Kenston Assistant Superintendent Kathleen Poe to Retire,
Will Be Succeeded by Current KHS Principal Tom Gabram
Kenston Board of Education Regular Meeting – April 20, 2026
Meeting Details: The Kenston Board of Education (BOE) Regular Meeting took place on April 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm in the KHS Auburn Bainbridge Room. The meeting is live-streamed and the video is posted on the Kenston Website page here and on Kenston’s YouTube page here. Notations in the report refer to the minute notation on the video for a particular section. View agendas and any attached documents here by selecting the meeting tab, the meeting date, and the agenda. Note that there are two addendums for this particular meeting which will be referred to at selected places below.
8:45 Min Video Opening at 6:00 pm.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ms. Girtha Smith and the following KHS students from the American Sign Language (ASL) course:
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Amelia Argo, Avery Byrd, Eva Caires, Hannah Fladger, Layla Goodwill, Liam Horstman, Laila O'Brien, Trinity Osterman, Bristol Race, Brooke Race, Careese Rice, Josie Stever, and Adeline Traylor
13:14 Min Welcome and Roll Call. This meeting is being held in accordance with Section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Board Attendance: President Tom Manning, Vice President Beth Krause, and members Jim Henry, Girtha Smith, and Benjamin Timmons.
Staff in Attendance: Superintendent Dr. Bruce R. Willingham, Treasurer Seth Cales, KHS Principal Tom Gabram, KHS Assistant Principal Kenneth Fisher, KHS ASL Teacher Danielle Shirey, Assistant Superintendent Katie Poe, TES Principal Dave Rogaliner, TES Assistant Principal Kristen Hasenohrl, Accounting Specialist Karen Smith, KHS Science Teacher Margaret Collichio, Communications Director Amy Sparks
14:16 Min The Kenston Board of Education approved that the reading of these minutes be waived and approved the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 16, 2026 here, as recorded or corrected.
14:54 Min Commendations Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the following as introduced by KHS Principal Tom Gabram. Approved.
The students presented their individual art pieces via a slide presentation.
26:03 Min Informational Items
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Kenston Organizational Update: Kenston PTO After Prom Chair Jessie Corcoran spoke about the purpose of and plans for the Kenston After Prom. The theme for after prom this year is Area 26. The community preview for After Prom will be May 2, 2026, from 6-8 pm and students will arrive at about 10:30 pm after the prom.
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36:25 Min Kenston Department Update: Communications Director Amy Sparks used a slide presentation and spoke about the work and activity on Kenston’s Social Media pages.
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41:40 Min Legislative Update - Dr. Krause noted that the House and Senate are currently in spring recess although the Senate was back in session briefly. SB 326 has had 4 hearings in the Senate Education Committee, so it is “gaining traction.” Dr. Krause mentioned that the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) has advocated for many of the things that the schools are already doing to count towards the computer science course requirement in SB326. SB 328 has also had 5 hearings and is “gaining traction.”
43:06 Min Superintendent’s Report with an accompanying slide presentation.
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April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and Dr. Willingham offered his thanks to the district’s many volunteers.
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The Kenston Local Schools Nutrition Services team won the prestigious Cafeteria Collaboration Cup in April 2026, recognizing their dedication to student wellness, creative, and nutritious menu offerings. The team was celebrated for their high-energy, student-focused approach to school meals and, specifically, for their engaging, colorful, and healthy recipes.
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On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, there will be two sessions of Kenston Conversations at Kenston Gardner Center, 9-10 am and 6-7 pm. Conversation will center around Tax Abolishment and Levy Cycle issues. An Operating Levy is on the horizon– possibly around May of 2028. In 2029, the PI Levy will be up for a discussion about renewal. The High School Bond Issue ends in 2029 and the Middle School will then also need to be a topic of future discussion.
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49:38 Min The Kenston District’s Annual Fine Arts Showcase is Monday April 27 through Thursday, April 30th. The Music Series will be the same four nights. See here for more information and schedule or see this time in the meeting video for the specific schedule of events for art and music.
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Prom and After Prom will be held on May 2, 2026. Prom will be held at The Hive in Bainbridge.
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Kenston Education Association (KEA): Board Approval of the new contract with KEA is on the agenda. Observer Note: See 18.1 in the second addendum to the agenda and noted below under New Business Items.
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2026-27 and 2027-28 district calendars are on the calendar tonight. Observer Note: See 18.2 and 18.3 in the second addendum to the agenda or the hyperlinks under New Business below to view the calendars.
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Transportation routes experienced hiccups at the beginning of this school year and adjustments were hammered out, but then there were four retirements from the transportation department. Routes will likely return next year to combined middle and high school routes as there is a lot of overlap.
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Building Hours: If transportation changes are able to be successfully made, middle and high school starting times may move closer to 8 am.
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Administrative Changes- Dr. Willingham recognized Katie Poe who is retiring this year. The following transitions are recommended for Board approval later in this meeting:
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KHS Principal Tom Gabram will move to the Assistant Superintendent Position.
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KHS Assistant Principal Kenny Fisher will move to KHS Principal position.
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TES Principal Dave Rogaliner will move to the Pupil Services Director position.
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TES Assistant Principal Kristen Hasenorhl will move to the TES Principal position.
1:07.33 Min Treasurer’s Report - Mr. Seth Cales
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Matthew Hossler will leave the Kenston Assistant Treasurer position to take the Treasurer position with Berkshire Schools. Accounting Specialist Karen Smith will become the new Assistant Treasurer.
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Permanent Improvement (PI) Update on contracts that will be funded on July 1, 2026 and letters of intent will be sent out.
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See 18.2 in agenda: The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the attached contract with West Roofing Systems, Inc. to refinish the remaining TES roofs in the amount of $326,000.00.
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See 18.3 in agenda: The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the attached contract with Knight Sound & Lighting Inc. as part of replacing lighting in the KHS auditorium in the amount of $19,150.00.
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See 18.4 in agenda: The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the attached contract with Shiffler as part of replacing lunch tables at TES in the amount of $45,673.68.
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See 18.5 in agenda: The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the attached contract with Boostr Digital Display for the purchase of a scorer's table for the KHS in the amount of $17,973.00.
1:17.32 Min Hearing of the Public on Agenda Items - No one signed up to speak.
1:17.40 Min Agenda approval items 9-18 - As the Board President announced at the beginning of the meeting, these items were reviewed by Board members before the meeting, and most were passed quickly and without discussion.
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Financial Items - All items and accompanying documents can be found here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 9.1-9.7 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Certified Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here for review by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 10.1-10.3 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Classified Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 11.1-11.3 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Supplemental Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 12.1-12.5 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Exempt Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 13.1-13.5 on the agenda. All Approved. Items to highlight include but are not limited to:
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Business Operations - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 14.1 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Teaching and Learning Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 15.1-15.4 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Special Education Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 16.1-16.3 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Old Business- No items.
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New Business Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 18.1-18.8 on the agenda. All Approved. Items to highlight include but are NOT limited to:
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See 18.1 in the second addendum to the agenda: The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the negotiated agreement contract between the Kenston Education Association and the Kenston Board of Education effective July 1, 2026 through February 28, 2029.
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See 18.2 and 18.3 in the Second Addendum to the agenda for 2026-2027 Calendar and 2027-2028 Calendar
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18.1 in the regular agenda: Facility Use- 4th of July Fireworks for Bainbridge Township
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18.8 First Reading of several revised and some new Board Policies. No approval needed.
1:24.26 Min Hearing of The Public on Non-Agenda Items - There were no speaker requests.
1:25.33 Min A motion to enter into Executive Session was made and approved at 7:17pm The Board entered into executive session to consider the sale of property, real or personal, by competitive bid, where disclosure of information would give a competitive advantage to the other side.
Observer Note: Under Ohio Law, the Board may hold Executive Sessions to discuss preparing for, conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with employees or matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or state statutes, and details of security arrangements. Executive Sessions are used for discussion only, no board action can be voted on in Executive Session. Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22 defines the Sunshine Law and matters for Executive Session.
President Tom Manning advised that no action will be taken after executive session and the Board will reconvene only to adjourn. The video concluded at 1:25.45.
Next regular meeting: Monday, May 11, 2026 at 6:00 pm.
More information here: Board of Education | Kenston Local Schools
Virtual Observer: Jacqueline Berger
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: April 29, 2026
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