meeting if we had an exact figure. And is that ament going to be before July 1 or It has to be this year. It has to be this year to guarantee it. Okay. The issue we have so with with this advance so the next item is the permanent appropriations. we don't have enough appropriated to sign these contracts and that advance was needed because you can't appropriate more than your available resources. So you have to have that advance in the the permit improvement

084fund in order to increase the appropriations enough to sign these construction contracts. So if we if we don't approve the advance today or if we reduce the advance today, we'd have to adjust the appropriation agenda item next to accommodate that. Um, if you don't approve the advance and I have to reduce the appropriation by $500,000, now I don't have enough appropriation to sign the construction. If you have 325, do you have enough to sign the appropriate? 325 would be enough and then if we have to advance more later, we'd have to the board resolution does have to match what we post in our accounting system. So, we can't do like a a limit. It has to be the exact. So, let me ask you, moving the $200,000 out of this fiscal year, does that change

085our balance this year? It would what give us that would it would I think if we did the $325,000 advance instead of 500 taking that furniture out to next year would give us the room if we needed. It gives us $525,000 in essence, right? Does that mean you're not going to encumber that this year? The furniture would be encumbered next year. it would have to be encumbered next year. It was it's still the same thing. So, I'm just gonna I just I'm just going to go on record as saying that I think this is like tricky business here advancing back and forth and back and forth because we don't have enough dollars to certify a contract. My my personal budgetary philosophy is if you don't have money to afford a contract, instead of moving dollars

086back and forth from another fund that can't really afford it into the future, maybe you should rethink what you've got on your So, I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan. So, it doesn't and I understand like it it puts you between a rock and a hard place. I get it. You need to you need to do the advance in order to be able to certify contracts that this board has already approved. not a fan. So, I'm still voting no. And but I realize that would put you in a predicament because you've got to be able to have the dollars available. And so, without a transfer, you can't do that. But transferring dollars back and forth again, it just kicks the can down the road. And our general fund cannot afford that. So, it doesn't

087affect the general fund at all. This money will be replaced. When do we start receiving PI tax money in 20 in our next fiscal year? It'd be we get our first advance in July. My whatever we advance now would be returned in July, right? Advancing $500,000 now to PI and returning it in July or 325,000 doesn't really change the financial picture for the general funds. It's it's still a it's still a um a net zero per se. It's just it's a timing between fiscal years. But what's more important is the actual expenditures and the PI fund and that lower cash balance in the PI fund is still the concern. Right. So I'll asking again the $200,000 that's being moved from 2025 to 2026. Does that open up $200,000 more in 2025? It would give us

088room to the approve the purchase order for the abatement depending on what that amount is. Um so so thank you. So leaves us sufficient money even for an additional abatement money. It's it's like robbing Peter to pay Paul. You you take it and you can allow it now in 2025, but it just takes it away from 2026. It's the same difference. Like it's semantics. You guys are arguing semantics. We still don't have the dollars. So Miss Gracie, I don't know if you heard earlier, but there's going to be a $26,000 savings. So that'll net zero out that $200 cost. So that is not an accurate. I think that might be that. You don't know that for sure. It depends on and we haven't heard from Mr. Purcella on how that payment plan. No, I have

089been in contact with Mr. Pcella and so that we will have a $26,000 savings. Can you explain heard first folks? Can you explain who he is? Uh yeah, Mr. Pcella is the our financial liaison municipal adviser. municipal advisor that we the district has worked with before when the Parkside and Riverview were built. Right. So, he's the person that gets the loan money, sells a bond in Chicago basically. And he helps us through that process. He's more fiduciary to the district. He represents us. He's not necessarily the person we're borrowing from. Yeah, he works with the underwriters that actually do the borrowings on on and we recently met with him and he explained a lot to us on how, you know, some of the interest of that money is going to offset any um, you know,

090repayment. There's a lot of different moving parts and and um and and the whole picture has to be put together effectively so that we're getting the maximum use out of our dollars and and what it's costing us is the least amount possible. So there are a lot of moving parts and it's way too complicated to describe right here at the table. But as we move into that situation um and we go to borrow that money for the next project, then all of those details will be explained so that everyone can understand it. So, my thought again, I will just continue to say it, is wouldn't it have been nice had we had all those moving parts in and all of our ducks in a row prior to requesting and passing board agenda items to put

091additions on. That has no We should have had all that done already. No, that has no effect on what we're doing now. That affects what we're doing in the future. We should have had all that planned out. So, so that affects what we're doing in the future and doesn't have any effect on this picture today. I have a question on one of those moving parts, this new gas line that we're going to need to service the campus, which was kind of an unexpected, you know, event. Would that be paid out of 25 or 26 fiscal year? It depends on because there's right now we're not sure if Enbridge is going to do that or it's like what cost is going to fall on the district and what the Enbridge is going to do on our

092behalf. um depending on the timeline of that it's because you know July 1 is is the fis new fiscal year. I'm not sure what the timing is going to be on that. So we'll have to kind of I'm not sure I'm not quite sure. I mean it's well we just I'm not sure what the length of time is to do that. Obviously the the time to move the gas line would have to be during the summer because they'd have to shut off gas. Right. We just discussed that. That's not going to get done for a while cuz we don't even know what the options yet are. Right. I was just want to Right. Right. Chuck, we got to talk with Ash Deoula and their administrative offices to even begin to understand these are not your

093announcement to begin to understand even what our options are. So that's not going to happen in the next couple weeks. Yeah, that's going to take a little bit of time, but it does have to be done. We do need to move on quickly. We're going to try to get needs to be moved on quickly, but we need guidance and we need to find out what regulations are. Absolutely. what the what our approved options are and then we have to go ahead and and get pricing and execute. Yeah. Yeah. One of the questions I have um Gary when um for example you know as uh schools are winding down and and um administrators and staff are uh creating purchase orders. Um you know they're they're pretty much at least the practice that I had over 42

094years is they're dated July 1. In other words, the it's for the new fiscal year. So, how does that work with your office on some of these things? I mean, these these purchase orders will be dated now. Uh we do have a cut off for general fund purchase orders that I think it's today actually is our cut off and then anything is dated July one going forward. But anything needs to be ordered before July 1, you have to issue that purchase order, you know. Okay. Um so, it's kind of depends. Typically we allow for maintenance type of emergency type of things, right? And you know grant funds that you know I knew that there was the you you close it down to have that period and then everything else going forward is stated July one

095new fiscal year. Okay. Okay. Um Okay. So Gary, do you want to make an amendment or a move to amend the agenda? I move I'll move to I I'll do it. I'll move to amend the agenda on on item C. Um the resolution uh to change it from $500,000 to $325,000. Can I get a second? Second. Thank you. Any discussion? Gary, can you take the role? Scott Fishell. Hi. Dennis Keiny. Hi. Denise Brewster. Hi. Glenda Grant. Nay. Okay. Motion carried. Um, so the the uh agenda has has been amended and I make a resolution to approve an advance from the general fund to the permanent improvement fund in the amount of $325,000 funds to be returned to the general fund in fiscal year 2026. Can I get a second? I'll second. Thank you. Gary, can

096you take the role? Scott Fishell, I. Dennis Keaney, I Spru. Linda Gracie. Nay. [Music] Are you motion? Yes. Motion carried. At this point, we we'll need to revise the next agenda item. Uh because we reduced that advance by $175,000, we'll need to reduce the permanent improvement levy uh fund appropriation by 175,000. So, I'll need someone to make that adjustment. Otherwise, if we approve this agenda item as is, we would create a budgetary law violation because we'd be appropriating more funds than are available to that fund. Okay. So, I move to amend the agenda to Mr. Blackco verbage. Yeah. Amend the agenda to revise the permanent appropriation for fund 033 to reduce the amount by 175,000. To reduce the permanent appropriations for fiscal year 2025 by 175,000. Yeah. Can I get a second? Second. Thank you.

097Can you take the role, please? Scott Fishell, I. Dennis Keaney. I. Denise Brewster. I grassy. I motion carried and board of education discussion. Treasurer search discussion. Now we have we have to actually vote on the appropriations now. Oh, okay. Sorry. We amended the agenda. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Okay. So, resolution to approve uh the reision revision to the permanent appropriations for fiscal year uh 2025. Can I get a second? Second. Thank you. Gary, can you take the role? Scott Fishell, I. Dennis Keiny. Hi. Denise Brewster. Hi. Linda Gracie. Nay. Sorry. Motion carried. Okay. Board of Education discussion. Treasurer search discussion. uh the board will discuss a search process for new treasur CFO and um I know there's been u some dialogue uh already and some input from different places already um and I know that I

098was with the belief that we could handle that uh internally and certainly our attorney could put out notice and uh the notice would uh be seen by pretty much everyone that any other entity would put out a notice and would be seen by. And so I don't think we're missing anyone. And so that's my opinion. Is there any other discussion or input? Um, yeah, I if if we're not going to use a search from like OSBA, I'm in favor of just doing the search internally and I think our own HR department can handle the the collection of documentation that we get and make sure that it is disseminated to the board members. I'm fine with that. Um, but I just want to make sure that if we're going to do that that we actually do

099advertise it on OSBA because they do have non postings that that other searches that they are not doing and I does I think OASBO does that as well. Yeah, OASBO does that too. So there's a thing we can post it on and they actually send a weekly email to all members. And does does there who posts it on the state on the OD website, you know, like that that general education site where you can apply, look for jobs across the state. I think we can we have to email that's the Ohio Means Job site. I think yeah, I don't I don't know what it is. I don't know where it is located, but I know that like you can do administrative searches. Also, we could also send it out to um ESCO and they will

100they will broadcast it to their So, can we make sure if we're going to put that out ourselves and can we make sure that we we're going to obviously update the information from our superintendent search so that we have that that part of the discussion is what do we want to put with it? Where do we want to post it? Um, do we want to separate a page on the website to kind of say for the treasurer search information? Um, what questions do we want to ask with the uh application process? Are there interview question? Are there essay questions uh that the board would like? We can kind of put together some um samples of some. I think Gary, you would you would have a lot of that information, right? We I mean we like

101the brochure type of stuff of like what information would drop there. you can just kind of recreate what you've done for the superintendent search. A lot of times though when you when you put out these type of job application advertisements in that brochure, it mentions like first round interview dates, second round interview dates, anticipate start date. Obviously had to be flexible for depend on who applies and candidates and things like that. But a lot of times that information is put out there that way people that are applying know timelines in case they have travels or other commitments or but yeah if you can put it together that should be a template right we would just need to know how long do we want it posted for when we want to do first round interviews and

102second round interviews. I I think providing a week of Yeah. at this point since Mr. Kriski is not here might be a good thing. Yeah. Well, and I also I also think that we like is it reasonable to expect that we can get it posted next week like by the end of next week. Do you know what I'm saying? Like is a week enough time? Is that I mean that's just kind of calling some information together and creating feedback. I think the issue would be um and I think I have to include Mr. McIntyre in terms of when we send out the all the correspondents have to come through one of us and not between board members. Correct. So we would send it out and say here's our you know please provide feedback. Then we

103would we would continue to send out an email as to what the posting looks like. Um the questions potentially like I said for the application process. Um we would explore we do have front lines. We would explore kind of what our our online application looks like what kind of materials you are looking for. Um obviously we would ask for references. Um you know we would ask for you know the the standard but license those sorts of things as well. I think we would want to make sure we have ahead of I think there's a lot of standard items right there. There are many standard. Do we want anything? Do you want transcript? Well then part of it is are there any questions that you want included? I would specifically like to make sure that we

104get a credentialed individual who also holds their CPA license in addition to their school treasures. So that's a preferred that is for me. We will put that in the listing. Right. So we'll get a listing together as well. Kind of what the preferred credentials are. You know, how many years of experience are we looking for? You know, those kinds of things. I I think that is really really really important because I don't want to get a candidate with one year of experience. That's just not Okay. So putting that out there. That's So what's your what's your minimum years of experience in your opinion that you would like? I don't know, Gary. Like Right. I mean it depends. I think it depends on where they come from. Depends on what kind of experience you're looking for

105because I Gary didn't have treasur so I was hired here but I had assistant and auditor experience and tri experience that so I think it matters where that comes from as opposed to I I think that's the best way to say it. Okay. you know, um, and then we'll indicate what our situation is that we do have an assistant treasurer and and what so they understand our situation. In other words, it it just isn't a treasurer that does all of the above. It's that we have an assistant. If we can get this out by the 16th, would it be reasonable, Mallerie, to assume that we could we could have interviews like by the first week of June? Do you know what I mean? Is that too fast? Like what are what are what are those

106positions usually open? How long are they usually open? Usually three to four weeks. Three to four. Yeah. You It's a It's a pretty thorough You want to make sure that you cast the net as far as you can in the network as well. And then you I mean, people are already looking, so it's not like you're giving weekends to fill it out. We can monitor as they come in. Um applications that come in, we can kind of monitor their numbers and provide numbers. I mean, but if we're going to provide dates in that brochure that we have to send out, like do we want to be doing first rounds of interviews like the week of the 9th and then it depends on how many candidates you have. So, you can't really determine how long it's

107going to take to get those through. I just want to make sure that we include all board members and that everybody's going to be around when we want to do this. I could potentially send our doodle polls as well for first and second round. And my my suggestion for the interviews would be um Monday, June 16th would be the start. The reason I say that is I'll be out of town the week previous to that. That's fine. Okay. And and so that should give us the approximate um month, three, four weeks that you're talking about um Carrie. Right. We would potentially want to make it the 17th and schedule a meeting the 16th. The paper screen the week. So you want the board is going to need to come together look at the applicants and

108see who we like for interviews and if there if there are some who we don't or we can do that virtually but again that's where it could become it might be better to do in person as a you do in person. Yeah it'd be a board meeting. Yeah. When are you leaving Mr. Official? It'll be u that week. Just the week of the eth or whatever. Yes. Um so the 8th 9th right. So 7th 8th 9th. So right. So, I'll be back uh for that Monday. So, I will the 16th because Yeah. Yeah. The 16th. Well, the 12th through the 19th. I'm out of the country. You're out of the country? Yeah. Uh so, uh you're out back here on the 20th. Yeah. So, what are we talking about then? Could we could we at

109least maybe That's a Friday. Mhm. meet the sixth, fifth or sixth to like decide who we would like to invite for interviews and then schedule them for that's two weeks. That's that's only given a two week. That's a short I'm here on the 11th. I mean, we could do a pre-screening. We would have gotten some things. Well, I believe Mr. Official's out of town then, right? Oh, is that when you're on He could send it Well, I guess we wanted Well, it's the 11th of Friday. The 11th is Wednesday. It's Wednesday the 11th. Oh, well, I'm sorry. Right. I'm out that week. go home. I'm sorry. Yeah, we're going to get into vacations. We've also had interviews. I'm just throwing this out there. We have done interviews and whatnot on Saturdays before. I know we

110have cuz people work or whatever and I'm just It's okay with me to do interviews any day of the week. Um we what we're talking about right now is just screening. When are you back? Like are we going to interview everyone or are we going to screen or is it going to be dependent on how many people apply? I think you'll probably be able to weed some people out. Okay. I I would say it also depends on our applicant pool. So, we'll pre-screen and and um let's pick a date. Well, I mean, we can do the 20th if you want. Wait, wait, what's or you want before then? What's the What's the Friday? Is that the 20th screening? Friday is the 20th. Um, I would suggest that you send out some something. I want to

111make sure Mrs. Kren, right? We'll make sure she can be here. So, it's it's June 20th. So, let's let's make sure she can be here, but let's assume that's the date. Yeah. Morning. Evening. She's better with evening. She can't do morning after work. So like six. Oh, I don't care. I could do Why don't we do five? Whatever. Whatever works for her. I can do it. Okay. Why Why don't you talk with with Miss Kroniski to see if she can make it at five? Let's do five. You know, whatever however early she can make it. Okay. But let's just say tenatively five. Between tentatively five. If she can do four, is four. Okay. That's fine with Yeah. All that's fine if she obviously the earliest obviously the people that work here would like it earlier.

112You know the the right I don't know that they need to attend meeting other than you Chris. Yes. Yeah it would be an executive session. Yeah it' be an executive session just to get the meeting going. So but it would I I would like to have Gary's perspective on replacements. He might know the candidates, right? I think that input might be helpful. Um at that point too we'll have some um questions to look at some p we can develop some perspective questions for first round and second round. Well and if we I mean we can preliminarily be doing that also. Yes, each board member might have a question or two or whatever and but I think it's important Gary that you would put together some questions since since it's your field of expertise, right? Uh

113that template I think would be valuable. So our so if I'm hearing this correctly, our goal would be to have this out by next week sometime next week. Our goal will be to have it posted by next week. That gives it to run approximately a month. Okay. Um by the time we pre-screen, we'll set some dates. We'll get some stuff together to to do that Toronto month and then we would move the 20th and then we would at the following week we'd want to set up I'll send out some other dates for potential I would think first round I would think an application deadline of like June 16th and Monday that way people have the pro that last weekend right well we could also share how many at that point we can give you information

114on we'll send it all in a packet in a PDF needs first round introduce the expected the week of the 23rd which we have a regular meeting that week. So even if we do something in construction with the regular meeting, you know, something like that and then Did Orange make you do a project? Did they make you do something? There was for the second round they had the second round they had a they had basically the candidates review the five-year forecast and monthly reports and just tell us what you saw. Right. Okay. I just want to make sure that we're we're so they they make you give like three different scenarios based on the house bill that passed. Not quite that intent. You will be asking them to predict good right and hide. Run and

115hide. Right. That was Yeah. Yeah. If we interview on on the 23rd, we can ask them to predict what it will look like. Um that would be fine. I just want to make sure everybody's on the same page that we're getting meetings on the schedule and I know that Mrs. Kroniski will appreciate at least advanced notice. If we say four o'clock, she should be able to This information will most likely come out middle of next week. I'm out of town this weekend and I do have some personal stuff I can do. Okay. Well, we'll make sure the time frame works for Miss Kerniski and she can let us know. We will confirm that. Okay. And then uh we'll run it the actual posting posting will probably want to run by uh Dan as well. Okay.

116So, are we set on that? Okay. Um, and then, uh, B is protocols for administrative vacancies discussion. The board of education will discuss hiring protocols for current and anticipated administrative vacancies. Um, I know that we're going to be doing interviews, right? We do. We're we have an exciting month of interviews set up and every and awards and everything else. And so u with that I think it's important um we we have Miss Brewster has 42 years of educational experience. So I make a motion to appoint Miss Brewster to be a board member involved in in the interview in those interviews. Can I get a second? I'll second that. Do we generally have board members involved in administrative? We don't usually do that. Um, I've been a participant in um, uh, actually when I interviewed for

117West Giaga, there was a board member on on the committee and appointed by the superintendent and um, you know, um, I I have good memories of that, hearing from the board member and and talking with him and it establish a really good relationship going forward. I'm not a fan, but so I think other districts do it. I don't know if you that's it's never been a thing here specifically. I I think it's I don't think it's as common, but we don't have a problem inviting Mr. Brewster apart to it. I think we did send you the invites for those times. Yeah, I didn't respond depending on what this So, that's those are when we have them scheduled. We'll give you more dates as we work through them. Okay. Okay. I don't I don't um Okay,

118Gary, can you take the role? Scott Fishell I Dennis Keiny I Denise Brewster I what are we voting on made a resolution have Miss Brewster attend the for the admin positions nay there's no did we approve an amendment to the I just I made a resolution yeah I didn't amend the agenda is that okay Dan I mean It's Yep. So it falls under I mean if you're more comfortable you can go back amend the agenda and then well we don't need to right make a resolution then. So yeah that's carried. Um, next meeting announcement, finance personnel committee, May 15th, 8:00 a.m. Buckeye ad hoc committee meeting May 19th, 2:30 p.m. Buildings and Grounds May 20th, 7:30 a.m. Records Commissions meeting May 22nd, 4:45 p.m. Board of Education meeting May 22nd, 5:00 p.m. in the records

119commission meeting. That's we're it's the the records commission is the superintendent, treasurer and board president and required by law to have a handle meeting this year. So basically we review the records retention schedule and talk about any disposals that are happening. All right. Thank you. Okay. I make a motion to adjourn at 9:12 a.m. Can I get a second? Thank you. Gary, take the role. Wendrassi. Hi. Scott Fishell. Hi. Dennis Ken. Hi. Denise Bruce. Hi. Motion carried.