Kenston Board of Education – Regular Session, March 18, 2024
Meeting Details: The Kenston Board of Education met in Regular Session on March 18, 2024 at Kenston High School, 9500 Bainbridge Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023, in the High School Auburn Bainbridge room beginning at 7pm. The meeting was live streamed here and the video is posted on Kenston's YouTube page. View the agenda online and any attached documents here by selecting the meeting tab and then the meeting date.
Observer Note: The room was again full of teachers wearing red t-shirts to express their solidarity with contract negotiations currently in progress for the District.
Board Attendance: Jennifer Troutman, Jim Henry, Dennis Bergansky, Beth Krause, and Tom Manning.
Staff in Attendance: Superintendent Steven Sayers and Treasurer Seth Cales.
19 Min. Meeting called to order at 7pm.
Pledge of Allegiance with KMS student Brooke Carlson and Board Member Dennis Bergansky.
21.08 Min. Minutes: The BOE both waived the reading of the following minutes and approved them: Regular Meeting of February 12, 2024, Special Meetings of February 22, 2024, March 4, 2024, and March 6, 2024. The minutes will be posted here as recorded or corrected by selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda and item 3.
21.43 Min. Commendations
The Kenston Board of Education approved the following honorees who were introduced by KHS Principal Tom Gabram:
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Stephan Voudris, KHS Speech and Debate, Coach of the Year
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Anthony Marchesi, KHS Teacher/Janus Advisor, for the KHS literary magazine, Janus, which is being honored with a rank of "First Class" in the 2023 National College of Teachers of English Program's REALM Award (Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines).
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Samantha Sunderhaft, KHS Student; Recipient of Girl Scouts' Gold Award for Mental Health Awareness Week Project benefitting KHS students. Samantha led a week of activities to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Samantha’s program details have been handed off to the student council, who will adopt her goals and replicate a similar message on an annual basis.
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Sophie Voudris, KHS Student; Recipient of Girl Scouts' Gold Award for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Grades K-5 Event benefiting K-5 Kenston students. Sophie led this event her junior year for the Girl Scout award, but then again led the event during her senior year. This is a themed night filled with STEAM activities for elementary students.
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Several KHS Students were named as National Merit Finalists: Julia Arnaut, Jackson Beclay, Dominic Fontana, Sophie Voudris, and Gavin Watson.
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KHS Auburn Career Center Students - 2023-24 National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Inductees:
31.15 Min. Informational Items
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Principal of KIS, Julianne Walker and six students spoke, highlighting several service projects at KIS:
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Two student members of PEAK (Peaceful Environment at Kenston) Ambassadors spoke about a February project, “Cards for Our Military Challenge,” dedicated to service members. They partnered with the PTO to make, review, and send cards to military members in all branches.
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Two Student Council members spoke about a school drive event to benefit Rescue Village.
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Two Sunshine Club members spoke about their efforts to spread cheer through KIS.
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President of MAAK (Musical Arts at Kenston) Suzanne Tabor reported on the efforts of the booster group MAAK to support the musical arts of the district. March is Musical Appreciation Month.
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Administrative Committee Update- None
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Legislative Update: Ms. Troutman announced that Lt. Governor Husted has introduced a comprehensive tool kit for educators to aid them in implementation, regulation, and usage of Artificial Intelligence. Go to innovateohio.gov/AItoolkit to find further information for educators and parents regarding the promotion of “...concrete actions that support responsible usage.” Ms. Troutman also mentioned HB380 was introduced in the legislature and is likely to pass. This bill will designate a portion of I-70 as Tuscarawas Memorial Highway in honor of those killed in the November 2023 bus accident.
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A birthday book was presented to Dr. Krause for her March birthday, titled, The Final Gambit, by author Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
55.55 Min. Hearing of the Public on Agenda Items None
56 Min. The Board of Education approved Financial Items 7.1-7.8 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 7.
The Board of Education approved Certified and Classified Personnel Items 8.1-8.4 and 9.1-9.2 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 8 or 9.
The Board of Education approved Supplemental Contracts Item 10.1 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 10.
58.14 Min. The Board of Education approved Business Items 12.1-12.6, 12.8, 12.9, and 12.10 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 12.
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Kenston BOE approved a contract with Tek Partners for the purchase of new phones for the district.
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Kenston BOE approved a contract with Carahsoft for the purchase of telecommunications and video communications services.
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Kenston BOE approved an agreement with the Geauga County Library regarding obtaining a library card for the district.
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Kenston BOE approved a resolution to amend its Information Technology Service contract with LCGA (Lake Geauga Computer Association) to end as of June 2024 and a resolution to initiate a contract for these services with Connect.
1:00.22 Min. The Board of Education approved Teaching and Learning Items 13.1-13.3 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 13.
The Board of Education approved Special Education Items 14.1-14.2 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 14.
1:02.00 Min. Tax Complaint Consent Agenda - The Board approved a resolution to file a complaint against real property valuation. Specific resolutions are here and here.
1:03.08 New Business. The Board of Education approved New Business Items 17.1-17.4 which can be found here then selecting the appropriate meeting date, agenda, and line item 17.
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Kenston BOE authorized the Ohio Schools Council to advertise and receive bids on behalf of the board for the cooperative purchase of two 78-passenger school bus chassis and bodies.
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Kenston BOE approved a contract with Bainbridge Township Police Department to provide police detail assignments on the Kenston Schools campus for the 2024-2025 school year at a cost not to exceed $72,000.
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Kenston BOE approved a request from the American Red Cross to use KHS and KMS as shelter locations during a disaster.
1:04.22 Min. Hearing of the Public on Non-Agenda Items
Observer Note: All speakers below identified themselves as longtime district residents and teachers who also have children who currently attend or graduated from Kenston schools. The primary concern of each speaker is summarized below. Each speaker can be heard in full in the video of this meeting.
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Jeanine Plavcan, kindergarten teacher, shared a story about her first job in the Maple Heights School District. This job became untenable for her over a period of years due to the failure of successive levies and lack of support. She expressed a wish that the Kenston Board, administration, and community continue to fully support their teachers and give them the tools that they need to do the best job for their students. She expressed concern that the district would not “begin to topple” as with her experience in her first job.
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Anissa Smith, high school teacher, expressed “...that we must keep our district excellent” for the benefit of the students, community property values, and retention. She stated that she believes we need to put operating levies on the ballot sooner and in smaller increments. She noted that the district has not passed a levy since 2015. She expressed concern that the profession of teaching is experiencing a shortage due to comparatively low pay and high workloads. She also expressed concern that the Ohio legislature has not yet fixed unconstitutional school funding formulas and raised the question of why state funding is going to private schools. She suggested that voters should contact their representatives about school funding and school voucher programs that direct money to private schools.
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Maggie Collicchio, high school teacher, expressed a concern that the actions of the board recently were less than transparent during the selection of the new superintendent search firm. She stated that, while hiring a search team gives the appearance of impartiality, she is concerned that the needs, interests, and values of the staff and community are not fully represented in the search and expressed her hope that they will be.
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Mrs. Troutman stated that the search firm used during the prior search was OSBA (Ohio School Boards Association), which they did pay. The current firm is ESC which is not being paid. Reviewer Note: A previously published version of this report misidentified the current firm as “VSE.” It has now been corrected to ESC (Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio). More information about the ESC is available here.
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Brian Turk, high school teacher, noted that many alumni return to this district to raise their children because it is an atmosphere that supports student success. Mr. Turk expressed his wish that the administration, board, and community work together to continue to create a district of which to be proud.
1:21.30 Min. Treasurer's Report
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Treasurer Mr. Cales focused on the Permanent Improvement (PI) Levy for this month’s report. Today a transfer of $300,000 was made from the general fund to the PI fund on top of the $535,000 transfer made earlier in the year to meet the capital improvement needs. Mr. Cales noted that, without a PI levy in place, the need to transfer general fund money will continue. Mr. Cales stated that this money could instead be used to update curriculum or expand services to students.
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Mr. Cales detailed the items that the funds generated from a PI levy would cover, including repairs and replacements that he advised cannot be left undone and sometimes cannot be foreseen. Mr. Cales detailed the need for a gym roof on TES, an unexpected boiler replacement, ongoing bus replacements, and other items on the presentation slides.
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Mr. Cales concluded that there is a need for the PI levy and the need does not go away just because a levy fails. Observer Note: Kenston’s PI Levy failed in the November 2023 election. He stated that 87% of school districts in Ohio have some type of PI levy, and Kenston is one of only 13% without this levy.
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Mr. Bergansky requested that Mr. Cales put his slide presentations on the school website so that people might clearly see the necessity of the capital improvements being completed. Mr. Bergansky made a reference to a comment in a newspaper made by the County Prosecutor that implied unnecessary improvements were driving increases and deficits. Observer Note: As of the publication of this report on April 2, 2024, Mr. Cales’ presentation has not been placed on the Kenston website. Please refer to the video at the minutes noted to view the presentation.
1:41.08 Min. Superintendent’s Report
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Superintendent Sayers stated that he wished to emphasize the need for a PI levy on the books, saying, “...these are not discretionary items, these are things that have to be done.”
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There are three committees meeting in the near future, the Curriculum Committee, the Policy Committee and the Safety and Security Committee.
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Mr. Sayers commended the strong extra-curricular programs at Kenston Schools and wishes to thank all those who make this possible.
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The spring musical is scheduled for April 11-13.
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A reminder that April 8th is a no-school day due to the solar eclipse. There will be a staff day.
1:44.10 Min. A motion was approved to enter into Executive Session to discuss an update on negotiations with public employees and the employment of a public employee. As per President Mr. Manning, no action will be taken after the executive session.
The video ended around 8:45 pm.
Next regular meeting: Monday, April 15, 2024 at 7:00 pm in the Kenston High School Auburn Bainbridge Room.
More information here: Board of Education | Kenston Local Schools
Observer: Jacqueline Berger
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: 4/2/24
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