Negative Impact of First Energy’s Property Tax Reappraisal Request
on West Geauga’s Revenue Discussed
West Geauga Board of Education Regular Meeting – April 20, 2026
Meeting Details: The West Geauga Board of Education met on April 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm in the Board Office Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township. Meetings are open to the public and media. The meeting agenda and minutes are available online. Look for the Meeting tab in the right hand corner. Pick the meeting you want to review and then click on “Agenda.” A video recording is available here. As of the date of publication this video has been viewed 153 times. Notations in the report refer to the minute notation on the video for a particular section. Observer Note: A portion of the video recording is missing at the beginning and audio/video quality varies.
Board Attendance: Mrs. Pam Claypool, President; Dr. William Beers, Vice President; Mrs. Kathy Leavenworth, Member; Mrs. Ellen Naylor, Member; and Mr. Mark Vidmar, Member, were present.
Staff Attendance: Dr. Nancy Benincasa, Superintendent; Dr. Amy Davis, Assistant Superintendent; Mrs. Karen Pavlat, Treasurer; Mr. Ryan Patti, High School Principal; Mr. Scott Amstutz, Director of Instructional Technology; Ms. Samantha Price, Lindsey Elementary Principal; Mr. Dan Reich, Grade 5 Teacher; Mrs. Meagan Bellan, Director of Curriculum and Instruction; Mrs. Kathleen Cooey, High School Math Teacher; Mr. Mark Richardson, Facilities Manager; and Mr. Brian Spotts, High School Math Teacher, were present.
Other Attendees: Ms. Leanne Sidley, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce; Community member Mr. Michael Kilroy; Carly Sayre, Newbury Trustee and West Geauga parent; approximately 30-40 students, family members, teachers;, other unidentified members of the community, and this Observer were present.
Opening of the Regular Meeting - The Regular Meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Mrs. Claypool. The roll call was conducted, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Additions and/or Changes to the Agenda - Dr. Benincasa stated that the agenda required a change to reflect the addition of Resolution 113A and changes to Resolution 120 to reflect the addition of Stephanie Wright and the elimination of a duplicate entry for Jordan Levin. It was moved, seconded and passed to amend the agenda to reflect these changes.
0.50 min. Program Reports and Presentations -
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The Overall Five-Star District Award banner presented by Ohio Department of Education and Work Force - Dr. Benincasa introduced Ms. Leanne Sidely, the Region 8 Area Coordinator for the State of Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, to present the District with the 5-Star District Award. Ms. Sidely congratulated the Board on achieving a five-star rating for performance in the six categories used to determine educational achievement. She said that West Geauga was one of 47 of over 600 schools evaluated to receive the award. Dr. Benincasa added that not only was the school 1 of 47 awarded, but was 1 of 10 schools who scored five-stars in each of the six categories. She said this performance was the result of hard work and efforts by the students, staff and the Board.
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High School Update presented by Ryan Patti, High School Principal - Mr. Patti recognized the following areas of achievement by students and faculty at the High School:
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Graphic Shirt Shop Design Winner - Tess Leonard, a 10th grader, was the winner of the contest for the best design to reflect the spirit of WGHS.
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Fine Arts Accomplishments - Mr. Patti recognized students whose work has been chosen to be on exhibit at various parks within the Geauga Park District: Tessa Leonard, Sasha Fedin, Sophia Bordoraro, Rocco DiFranco, EJ Bican, Morgan Atarwa, Elijah Fesler, Cole Williams, and Domenica Popalardo.
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Franklin B. Walters Award - Jacob Williams was recognized for being the Geauga County winner of this award. Observer Note: The Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award is a prestigious Ohio state award recognizing one outstanding high school senior from each county for academic excellence, leadership, and community service. Named after Dr. Franklin B. Walter, who served as Ohio’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1977 to 1991, the award celebrates students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, leadership, and service to their schools and communities.
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Journey for HS Algebra I - Mr. Patti introduced Mrs. Cooey for a presentation of moving from a standards-based to a skills mastery-based curriculum for Algebra I students at the High School. She provided a summary of the process:
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6-7 Year Journey - After Mr. Patti became the HS principal, a team formed to explore the possibility of improving the standards-based Algebra I program. Over a period of 6-7 years, the team worked to develop and refine the program.
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Reality of Our Standards - State standards for algebra competency fill multiple pages of requirements. Students would study material, take a test and then move on to study the next group of standards. There was a single measurement of skills learned and no remediation for skills not learned.
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Many Involved - The team membership was fluid during the development period with many members contributing to the final program.
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Ah Ha - Skills vs. Standards - The standards-based program did not adequately measure achievement, provide remediation for unlearned material, or provide a knowledge base for meeting state standards. Skills learning identifies areas of knowledge and areas requiring additional work. Each skill set is tested three times during the teaching cycle. The first two tests provide immediate feedback and the third test provides the final recorded evaluation of the students’ mastery of the skill.
Test scores of student math skills “bottomed out” in 2022 and have risen continuously since then. Dr. Benincasa talked about the difficulty of changing the culture to accommodate skills-based learning and stated that Ms. Cooey is a leader in the development of the teaching staff.
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Lindsey Theater Presentation by Samantha Prince, Lindsey Elementary Principal, and Dan Reich, Teacher - Mrs. Prince and 10 student cast members and two adult advisors presented excerpts from the 5th Grade musical production of “Nursery Crimes” written by Mr. Reich. Representative songs and dialogue from each member of the cast gave an overview of the production. A total of 80 5th graders participated in the production as either cast or production support. Dr. Benincasa thanked Mr. Reich for writing the play.
47.35 min. Public Remarks -
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Michael Kilroy - Member of the community - Thanked the Board for conducting a Pep Rally for the local Kiwanis Club. He said it was important that the Board continue working on community communications at all levels. Dr. Benincasa added that additional discussion is continuing with the Kiwanis Club to explore various aspects of an on-going relationship with the district and the club.
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Carly Sayre - Newbury Trustee and district parent - Asked the Board to schedule a meeting with the Trustees to resolve some real property issues in the township.
52.50 min. Routine Items - Consent - All Passed
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2026-04-110 Resolution to Approve Routine Matters of the West Geauga Local School Board of Education - Mrs. Pavlat used the discussion portion of the motion to update the Board on material she had previously submitted to them regarding First Energy’s request to the State Board of Taxation for a reappraisal and reduction of its state-wide property tax obligation totaling $98 million. As a utility, First Energy's taxation is regulated by the State Board of Taxation and not by county taxing authorities. First Energy may also challenge an adverse ruling with the State Tax Appeals Board. The request immediately removes a revenue stream from the West Geauga School District of $787,000 annually, the largest reduction in Geauga County. Her first awareness of the action by First Energy was when the initial FY2026 tax revenue distribution was short by $400,000 from the last District Revenue Forecast submitted to the Geauga Budget Commission. This revenue change will need to be reflected in the May 2026 budget submission. Mrs. Pavlat indicated she will continue to monitor the situation and report information to the Board as it becomes available.
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Resolution to Approve March 2026 Financial Statements
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Minutes - March 16, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
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Certified Substitute List for the 2025-2026 School Year
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Classified Substitute List for the 2025-2026 School Year
52.50 min. Financial Resolutions - All Passed
Name Amount Donated Recipient
Anonymous $1,973.00 Class of 2029
Anonymous $1,884.00 5th Grade Goodtime II Field Trip
West Geauga Athletic Boosters $750.00 High School National Honor Society
NovaChat8 Communication Device $6,085.00 Value West Geauga Speech & Language Dept*
West Geauga Kiwanis $52.00 High School Key Club
Rockwell Automation $71.81 High School Robotics
*Long-range hand-held communication devices
1:02.10 min. Personnel Resolutions - All Passed
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2026-04-113 Resolution to Approve Substitute Administrator for the 2025-2026 School Year
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2026-04-113A Resolution to Accept Resignation of School Psychologist
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2026-04-114 Resolution to Approve Certified Stipends for Work Outside of the 2025-2026 Contractual Year - Mr. Vidmar asked for some clarification on the resolution, and Dr. Benincasa responded that the end of the current school year is an opportunity to catch up with various preparation tasks for the upcoming school year, proctoring AP exams over a period of time, and child-centered evaluations needed for the upcoming school year.
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2026-04-115 Resolution to Accept a Confidential Administrative Assistant Staff Resignation
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2026-04-116 Resolution to Approve Classified Staff Appointments for the 2026-2027 School Year
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2026-04-117 Resolution to Approve Rehire of Classified Staff for the 2026-2027 School Year
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2026-04-118 Resolution to Approve Change in Classified Staff Contracts for the 2025-2026 School Year - Mr. Vidmar asked for clarification on the movement from probationary status to full employment. Dr. Benincasa explained that probationary status was an entry-level classification during which time the employee could be terminated at-will. At the end of the probationary period, the employee moves to employee status. This process is set out in the contractual agreement between OAPSE (Ohio Public School Employees) and the District.
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2026-04-119 Resolution to Approve Paid Days Outside of Contractual Days
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2026-04-120 Resolution to Approve Supplemental Contracts for the 2025-2026 School Year
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2026-04-121 Resolution to Approve 2026 Summer Programming Stipends
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2026-04-122 Resolution to Approve Service Contracts for the 2025-2026 School Year
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2026-04-123 Resolution to Accept the Non-Renewal of all 2025-2026 Long-Term Substitute Contracts
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2026-04-124 Resolution to Accept the Non-Renewal of all 2025-2026 Supplemental and Service Contracts
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2026-04-125 Resolution to Approve Student Teaching Placement and Agreement for the 2026-2027 School Year - Mrs. Naylor requested more information about student teachers and the District. Dr. Benincasa responded that local colleges and individuals make contact with the district about serving as a student teacher to satisfy degree requirements. The District monitors the process and tries to accommodate these requests. Teachers who volunteer to be mentors receive a small stipend.
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2026-04-126 Resolution to Approve Senior Project Student Placement
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2026-04-127 Resolution to Approve Unpaid Days
1:20.25 min. Business Resolutions - All Passed
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2026-04-128 Resolution to Approve the purchase of 400 ACER Chromebooks from Camcor, Inc.
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2026-04-129 Resolution to Approve the purchase of 88 Lenovo Laptops from CDW•G
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2026-04-130 Resolution to Approve the purchase of a District Plow Truck Snowplow from Valley Truck Centers - Dr. Benincasa explained that the current snowplow was purchased “used” about 20 years ago and has reached the end of its useful life. All plowing is done by District personnel and no outside contractors are used. Mrs. Claypool said that this was a scheduled replacement.
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2026-04-131 Resolution to Approve the High School Gym Door Replacement Project proposal from Capitol Aluminum and Glass - There was extended discussion about the motion. Mr. Vidmar said he would like to consider this capital improvement project at the Board planning retreat scheduled for the coming weekend. Mrs. Claypool raised the issue of security for the building. Mr. Richardson provided an overview of what the project fully entailed. A vote was taken with Mr. Vidmar voting “No” and the other four members voting “Yes”; the motion passed.
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2026-04-132 Resolution to Approve the Independent Contractor-District Agreement Between EMPIRE ACADEMY and West Geauga Local Schools for the 2025-2026 School Year
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2026-04-133 Resolution to Approve the Independent Contractor-District Agreement Between THRIVE EARLY LEARNING CENTER and West Geauga Local Schools for the 2025-2026 School Year
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2026-04-134 Resolution to Approve the Independent Contractor-District Agreement Between THRIVE EARLY LEARNING CENTER and West Geauga Local Schools for the 2026-2027 School Year
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2026-04-135 Resolution to Approve the Addendum to the 2024-2026 Aligned School District Service Agreement between West Geauga Local Schools and the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve
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2026-04-136 Resolution to Approve the Payment Agreement for Services Between Crossroads Health and West Geauga Local School District for the 2025-2026 School Year
1:43.10 min. Board Resolutions - Passed
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2026-04-137 Resolution to Approve Receptionist Internship Job Description - During the discussion period for the resolution, Dr. Davis provided information to the Board. She explained that the District has had an ongoing relationship with Two & Co. to provide services for its students including training and job placement. The proposed job description is to expand this relationship where the District could be a potential employer for Two & Co. clients ready to enter the job market. It is a part-time position and not necessarily a permanent position. It will be in addition to current staffing levels at the District. Observer’s Note: The Two Foundation’s curriculum teaches workplace habits, self-advocacy, and independent work skills, applying these lessons in real-world settings such as the café, shops, office, manufacturing, and landscaping. Graduates are assessed for their interests, talents, and skillsets, then matched with businesses that value diversity, inclusion, and supportive work cultures.
1:48.00 min. Discussion of New Business and Suggestions to be included on Future Agenda - Mr. Vidmar said that he would find it helpful as a new Board member to have additional background concerning outside vendors supplying services to the District’s students. Mrs. Naylor also indicated this would be helpful. Dr. Benincasa said she would prepare a presentation for the May meeting that would provide information on the processes, background and legalities involved in providing these services.
1:56.50 min. Reports
2:01.20 min. Executive Session - Passed
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2026-04-138 Resolution to Adjourn to Executive Session - The Board adjourned to Executive Session at 8:05 pm to consider the employment and compensation of a public employee or official as permitted by the Ohio Revised Code. The Board stated that no additional action would be taken after reconvening from the Executive Session. Mrs. Pavlat, Dr. Benincasa, Dr. Davis, Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Prince were invited to attend the session.
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Reconvene into Regular Session - The Board reconvened to the Regular Session at 9:21 pm.
3:19.00 min. Announcement of Next Board Meeting
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There will be a Board Retreat on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 9:00 am and a Regular Meeting on Monday, May 18,2026 at 6:00 pm, both in the Board Office Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township.
Observer: Bob Doxey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: May 15, 2026
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