001Good evening. It's a good problem to have. Good evening. Thank you for attending tonight's um Westerville City School Board of Education meeting on April 6th, 2026. This evening's agenda will be displayed What? All right, can you hear me? All right, so sorry. Thank you for attending our board meeting tonight. It's great to see you all here tonight and then really um uh recognize you all and and enjoy the celebration. Um this evening's agenda will be displayed on the screen in the front of the room. Printed agendas are available for our guests or you may find the agenda on your mobile device by click connecting to the district's website at www.wcs.org. Click on the our district link, select Board of Education and follow the BoardDocs link to our current meeting agenda. And with that, Ms. Marsha,
002will you please call the roll? Mrs. Altman? Here. Mrs. Brown? Here. Mrs. Levan? Here. Mrs. Meyer? Here. Mrs. Valentine? Here. Would you please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance? 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. Thank you. So, first up this evening, we have district highlights and recognitions and we're going to start with um 3.01, our 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. And we'll plow through the rest um of the recognitions. So, I'm going to call up Ms. Valentine to the podium. Good evening, everybody. All right. So, we're going to start out tonight. We have a lot of recognitions as you can see from all of the lovely smiling faces
003we have here this evening, but we're going to start with the 71st annual National Merit finalists. So, I would like to invite the following students to join us up front, Cameron Marcelo and James Scarborough. >> [applause] >> Do we have James Scarborough also from Westerville North? Okay. And then we have Wesley Garenz, >> [applause] >> Sarah Johnson, >> [applause] >> and Sammy Pedro, all from Westerville South. >> [applause] >> So, these seniors are among more than 16,000 semifinalists who have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered in the spring. >> [snorts] >> Congratulations on reaching this achievement. It puts you all in the top 1% of seniors across the country. Yes. >> [applause] >> We wish you guys the best of
004luck and your success in the future. We also want to acknowledge Stephanie McGeorge, the assistant principal at Westerville North, as well as family members who are in attendance in the audience this evening. Thank you for supporting. >> [applause] >> You can go ahead and grab a certificate. Let's give them another round of applause. >> [applause] >> All right, next on the agenda this evening, we have the Zonta Club of Columbus Outstanding Young Women in Central Ohio Award. So, would Shaira Bowman please come forward? >> [applause] >> It is Shaira, not Shira. Okay. We are recognizing Shaira this evening for being selected as a Zonta Club of Columbus Outstanding Young Women in Central Ohio Award for 2026. So, each year the Zonta Club of Columbus recognizes 12 young women in Central Ohio high schools who exemplified
005the values of Zonta Club members worldwide. Zonta Club promotes and encourages scholastic achievement, leadership, and commitment to community service in their community and in their schools. Uh she is also one of our honorees to receive a scholarship from Zonta. Shaira [snorts] is a senior at Westerville North who is a leader across many areas of school life. She's a leader with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serves as student council president, and captain the girls tennis team. She is involved in the Warrior Athlete Leadership Team, Hope Squad, Link Crew, National Honor Society, Superintendent Student Advisory Council, Warrior Way Leadership Team, and Theater. I don't know how you have time for it all. In 2025, she served as Westerville North High School Buckeye Girls State Representative as well. Shaira, congratulations on your achievement. You are truly an inspiration to
006your peers. Um thank you for service to the community, to Westerville North, and all of your peers, and we're excited to see you what else the future holds for you. Uh we do also want to acknowledge again Stephanie McGeorge, assistant principal from Westerville North, who is here tonight, as well as your family members in audience this evening. Thank you. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next, we would like to recognize AJ Keer, even though he is unable to attend this evening for the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Swimming and Diving Championships. So, we're recognizing AJ tonight for placing sixth in the boys diving event at the OHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championship meet, which was held in February at the CT Branin Natatorium in Canton. This is AJ's third straight year making the podium at
007State Championship. So, yes, let's We'll clap for that. >> [applause] >> So, in addition to his success at the State Championship, AJ won the OHSAA Division 1 District Diving Championship for the second year in a row, and he broke his previous pool record and school record during the Westerville Rule the Ville Swim and Dive meet, where he placed first. He was also selected as the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Boys Athlete of the Week back in December. So, we congratulate him on all his hard work and dedication and we'll make sure to get him a certificate. >> [applause] >> All right, next up we are recognizing students from all three of our high schools who earned top spots during the 2026 Indoor State Track Championship on March 6th at Spire Institute in Geneva. So,
008we'll start with members of Westerville Central's Track and Field team. Three students are state champions in four events, and the boys team earned state runner-up for the second year in a row. So, we'd like Elijah Harris to join us up front. >> [applause] >> Elijah is the back-to-back-to-back Indoor State Champion in the Indoor Triple Jump and High Jump. He also placed fifth in the long jump. Uh Robert Young, if you can please join us. >> [applause] [applause] >> Robert Young is a back-to-back Indoor State Champion in the 400 meter dash and placed fifth in the 200 meter dash. >> [applause] >> We'd like to also invite Simone Smith to come up. >> [applause] >> Girl, you're always here. >> [laughter] >> Simone is the Indoor State Champion in the weight throw, breaking her own school
009record with a throw of 54 feet 10 and 1/4 inches. >> [laughter] >> She also placed third in the shot put. All right. >> [applause] >> And next up, we have Skyler Brittman. >> [applause and cheering] >> SKYLER PLACED THIRD IN THE 60 meter hurdles with her team. >> [applause] >> All right, now from North, can we have Casey Carlos join us? >> [applause] >> Casey placed seventh in the 3200 meter run, and he was part of a team that placed sixth in the 4 by 800 meter race. >> [applause] >> And lastly, can Journey Hartgrove from Westerville South join us? >> [applause] >> Journey placed seventh in the 60 meter dash and placed 12th in the 200-meter dash. >> [applause] >> So, congratulations again to all of these members of our high school track
010and field teams. We know there's still a lot of competition left in the track season, so we wish you all continued good luck. Um we're all very proud of your accomplishments so far. Keep on representing your schools and your community. So, thank you. >> [applause] >> While they're getting their uh certificates, we also want to acknowledge Coach Harris and Andy Eye, the athletic director from Westerville Central, coaches Nick Horton and Johnny Jackson from Westerville North, and Stephanie McGeorge, assistant principal and coaches admin from Westerville South, who were uh unable to attend, as well as family members were all in attendance here supporting. >> [applause] >> All right, we've got some more uh track and cross country um awards to give out. We'd like to invite Madison Ivory to join US UP FRONT. >> [applause] [applause]
011>> SO, MADISON IS AN EIGHTH grader at Walnut Springs Middle School, who placed fifth overall at the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Middle School State Meet last month at Muskingum University. Yes. >> [applause] >> We've got more accolades to talk about. >> [laughter] >> So, during the meet, she placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, where she set a new indoor state record at 8.99 seconds. >> [applause] >> She placed third in the 400-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter dash. What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that a week before the state indoor meet, she competed at the AAU Indoor National Championships, where she earned All-American status after placing fifth in the 60-meter hurdles and ninth in the 400-meter dash. Amazing. [applause] So, we congratulate Madison and we want to acknowledge
012Principal Michelle Martin at Walnut Springs, as well as family members that are here to support her this evening. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> All right. Now, we would like to recognize the cheerleading team from Westerville Central High School. >> [snorts] >> Do we have members of the cheerleading team here today? Come on down. >> [applause] >> We'll give them a minute to assemble and I will talk about their amazingness. So, as they make their way up, the team placed fourth in the game day building category during state championships in February, which was held at Big Walnut High School. So many of them here today. Yay. So, we want to give a big congratulations to all of the members of Central's cheerleading team. We're so proud of your dedication and your hard work. Thank you for representing
013our school, our district, the community, and doing it with determination and with heart. Thank you all. >> [applause] >> We also want to acknowledge Coach Coach Keisha Howell and athletic director Andy Eye from Westerville Central, as well as all of their family members who are here to support today. >> [applause] >> All right. We are so blessed to have so many amazing awards to give out. Yay. We're going to continue this evening with our spring A+ awards for 2026. Oh, where were those at? Oh, okay. I can take a break. Becky Yanni is going [laughter] to talk about the We Are the Ville awards. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for having us. Um tonight I am honored to recognize the winter recipients of the We Are the Ville Sportsmanship Award. This award
014celebrates qualities that extend well beyond performance in competition, highlighting sportsmanship, community, and consistently positive attitude. While athletic success is important, this recognition emphasizes that true character is demonstrated through respect for others, support of teammates, and meaningful contributions to the broader community. Each season, one middle school student and one high school student are selected for this honor. These individuals are nominated by their coaches and carefully considered by a panel of school and community leaders, who seek to recognize those who truly exemplify the values of the our district. In addition to receiving the commemorative plaque, each recipient's name will be added to a traveling trophy that we proudly displayed in their school. We are sincerely grateful to the Westerville Education Foundation for their generous support in making this award possible. Would Dr. Martin, principal of Walnut Springs,
015and Maven Fetack, please join me. >> [applause] >> In her nomination, Coach Gordon shared that Maven Fetack is much more than a naturally talented athlete. She is kind, caring, supportive, and a friend to everyone. She is a true leader in every sense of the word. What stands out even more is the way that she pours into her teammates. She consistently supports, encourages, and celebrates them. She would patiently walk through play step by step, making sure everyone understood not only what to do, but why they were doing it. Her leadership goes far beyond the scoreboard. She makes everyone around her better, as players, as teammates, and as people. Maven represents what it truly means to be both a competitor and a leader, and she is someone that others naturally respect and look up to. Congratulations, Maven.
016>> [applause] >> You're going to And the traveling trophy is going to be displayed at Walnut Springs on behalf of Maven's sportsmanship in this past season. So, congratulations to Walnut Springs. >> [laughter] >> Next up, can Coach Tyler Rutledge and Eliana Shant the Scene please join us up at the podium. >> [applause] >> In Coach Rutledge's nomination, Eliana recognized for her teaching of newer wrestlers and her contagious growth mindset. She has demonstrated and helped to evolve her teammates' mindsets when it comes to refocusing after tough matches and moving forward. After facing the same opponent in a tournament and avenging a first round loss, she had the most calm and collected composure. She did not gloat. She did not become overexcited. She shook hands and moved forward. Eliana has truly been an example for our team
017and community on how dedication, growth, sportsmanship, and perseverance can build better athletes. Congratulations, Eliana. >> [applause] >> The traveling trophy will be displayed at South on behalf of Eliana's sportsmanship this past season. So, congratulations to South. >> [applause] >> And now, we'll have the A+ awards. >> [laughter] >> Thank you. Stay right there. If you had just got a recommendator or a reward from the board, we'd like to take your picture outside. We're going to kind of do this in stages. So, if you are an athlete that just got honored, if you wouldn't mind going back out to the main area so we can grab your picture right before we start the A+ Thank you. Thank you very [applause] much. So, we'll give everybody a minute all the athletes a minute to get settled and
018then we'll do the A+ awards. With the A+ awards? Um I can see how far in he is. Okay. So, we've got Elizabeth, Libby, Emily, Travis. Look at a little bit Look at the middle. Yep. Yeah, all the athletes go. National Merit finalists are also being asked to head to the atrium for pictures. Yeah. As the athletes and National Merits exit, if you are standing and would like to have a seat, please fill in. >> [snorts] >> Again, if there's anyone standing who would like to fill in and have a seat, please feel free. Okay. All right. We're going to go ahead and get started with the A+ Awards, for real this time. >> [laughter] >> All right. So, thank you all for attending for the 2026 Spring A+ Awards. Uh these are presented twice
019during each school year, once in the fall and once in the spring. And these go to employees who distinguish themselves through a single or ongoing uh demonstration of exemplary performance. The selection committee's decision is guided by evaluating how each nominee's actions support the district's mission, their willingness to go above and beyond normal expectations, and how their behavior is consistent with one or more of the district's values. We're honored tonight to recognize those Spring A+ Award winners. So, we're going to begin tonight with a teacher that was nominated by 11 parents. That's a lot. This teacher is the kind of educator who transforms the classroom into a place where every child feels seen, supported, and inspired to grow. She meets She meets each student where they are academically, socially, and emotionally using dynamic teaching strategies and
020thoughtful personalized touches that make learning both meaningful and fun. From creative traditions like mystery messages and classroom celebrations to simple acts of kindness and encouragement, she creates an environment where students feel valued and excited to learn. Families consistently share how deeply she listens, communicates, and partners with them going above and beyond to support each child's unique needs. One family quotes, "She meets the students where they are and helps them succeed in the way that works best for them. She is caring, loving, and supportive to her students in every way. She exemplifies the very best of our district, preparing students not just for the next grade level, but for life with compassion, creativity, and unwavering dedication." So, congratulations to Mark Twain teacher Ms. Libby Bouchong. >> [cheering] [applause] >> She comes with her own cheering section.
021I love it. All right, next uh this teacher was nominated by two parents and a grandparent because she does more than just teach. She champions her students, ensuring each one feels seen, valued, and fully included. She goes above and beyond to create meaningful opportunities for belonging, thoughtfully integrating her students into all aspects of school life from the classroom to the library, the gym, and beyond. Her impact is evident in the social, emotional, and academic growth of her students as she meets each child's unique needs with care and expertise. One parent wrote, quote, "She does not just teach my son, she champions him. Her dedication consistently goes above and beyond any normal expectation, beautifully embodying the district's values of nurturing, communication, and inclusiveness. She also celebrates every success, nurtures creativity, and approaches challenges with calm, thoughtful
022solutions to ensure every child continues to thrive. She truly exemplifies the very best of our district. So, [snorts] congratulations to Wilder Elementary teacher Elizabeth Moore. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next recipient is an instructional aid nominated by two parents because she exemplifies what it means to serve with heart, dedication, and purpose. She goes above and beyond each day to ensure her students feel included, valued, and capable, no matter their needs. She builds meaningful relationships with her students, truly knowing them as individuals and using their interests to spark engagement and joy in learning. Her commitment to inclusion is evident in everything she does. For example, one parent wrote, quote, "On a particularly hot day last May, she accompanied two kindergarten students as they rotated through every station. One of her students utilizes a wheelchair. Rather than
023allowing her to sit on the sideline, she ensured she participated in every single activity. She thoughtfully adapted each station in safe and creative ways so that her student could fully engage. She embodies our district's mission and values, leading with kindness, collaboration, and an unwavering belief in every child's potential. So, we're proud to recognize her with this A+ Award. Congratulations to Mark Twain instructional aid Emily Scott. >> [applause] [applause] [cheering] >> The Mark Twain mini cheers section is showing up over there. We love it. All right, our next recipient was nominated by a parent because he's a lifesaver to this family. As an instructional aid in the Special Learning Center at Huber Ridge, this person has made a profound difference in the lives of his students and their families. He has a remarkable ability to build
024trust and connection, creating a sense of comfort and security for students who need it most. His calm approach allows him to read each child's needs, knowing when to encourage them through challenges and when to provide steady support. His dedication goes far beyond academics. He helps students develop independence, confidence, and skills they need to navigate the world around them. His compassion, patience, and unwavering support truly changes lives. This parent wrote, quote, "Earlier this year, we witnessed a breakthrough moment when my son wanted to tell his general education teacher that he needed to move seats because another student was bothering him. My son grabbed his hand to accompany him, but when they arrived, my son did all the talking himself. This moment of self-advocacy was made possible because of the guidance, encouragement, and trust that he has
025provided to our family over the past 2 years. Truly exemplifies the very best of our district. Congratulations to Hu- Huber Ridge instructional aid Mr. Travis Tuck. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next recipient is a teacher whose passion for teaching truly shines in her classroom every day, and it is evident from the student that nominated her. Students describe her as someone who makes them fall in love with learning, presenting each lesson in a way that's engaging, thoughtful, and meaningful. She creates an inclusive environment where every student feels confident to participate, knowing they will be supported and encouraged. Whether guiding students through challenging material or turning lessons into interactive, hands-on experiences, she ensures learning is both effective and fun. What stands out most is her ability to connect with her students. A student wrote, quote, >> [snorts]
026>> "Once when we were doing an assignment, she could tell I was struggling without me even asking for help. Then she came over and asked if I was okay and helped me so I wouldn't have to stress about the work not getting done. Every day I look forward to going to her class." Beyond the classroom, she fosters leadership and growth, encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones, and supporting them every step of the way. So, congratulations to Walnut Springs Middle School teacher Elizabeth Stokes. >> [applause] >> Looks like Elizabeth might be absent tonight, so we will make sure she gets her award. All right. >> [laughter] >> Don't worry, guys, we still have some more. There will be more clapping. Our next recipient was nominated by a parent goes far above and beyond just
027transportation. This recipient helps shape a student's day and their character. He creates a safe, welcoming environment where every child feels seen, valued, and supported, often serving as the first and last positive connection students have in a school day. He goes above and beyond by building meaningful relationships with students and families. This parent wrote, "Over time, he has become a critical part of our son's growth and development. Through daily conversations, encouragement, and positive modeling, he has helped shape our son's confidence and character. He reinforces values of responsibility, leadership, and kindness in ways that are consistent and meaningful. We genuinely consider him part of the team of adults helping form our son into the leader he is becoming." So, he also demonstrates a deep commitment to inclusiveness, taking the time to learn and correctly pronounce names, and
028communicate with all families in a way that ensures they feel respected and understood. His compassion is evident in the way he supports families through both everyday moments and more challenging times. So, congratulations to bus driver Mr. John Beal. >> [applause] [applause] [laughter] [applause] >> OUR NEXT RECIPIENT WAS NOMINATED BY A co-worker for his exceptional dedication to both students and staff. This person is consistently going above and beyond to provide support, answer questions, and find solutions to academic and technical challenges. Originally [snorts] responsible for secondary curriculum, he now supports all Westerville City Schools, demonstrating his adaptability and commitment. This year, he has helped integrate AI curriculum, enhance the art curriculum, and bring podcasting into math lessons. I need to see that. That sounds awesome. His [snorts] co-worker wrote, "I quote, I have had to reach out
029to him to help with questions about different ways students want to use technology to complete their assignments, and he tries to offer solutions to help make their ideas work. His expertise, patience, and collaborative spirit make him an invaluable asset to Westerville City Schools. Congratulations to the district's educational technology integration coach, Drew Farrell. >> [applause] [laughter] [applause] >> Our next recipient was nominated by two co-workers because of her ability to create a learning environment that nurtures not only academic growth, but also resilience, confidence, empathy, and curiosity. She meets each student's unique strengths and challenges with patience, encouragement, and high expectations, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment. She also goes above and beyond the classroom, investing in the community and building meaningful relationships with students and families, including organizing back-to-school visits and delivering welcome kits for
030children living in the Abbey Lane Apartments. Her co-worker wrote, "Everything she does for her students builds their confidence both as learners and as people. She celebrates the differences in students and truly builds a family within her classroom. She exemplifies the district's values: respect, inclusiveness, nurturing, communication, collaboration, and trust, while blending innovation and heart into her learning. Congratulations Mark Twain Elementary School teacher, Ms. Kelly Calhoun. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next recipient was nominated by a student because of the meaningful and positive impact she has had on her students' school experiences. As a study hall teacher, she creates a welcoming and supportive environment where students feel comfortable, respected, and valued. Her calm presence provides a safe space for students, helping them feel supported and encouraged during their day. She also fosters responsibility and confidence, reinforcing her
031students' sense of capability and self-worth. The student writes, "She trusted me by letting me help other students, which helped build my confidence and made me feel responsible and capable. Her kindness, patience, and encouragement made a real difference in my day-to-day school life and helped reduce my stress. She creates a positive, nurturing environment that leaves a lasting impact. Congratulations to Genoa Middle School teacher, Ms. Kelly Worth. >> [applause] >> Okay, we will set hers aside to make sure that she gets that. Um this next recipient was nominated by a parent for her extraordinary dedication, reliability, and support of the Hawthorne community. This [snorts] person is always present and consistently dependable. She knows every student, greets everyone with a smile, and keeps the front office running like a well-oiled machine. Her kindness, selflessness, and care create a
032welcoming environment where students, staff, and families feel valued and supported. The parent writes, "If quote, if you need to know who to talk to, it's her. She is selfless and kind and caring, and without her, Hawthorne just wouldn't be the same. I cannot think of a single person more deserving of this award." So, congratulations to Hawthorne Elementary School clerk, Ms. Denise Eblin. >> [applause] [laughter] [applause] >> Our next recipient was nominated by a co-worker for care and steady presence at Minerva France. As a cafeteria recess aid, she knows students by names, notices their individual needs, and provides support that goes far beyond her assigned duties. She plays a vital role during lunch and recess, two of the most challenging parts of the school day, offering calm guidance, clear expectations, and positive reinforcement. Through initiatives like
033the Silver Spoon and her everyday interactions, she fosters responsibility, respect, and community, helping students feel seen, valued, and supported. Her co-worker writes, "I quote, I have the privilege of working alongside Takala during breakfast duty each morning, and it is evident how deeply she cares for our students. She speaks about them as if they were her own children and understands them well beyond surface-level interactions. She goes above and beyond to ensure every child feels cared for and prepared to succeed, making her exceptionally deserving of the A+ Award. So, congratulations to Minerva France Elementary School cafeteria and recess aid, Takala Russell. >> [applause] [applause] >> Apologies for the mispronunciation, it is Takwela. All right, last but not least, our next recipient was nominated by a co-worker for her dedication and impact as a music teacher at Amherst
034Elementary. She creates meaningful musical experiences that connect students, families, and the wider community, fostering both creativity and inclusion. Ms. Fortman is a driving force behind the Nation's Together in Song concerts, a four-day district-wide event that allows students to collaborate, celebrate diversity, and experience the joy of music. Her choir program is a cherished part of the Amherst community with performances at local nursing homes, the Statehouse tree lighting ceremony, and concerts for families throughout the year. Her co-worker writes, "She is a school leader and champion of the arts program in Westerville. Her passion, vision, and unwavering commitment to her students exemplify the spirit of the A+ Award. So, congratulations to Amherst Elementary School music teacher, Ms. Mary Rebecca Fortman. >> [applause] [applause] >> And as with all of our wonderful student winners, if the A+ award winners
035could also join our team out in the atrium for a picture, they would appreciate it. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Well, we'll let them file out. Congratulations again to all of our award winners. It was fun part of the night, nice way to come back from spring break. Um, we're going to move along to uh reports, and we'll go to 4.01, just our district credit card um, spending in May. I May I have a motion? Um Oh, this is a report. Yes, I'm sorry. The district credit card spending rebate report. Um, so Ms. Marshall, will you talk to us about this? Yes, thank you, President Meyer, members of the board. So, um, we are required under Ohio law, uh, this is new within the last, I would say, six or seven years, to
036annually report at a public board meeting our annual spend and any rebates earned on our credit card. So, uh, we generally use our credit card in situations where writing a check is just not an option, sometimes like for travel, for hotels, think conferences, things like that. And the biggest expenditure really is our BWC payment, um, because we do get a little bit of a rebate back from that, so we make that payment um, to get that rebate back. Uh, so we had a total spend, uh, for calendar year 2025, of $539,244.24. Uh, we received a rebate of $5,899.07, which is a percentage of about 1.09% on uh, the rebate. So, I will be back [music] this time next year giving you our 2026 spend and rebate. Any questions about that? Can you just remind us
037what BWC stands for? BWC, Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Sorry about that, yeah. All right, any other? All right. Thank you. Next up, um, we have superintendent's comments, Ms. Hamburg. I I guess I won't comment on the fact that the room cleared when Nicole had that agenda item come up compared to all those wonderful awards, but thank you to those that stayed. Uh, I do want to congratulate all of our departed award winners. Um, this is the fun time of the school year when we start getting into all of the award season and getting an opportunity to recognize all the hard work everyone's put in all year. I do want to take my time tonight to highlight two special programs in the district that are going on right now. One's at the elementary level and one
038at the secondary level. First is Junior Achievement's BizTown. I know many of our board members have had an opportunity uh, to help participate. I believe, uh, our treasurer went over today and did interviews. I'm scheduled to be at Hawthorne and Hanby this week myself doing interviews. Um, but just a really great program that every fifth grader in our district gets an opportunity to participate in. They learn about careers, about the interviewing process. They're so cute when they come up to interview and they've really rehearsed and they're all dressed up. Um, and then they get selected for a position and get to spend a day, uh, working as part of a community at BizTown and the kids just absolutely love it. Um, it's cool when I walk in a classroom and they say, "Hey, thanks, you
039hired me for your for my job." which I'm going to just fill out a rubric, but you know, it's fun. Um, so that's a really neat program that all of our fifth graders get a chance to get that, um, real life experience that we want in our classrooms. And the other one I want to draw attention to is our Global Scholars Program. Um, many of you may be familiar with that. It's offered by the Columbus Council of World Affairs. We have one of the largest programs in Central Ohio with close to 180 of our students at the high school level participating. It's a three-year program and their culminating activity is a take action fair. And board members, if you haven't had a chance to, um, check that out, it will be next Thursday, April 16th
040at Otterbein University. It's super convenient for us being right here in our community. The parking is atrocious, I will warn you. Um, but had a chance to go last year and check out all the projects and just blown away, um, by the work that our kids are doing. I know we have a feature coming up in the newspaper that'll be coming out shortly with some of the kids' work, but it's really about them creating projects that are, um, sustainable and that have an impact, long-lasting impact on the community to solve a world problem. So, super cool. Encourage you to check that out. And just in general, for our community as the year winds down, our kids are involved in lots of end-of-year activities. There's something for everyone, whether you like music, theater, sports, you name
041it, there's an activity going on. Check out the website calendar and hopefully find a way to support our kids. That's all I have. Thank you. Can I just have a quick question? Yeah. What time was that? Um, I think it starts at 9:00 a.m. It's 9:00 a.m. to noon on my calendar, so I think that's the time. 9:30. Um, and there is also a graduation, so at the beginning, um, it's out in the kind of field house part of the gym, back behind the main competition gym. Um, they have it's kind of like science fair style with their booths set up and you can go around and talk to the students about their projects, which is obviously the best part, getting to talk to the kids about it. And then after that, there's a graduation
042on the other side of the the gym facility. Nice. Thank you. Sounds fun. All right. Um, so moving along to five, public comments. Um, we have a few tonight, so the Board of Education welcomes public comment on educational issues of interest to our school community. The board does not discriminate based on the identity or viewpoint of the speaker during our public participation. However, the board president may limit comments that are obscene, abusive, or harassing. In an attempt to protect the privacy interests of our students, we ask that the speakers not identify students by name during their comments. Persons having public complaints about district personnel, programming, or operations will be referred to the process set forth in board policy 9130. Finally, the board reminds speakers that their statements should be directed to the board as a
043whole and not to individual members. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to address the board. A timer will be shown on the screens up here and Ms. Dennis will call time when 3 minutes has elapsed. And I'm not sure if this was an accidental sign-up for a few of these, but we'll we'll um, go through them and see. So, the first one up is Gloria Lawson. Is Ms. Gloria Lawson here? All right. I um, Brandon Holmes. I think they might Some of these might have signed in, yes. Lawson Holmes. All right. Cornetta Livesay. Okay. Well, Mr. Tom Curry, I know you're here. So, welcome. Thank you. Tom Curry. Been resident here in Westerville for 13 years now. >> [clears throat] >> Um pay my taxes and coming tonight, I see where my tax money is
044going and I want to congratulate you on a school that it looks like your kids love to come to school. That's that's very important. I don't know what your truancy rate is, but I hope it is low and I hope you keep your eye on that. So, we have students that are engaged and and enjoying and getting the all that they should out of their education. Um, I spent a lot of time in the Air Force and it's kind of teaching, um our young men and women and then 15 years down at Columbus State as head of the electronics technology. So, I've got a little bit of ed- education in my background. Um Senate Bill 1 was passed a few uh months ago but in by the state and it requires graduates of bachelor's programs
045at like Ohio State, state universities to complete a course in American physics or civics. And that the bill uh lists about eight uh books papers, letters that the student needs to to have read uh before they can uh complete the course and graduate. Uh I'd like to challenge you to perhaps start with your advanced placement students and have them give them the opportunity to take this course in during their school years and save the three credit hours that it would cost them at Columbus State or other state universities. I looked into the reading uh reading level of these core of these books. It's It's like uh Martin Luther King's letter from prison the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and so forth. Um the thickest one I think maybe is Wealth of Nations. Um back in my
046day we had Classics Illustrated that we would read. Anyway, um I think that during their time in high school we could give these courses and teach American civics and perhaps in their senior capstone um take a course that would be accepted by the universities. That's what I'd like to challenge you on and and see what we can do. Thanks. Thank you. All right. Um moving along to board meeting minutes. May I have a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board of Education meeting held on Monday, March 16, 2026. So So moved. Second. Any changes or questions? All right. Seeing none. Mrs. Marshall? Mrs. Levan? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. And moving along to financial 7.01, may I have a motion to approve the purchase in
047accordance with Ohio Revised Code 5705.41D1 and Board Policy 6320. So moved. Second. And Mrs. Marshall, will you talk to us about this? Yes, thank you. So, these are what we call the now purchase orders. This is where we have a purchase order that was opened after an invoice date or when goods or services were ordered. Um so, what we have one this evening and is for um a reimbursement to an employee who took CCP courses in order to be able to teach CCP um to some of our students. So, uh this is was just a matter of timing and budgets budget revisions that um the purchase order was just missed by a couple of weeks with break and thing like things like that over the winter. So, um it has been budgeted for and I
048do recommend the board approve so that we can get him paid. Thank you. Any questions or comments? Um I'll just point out CCP courses meaning College Credit Plus Yes. courses. So, that we're teaching just to remind you we teach a lot of them in in-house, so to speak. >> Yes. So. Thanks. And I would I would just add to that when we follow a model where they have this licensure, it's a lot cheaper per credit hour for the district to pay than it is when we have to pay it for a different model through Columbus State. Yep. All right, thank you. Anything else? All right. Let's take the vote. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. [snorts] Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Levan? Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. And can we take personal consent agenda as one? Okay,
049great. May I have a motion to approve the personal consent agenda 8.01 through 8.10. So moved. Second. Welcome, Mr. Reeves. Thank you and good evening. I would like to present to you a brief summary of tonight's personnel and consent agenda for your consideration. Resignations, we have five classified, two licensed, one amended date, and one administrative resignation for the board to consider this evening. Leave of absence and contract status changes, we have six licensed unpaid leave of absences to consider this evening with five of the six actually extending leaves that have been already approved by the board and we have only one classified contract status change for a slight adjustment in their daily hours. One-time pays, we have several classified and licensed one-time pays that are actually very aligned as we're our elementary schools are getting
050ready and gearing up for their kindergarten welcome and information nights that are about to start taking off and welcome our our next generation of kids into our district. Employment, we are happy to recommend the hire of four new classified and two new licensed employees and we're near completion of all of our coaching and aid support for our spring sports. The board has only two retirements to approve this evening. Uh David Lately is retiring as a bus driver with 10 years of service to the district and Cindy Yorksorg is retiring as a food service worker at Walnut Springs with two years of service to the district. Now, unlike last month's 358 years, if you add up the collective service of these retirees their total service is 12 years and I didn't even need a calculator to
051figure out their collective service takes us back to 2014 when crazed Americans doused themselves in the ice bucket challenge. Snapchat was the most used app. The spirit of resilience uh in a spirit of resilience, the One World Trade Center opened in New York City. The 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes went on to win the first ever college football playoff national championship and a little closer to home, those that know me know that I keep a book of notes for every year of my administrative career, 24 years. So, out of curiosity, I pulled out the the or the 2014 books to see if I found anything interesting and I found something that would have made Mrs. Hamburg wildly popular. On January 6th and January 7th, the first two days student days of 2014, we had snow days.
052>> [laughter] >> I'll take any questions you may have. Any questions? Thanks for the history lesson. Go ahead. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. Levan? Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. And can we take old business as one? Okay. Um may I have a motion to approve old business? We have new one new business item. Did I miss it? I'm sorry. I'm Sorry, I'm I'm out of sorts. Sorry, that's my my It's We're just all coming back from spring break. We're all trying to get our bearings. Um can I I have a motion for uh old business 9.01 through 9.06? So moved. Second. The only question that I have is have we heard any feedback about any of these from anybody? Okay. All right. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Levan? Yes. Mrs. Altman? Yes.
053Mrs. Meyer? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. All right, moving along to new business 10.01, we have first reading of Policy 6152, Student Fees, Fines, and Charges, Mrs. Marshall. Thank you. Sorry about that. Um so, we are presenting the um Policy 6152 for revision and uh we have just a one clarifying change for um the fee waivers that that applies to general instructional fees. I think >> [music] >> um there's just been some confusion about that, so we want to make sure that that is clear and that's based on uh what's in statute [music] as well. And then we're also adding um the should we have long-term outstanding fees, our ability to collect those through a collection agency and the attorney general's office as well as small claims court, [music] which is what's in policy now. And
054so, that also aligns with Ohio law and what's allowed for the school district. So, we just want to make sure everything's aligned there. I just have a question that we may not know. How often does that actually result How often do we have to go to collections for? Um I think we'll be working on that a little bit moving forward because we had just since COVID years and um unpaid lunch balances and things like that rolling over, we'll be focusing on getting some of those caught up more. Okay. Okay. Thank you. I have a question um for families that may not um be exempt, but may not have the means to pay. What are their options? So, um if they're not waived, they we have a lot of great groups that help support some of
055the families um and cover some of their fees. I would encourage them to reach out to their buildings. Um they're also able to work with their building on setting up a payment plan um for some of those. Thank you. Any other questions? I'm just really thankful for our community that continue to donate to help with those fees. Yeah. Okay. Um moving along to 11, recommended action standing business. And first up, we have uh 11.01. May I have a motion to approve the donations as presented? So moved. Second. Speaking of donations, that's great segue. Yes, so uh for this month, uh we have uh $32,721.32 to be accepted by the board. And that brings our current fiscal year-to-date total donations received at $247,083.94. Um so, we have a very generous community, as you can see. Any
056questions? Oh, it's amazing. Thanks. Okay. Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. LeVan? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. >> [music] >> Mrs. Myer? Yes. And moving along to 11.02, may I have a motion to approve the early graduate candidates who have completed all local and state requirements to continue the festivities? So moved. Second. Thank you. Good evening. Uh tonight I'm requesting approval for early graduation for two students from Westerville North High School contingent upon successful completion of all remaining graduation requirements. I don't think we have any questions. Congratulations to them. Yeah. Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. LeVan? Yes. Mrs. Myer? Yes. Um next up, may I have a motion to approve Well, um can we take 11.04 to 11.09 as one? We're on 11.03 right [music] now. Oh, sorry. 11.03 to
05711.09 and talk about them all. Oh, these are I see. I I skipped those. I skipped Yeah, apparently I need I'm just coming back to So, my apologies. >> [laughter] >> 11.03, may I have a motion to approve the career center services agreement as presented? So moved. Second. >> [laughter] >> Welcome, Mr. Meisner. It's fine. I'm easily forgotten. Good. Good evening. I came before you tonight to request approval for the a brand new contract between Westerville City Schools and Columbus City Schools. Um we serve as one career technical planning district. So, Upper Arlington, Grandview, Westerville, and Columbus City Schools. We come together to form the Columbus Compact. We have spent um a better part of the year uh working on this contract, so we're excited to bring it. Uh Columbus City Schools approved it last
058month. Um just a little bit of history, the last time we looked at our contract and revised it was in 2012. And a fun fact, I actually had to dig around files and find like a typewritten copy of it because nobody had a copy. Um we have had multiple state uh and federal changes to career technical education that just required the contract to essentially be scrapped and rewritten. Um two of those include a lottery system for accepting students, which uh now career technical education is fully a lottery system for students to uh be accepted. There are no criteria except for being on track for graduation. Um and then we've had a bunch of funding changes that have also necessitated a brand new contract. Um some highlights in there just to point out to you, um
059we we asked for and got quarterly meetings with Columbus City Schools so we can have some better communication. Um that was in the old contract, but we weren't really following it. And Columbus would ask us to meet when they wanted us to meet. And now we're we're asking for quarterly meetings to be updated. Um we've updated a bunch of dates. One of the key pressing issues was if they're closing a facility or closing a program, we need to know that sooner rather than later. Um we have had a few instances where we've recruited for a program, we've gotten students that have been accepted, and then Columbus has ultimately closed that program before students can start. So, we've asked for them to let us know that before we start recruiting so we don't uh have to
060have those difficult conversations. Um and then there were some dates in there about releasing open seats. So, just as a little bit of context, Westerville, Upper Arlington, and Grandview, we are all competing for 20% of seats in every career technical program. That's about five seats. Um and we have asked for them to move up the timeline, and they put this in the contract where if their students do not fill seats, uh there are 20 seats in a program, they would open those up to us, and then our students can start filling those seats faster. Um so, we were excited to see that added to the contract. Um there are a bunch of updates to financials, which we think will uh create better and more consistent reporting to us about the the bills that we owe.
061Um we're hoping this will this new language will also minimize true-ups, um which Mrs. Marshall loves true-ups. Um and then some streamlined invoicing where we're going to get some more regular communication from them about what we owe, when we owe it. Um uh more up front so we can get those paid up before the end of the year. Um and then finally, um we put some language in there to develop some standard operating procedures um about recruitment. So, Columbus City Schools um recruiting our sophomores to attend the career technical programs. Um we're also developing standard operating procedures for how to select seats. Uh one of the proposals, right now it's just five seats are open. Those could all five of those in a welding program, for example, could go to Upper Arlington. Um what we're
062asking for is a a step uh position where Westerville would get two guaranteed seats, Upper Arlington would get one, Grandview would get one, and then there's a wild card seat out there that any one of us could fill. Um to try to just even that out a little bit more so our students do have uh a better chance of getting into programs. And then some standard operating procedures about how they handle disciplinary actions against our students. Um and then in conclusion, I just want to thank Laura Hendrix, who really was the brainchild behind all the financial piece cuz that is not my forte. Um and then my partner in crime, Monica Asher, was also part of that group uh writing this new contract. So, thank you. Matt, could you just give a quick reminder? Um
063obviously, this is about our relationship with Columbus, but people may be confused because we also have students who attend the Delaware area. So, could you just give a quick reminder of kind of how that works? Sure. Yeah, we're unique um that we work with two career centers. The state of Ohio, every public district has to be associated with one career technical planning district. For us, that's Columbus. That's our formal partner. Uh Delaware is a great partner for us. Um we do have some contracts with them. Those are essentially open enrollment seats where we are kind of a last year for them to fill in some seats. Um but they're great partners for us. They give us a lot of seats in their programs. Um they also provide some great professional development for our teachers as
064well. So. And we've talked, we could use more seats, but probably if we only used one or the other, we would not come close to meeting the demand. So, by working with both, it gives more kids an opportunity to participate from Westerville. Yeah. Um seats are limited. Career tech is the hot thing in the state right now if you've not been uh following that. Uh just to put it in perspective, right now the wait list for the pre-nursing program at Columbus between Columbus City Schools, Westerville, Upper Arlington, and Grandview is sitting at a thousand students. A wait list of a thousand kids. So, [music] uh career tech is hot. We know that there is a demand for it, but the seats are or are limited. That's for 25 seats total. Yeah. So, when um if
065Columbus doesn't fill those 20 seats, do they open it to just all of like Grandview, um Upper Arlington, and Westerville? Yeah, they start going straight down the wait list. Okay. Yeah. So, they pull the first 25 names, and then they'll build a wait list of about a hundred. And then after that, it would be a huge thing if we went through a hundred on the wait list, but Okay. Yeah, they'll start filling in. Uh that's one of the programs we rarely see kids get accepted and say, "Uh never mind, I don't want to be in that program." Yeah. So. Yeah. Is it first come, first serve? Or is there some kind of criteria to be accepted? The only criteria to be accepted is on track for graduation or have a plan to be on track.
066Yeah, we used to look at grades, we used to look at attendance. Um the updates to the Perkins funding said you can't do that. Career tech is for all kids. Uh so, then we opened it up, and it's purely a lottery system. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Any other questions? Thank you. Yeah. Appreciate all the work that went into it. >> All right. All right. May we take the vote? Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Altman? Yes. Mrs. LeVan? >> [music] >> Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Myer? Yes. Okay. I think I'm on track now. Um may I Can we take 11.04 to 11.09 as one and and have Mr. Schwartz uh talk to us about all of them? They all look like Or would you like to take the H facts together and the restroom partitions.
067Follow his recommendation on Okay. Can we talk about Amalia's one or do would you like to do the H-VACS? >> probably do the H-VAC and then the others are kind of pretty similar to me. They're smaller group. Sure. >> Okay. So, let's uh may I have a motion for 11.04 through 11.06. So moved. Second. All right. Mr. Swartz, talk to us about H-VACS. Okay. So, H-VAC you can see there's three contracts before you tonight. Let me give you a quick overview. So, this is the fiscal year 26 HVAC bid package. We have larger packages. This case it was about 3.9 million dollars. We typically break it into what are called bid packages, so smaller discrete portions of work that contractors can solicit numbers for, do combination bids. In this case, we had four bid packages
068and three alternates. So, we had two contractors that were successful on those base HVAC contracts and I'll start with the first one. Again, uh Deborah Kumble Incorporated, a contract for 1,881,000. They have bid package one, which is Emerson Elementary, bid package two, Central High School, and bid package four, which has work at Hawthorne, Mark Twain, and Point View. Uh the this is supposed to be completed August 10th of 2027. They will complete some of the work this summer with the bulk of it because of ordering getting materials will be the summer of 2027. And it's important to note this is bond-funded project. The next contract which completes the designer HVAC work is to H&A Mechanical in the amount of 1,257,000 dollars. They were low and I should state for the first one as well, low
069qualified bidder. So, just because your number is low, you're still vetted, reviewed. Did that in concert with Osborne Engineering on both of these contracts. Uh they got bid package three for North High School. Alternate number one for the Early Learning Center, the building we're in here. Alternate number two and alternate number three, so Heritage and Whittier. Uh again, August 10th, 2027, bond funds. So, a contract to them. And then the third one which is a little different. Unlike the other two where we bid it, we advertised, had a timeline, they solicited their numbers. This we did through we solicited a proposal. And we did that through what's called uh Omnia Partners, which is a cooperative purchasing organization. And so, they have all the packages where there are what is called building controls or temperature controls
070or for those at home, your thermostat. But it's much more sophisticated in a commercial or this case a public building. So, they have scope on almost all the packages. They have scope on bid package one, bid package two, bid package three, bid package four, and alternates two or three. They do not have scope on alternate one. So, again, unlike the other ones where we put a pat building drawings together there, we advertise, they look at those drawings, they have a couple weeks to put their bid together. This we sit down with them, same drawings, same specs. We say we only want you to define this scope. Now, give us a number in alignment with Omnia Partners who's already bid the same scope of work. So, we've got unit prices and things like that and through
071the district's membership in Omnia Partners, we're allowed to take advantage of that pre-bid work. So, that's the difference there. So, those are the three contracts. Two are bid and they each were low bidder on certain bid packages and alternates. And then Premier Energy Services has everything that's temperature or building controls. So, I'll stop there and same schedule, same funding, same everything for just under 3.7 million total for everything. Any questions? No. Okay. Now, can we take the vote? Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Saltzman? Yes. Mrs. Lehman? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. And may I have a motion to approve the resolution awarding a contract to Ultimax Incorporated for the Central High School Group Restroom Partition Upgrade Project. So moved. Second. And Mr. Swartz, talk to us about this one. Okay. This is a contract
072to Ultimax Ultimax Incorporated for 29,600 for the Central High School Group Restroom Partition Upgrade Project. Now, it's important to note this is the only project before you today that's not a maintenance-driven item. The partitions aren't falling apart. The partitions aren't of no use. But if you've been in these stalls, men or women, they're exceedingly low. So, the superintendent has a group she meets with all the students at each high school and one of their overriding concerns at Central was, we want higher partitions. We want normal partitions for privacy, for decency, for respect, for safety. And that's what this does. But it only does it in one group set of restrooms per floor. So, there are four men and women restrooms in each floor of Central. We're only doing one set per floor. Just to try
073it, make sure they like it, make sure that everything's okay, and is it does it satisfy the need or the concern? If not, we've budgeted money that we could continue in the upcoming years, could continue to do that. Uh Ultimax has done work for us before. Uh this is a permanent improvement. Remember the first three we just talked about were bonds. This is a permanent improvement 03. And it's slated to be done this summer, August 14th, 2026. Then you want me to continue or do you want to vote on that? You have to do that. Uh I'll just say as a tall woman who was recently in these restrooms, I had to intentionally hunch over so I appreciate that we're listening to the students and um yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Just waiting for it
074to be done. Yeah. They've brought it up a few times. Yeah. [laughter] It is high. >> Yes, the superintendent, this is high on her priority. Also tall woman. Yes. Okay. Mrs. Lehman? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Saltzman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. And moving along to 11.08, may I have a motion to approve resolution the resolution authorizing a contract with Garland DBS Incorporated for the fiscal year 26 North High School Roof Repair Project. So moved. Second. You get all the sexy projects. >> Well, yeah, they're yeah, they're all I'm not going to I'm not going to respond to that on behalf of the superintendent. [laughter] This is a lovely project. Um So, we solicited a proposal. It was not bid. The last two were also proposals we solicited through similar things as Premier.
075In this case, we went through what's called a Regional Council of Governments. Very similar and it's known as Equalis Group. So, same thing. They've already bid, they've solicited pricing. The board has to be or the district be a member of Equalis Group, which we are. We've already bought other things, services or material goods through them. This case we're buying services um through Garland DBI Incorporated. This is my third summer. This is the third summer they'll be doing work for us, but they've been doing work for us for over 10 years under this delivery model. Contracts in the amount of 267,830 and the work is slated to be done August 10th, 2026. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions. It's a bond-funded project also. The interest >> permanent improvement. Permanent improvement. Thank you. Any questions?
076All right. Sounds like we're ready. Yep. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Saltzman? Yes. Mrs. Lehman? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. [music] Meyer? Yes. And moving along to 11.09, um may I have a motion to approve the resolution authorizing a contract with Weatherproofing Technologies Incorporated for the fiscal year 26 facade facade facade restoration at Longfellow, Genoa Middle School, and Heritage Middle School. So moved. Second. All right. Who would talk to us about this one? Certainly. So, this is the third summer we're doing this with Weatherproofing Technologies Incorporated. It's a contract in the amount of 149,212 and 81 cents. It is also a solicited proposal. So, again, not an advertised bid. We're doing it also through a Regional Council of Governments. In this case, the Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing Consortia. But more importantly, META. The Metropolitan Educational
077Technology Association. So, the district belongs there and buys a lot of different services and goods from them. This is just another way we can have someone else pre-bid it, we get the the benefit of that pricing and can develop scope and pricing directly with the vendor. Um this vendor goes back even more than 10 years with us and has always been an excellent provider. Uh completion, the same thing, August of this summer. And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions. Any questions? Oh. Okay. Seeing none. Mrs. Saltzman? Yes. Mrs. Lehman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? >> [music] >> Yes. Mrs. Meyer? Yes. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Thank you. >> All right. Moving along to 12, board comments. Who would like to start? I just want to say a quick congratulations again to everyone. Um >> [snorts] >>
078It is just really truly a wonderful thing when April rolls around and we get to celebrate everybody. Um and it was a great way to sort of kick it off this evening. And especially just want to thank the um the A+ Award winners. You know, I think for and the people who nominated them because it takes some time to do those nominations and it's really important. So, just a shout-out to all the all the students, other staff members, families who took the time to nominate A+ winners. We really appreciate that and remember they come around twice a year. So, yeah, but congratulations to everyone. I don't know. Wanted to say to everybody there's been a lot of holidays recently. So, for those of you celebrated Eid or Passover Easter, hope you enjoyed those holidays. Hope
079everybody had a great spring break. Welcome back fourth quarter. Let's do it. Also same as Jen was mentioning congratulations to all of our award winners, the A+ Award winners. Just hearing the parents and the staff and the students and how they're nominating these folks and just talking about how they go above and beyond like the these are the people that make the school district work and it's truly wonderful. And we're we're lucky to have them. So. I echo all of that. Won't repeat too much, but I'm really grateful for all of our A+ awardees and the individuals who vote for them. Um as always I want to congratulate our early graduates, our new hires and our retirees, but I'm really excited to recognize National School Library Month dedicated to celebrating school librarians and libraries. This
080over the last few weeks I've had the opportunity along with my colleagues and superintendent and treasurer to visit a few buildings and read in classrooms and a lot of times this building a leaders actually provide the books and so we really couldn't do a lot without our libraries and our instructors. So, wanted to say that and this week actually also marks Assistant Principals Week as well. So, of course thanking all of our amazing assistant principals throughout the district. Um also wanted to say congratulations not only to all of our A+ Award winners, but also to all of the student athletes that were recognized. One thing that stood out to me was that not only were they recognized for their athleticism, but also for the type of partners they are, the way that they present themselves,
081[clears throat] the way that they represent their school. So, I think that's just really wonderful and great to see so many of them here tonight. And looking forward to being back out to doing some Biz 10 interviews this week. That was the highlight of my week last week. So, or two weeks ago. Um it's just really cool. The program is amazing and it's just so cool to see kids get excited and just feel so professional and really think about their futures and so I appreciate the the district gives them the opportunity for that. Well, I won't echo what my colleagues said, but I will say welcome back. It's a great way to start back from spring break and I hope everybody had a little time to decompress. One of the things I think that was
082mentioned earlier was there's a lot of opportunities to participate. There's a lot of things going on. It's the end of the school year, a lot of awards, a lot of various you know, like sports events, theater, so forth. So, please get out and support our students. But I did have two updates. Just I know we've you know, there's been a lot of I think maybe let me back up. A few of us went down to the State House before our spring break with the Ohio School Board Association and the the Treasurers Association and Superintendents Association and we got to hear from some of our legislators. And so things that are consistently on my mind and I know I talk a lot about it is school funding. And last Friday President Trump released his proposed budget
083which again is just proposed and Congress has to approve it, but he is proposing to zero out long-standing federal education programs that support education educators professional development, which is currently 2.2 billion a year, services for English learners at 890 million, academic enrichment and support students student support sorry for 1.4 billion, before and after school programs 1.3 billion and stuff for rural schools at 220 million and then support for students experiencing homelessness at 129 million. And at the state level there's been a lot of conversation about abolishing property taxes and we heard a little bit about that when we were down there. Recently Governor DeWine put out a memo stating if property taxes were eliminated, schools would be forced to lay off thousands of personnel, which I think we very much know and we very much
084appreciate the earned income tax that passed last November, but this would destroy public education leading to larger class sizes, school closing and program cuts and that eliminating these local property taxes would really strip our ability of for stable funding for building upkeep, which we talked a lot about today. Without revenues like the property taxes, districts would struggle to pay for essential repairs like roof replacements. We talked about that at North, HVAC systems and safety upgrades. Deferring maintenance leads to deteriorating facilities, higher long-term costs and unsafe learning environments. So, I just want to make sure we're keeping our community apprised. I feel like I'm always the Debbie Downer talking about school funding, but I think it's really important to know what's on the horizon and so just trying to share the information that I'm hearing and
085seeing regarding public school funding and how it might impact us. So, I will try to leave it on a more positive note. I'm really excited about BizTown and getting back out and hopefully doing some reading and getting into the classrooms and doing all the award ceremonies and next Monday on April 13th we are going to do GEM Awards. So, at Westerville North I believe. It's probably in here. And so I hope that you guys will join us for some more celebrations. Um yes, I had one thing before we moved to the next. Sorry, I know I'm not a board member, but I missed this on my superintendent comments. So, thank you for indulging me. I do want to say I talked about next Thursday what I'm doing, but I forgot to mention what I'm doing
086next Wednesday as I know some of you are also doing. Um wanted to take a moment to recognize our treasurer Nicole Marshall who will be winning not one, not two, but I believe three awards next Wednesday at OASBO, which is her Treasurers Association, Ohio Association of School Business Officials. Did I get that right? Um including Outstanding Treasurer of the Year Award. So, I just wanted to take a moment to recognize Nicole for all of her hard work and we appreciate all that you do. >> [applause] >> Thank you for looking ahead. I appreciate that. Congratulations again, Nicole. Um so, the board will meet in special session for the GEM Awards on Monday, April 13th at 6:00 p.m. I just have to make it a little bigger. At Westerville North High School, that's 950 County Line
087Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081 in regular session on Monday, May 11th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Early Learning Center, 936 Eastwind Drive, Westerville, Ohio 43081. And with that, may I have a motion to enter into executive session for the purposes of considering negotiations and compensation with public employees and to consider confidential information related to trade secrets and personal financial statements of an applicant for economic development assistance including negotiations with other political subdivisions respecting requests for economic development assistance. So moved. Second. All right. Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Ottman? Yes. Mrs. Brown? Yes. Mrs. Levan? Yes. Mrs. Myer? Yes. All right. Yay. Um Wow, it's really loud. And may I have a motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. Will you take Mrs. Valentine? Yes. Mrs. Ottman? Yes. Mrs. Myer? Yes. 9:27.