[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6577792,"mediaKeyId","3093320-165351d81bd35662f0e7eaa238f01798","parentId",3093320,"title","Elyria City Schools board approves paving, phone system, payroll items; recognizes athletes, robotics and Special Olympics","audioSeconds",1055,"startMs",2066000,"endMs",1011000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093320-165351d81bd35662f0e7eaa238f01798&start=2066&end=1011","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093320-165351d81bd35662f0e7eaa238f01798/thumbnail_2066000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577792/Ohio/Elyria-City-Schools-board-approves-paving-phone-system-payroll-items-recognizes-athletes-robotics-and-Special-Olympics","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577792-27017d7fc4936e09a238a1372b7f508d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770433029&Signature=MIzgr41wcCPxvdjDt6oAWiAe7rntemI8-O~sOvaMnc-U8C774gDbpjyHXrjaeizqnz-WYGSkZcY~WyOGMJ6-klTTIqbdvy7C~2po3WYW6n7nuPPkrPiQ3eXG1TRGlw7lo6oVjuo-cXvA7G2Hh9cU9RZEqmZ4uJPq-vaCNHkiSgy9hMfgCFjkM3OruUEVNP8Yc0TlWgmhR1nJnTuTpWYNzF0kK4fYsEbeAQ3LitJ64Q0ivmUoPCKnX8qzgxBqQbSG9gacBmFyd50a26krMfZULYjNyI8111gUULYi51E~68HZIbRWfIE0esKlydwA71pnqQCAVYp-3Z5cXS3lJzgjWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Elyria City","date","2025-04-23T13:13:11.687Z","article","The Elyria City Schools Board of Education on April 16 approved a slate of treasurer and superintendent action items — including contracts for asphalt and concrete work, a phone-system hardware and installation purchase not to exceed $300,000, graduation lists and multiple personnel appointments — and began the meeting with recognitions for athletics, robotics and Special Olympics teams.

Recognitions: The board held an extended recognitions segment before routine business. Matt Sawerca, the district’s middle-school athletic director, called up coaches and players from the boys basketball team and praised coaches Kyle Raspert and Tavon Kurtz. A coach told the board the team won the Southwestern Conference (SWC) championship and finished the season “eighteen‑zero.” The board also acknowledged robotics teams that won state-level awards: Mike West described four program tracks (elementary, middle school 7–8, VRC eighth‑grade division and high school) and identified a state-championship middle-school team, rostered as “44113 T,” called the Fantastic 4. The district’s Special Olympics volunteers and athletes were recognized; coaches and volunteers noted athletes’ medals and first-place finishes, including Aaron Daniels in a 100‑meter race and Evan Miller in a mini javelin event.

Treasurer items and votes: The board voted to accept the financial report for March 2025 and two donations: one from the Ohio Beef Council (amount not specified) and a $500 donation from Jerry and Cynthia Westfall earmarked for the district clothing closet. The motion passed on a roll call with board members recorded as voting yes. The board also appointed two members as primary representatives and the remaining three as alternates for an expulsion hearing scheduled for a Wednesday in May at 4 p.m.; the primary representatives named at the meeting were Annie (first name used at the meeting) and Mike (first name used at the meeting). The roll-call votes on these treasurer items were recorded as unanimous.

Superintendent items and votes: Superintendent Anne Schloss presented several items that the board approved by roll-call vote. The board approved a state‑bid asphalt and concrete paving purchase with a contractor identified in the meeting as a state bid vendor for summer work on district roads and parking lots. The board approved purchase and installation of new phone-system hardware from vendor CDW Government (CDWG) not to exceed $300,000. Other approved superintendent items included approval of a home-instruction tutor list and approval of a settlement agreement with district support staff (described in the meeting as a settlement with Elyria support staff). All superintendent action items were approved on recorded roll-call votes.

Graduation and personnel: The board approved two graduation lists — an early-college graduation list for Elyria City Schools’ early-college program and a senior graduation list for Elyria High School (the superintendent said the high-school list includes 406 seniors). The board approved multiple personnel items, including the appointment of Amanda Belcher as assistant principal at Elyria High School (Belcher was introduced at the meeting and described as an Elyria High graduate with 18 years’ teaching experience in the district). The board also approved retirements and resignations listed by the superintendent, including the 27‑year retirement of Carrie Kaminski (grade 5, Northwood) and other classified staff retirements and resignations; the meeting record lists supplemental contracts, leaves of absence and additional certified and classified appointments. The personnel items were approved by roll call.

How the board voted: For each motion reported on the public record the meeting transcript records a roll‑call vote; the votes announced at the meeting were unanimous in favor on the items presented (recorded as Aye by the members called).

Why this matters: The phone‑system purchase and paving work involve capital and operations spending that will affect district facilities and communications. Graduation approvals finalize this year’s diplomas and event planning. Personnel votes change building leadership and staff assignments for the coming year.

What the district did not say at the meeting: The meeting record notes the phone‑system purchase is “not to exceed $300,000,” but it does not include a vendor contract number, a detailed project scope, or a breakdown of funding sources for the purchase and the paving work. The transcript records donations but not the Ohio Beef Council dollar amount. The settlement agreement and some personnel details were announced in summary form; the meeting did not include an extended public explanation of the settlement’s terms.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the meeting record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Elyria Board of Education Meeting, April 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Elyria City Schools Board on April 16 approved a state‑bid paving purchase, a phone‑system hardware and installation purchase capped at $300,000, graduation lists and multiple personnel items while recognizing student athletes, robotics teams and Special Olympics competitors.","taxTitle","Elyria City, School Districts, Ohio","taxId",38467,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6577797,"Parent and supporter tell Elyria City Schools board a father was barred from school access; board pledges follow-up",517,1159000,1676000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093320-165351d81bd35662f0e7eaa238f01798&start=1159&end=1676","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093320-165351d81bd35662f0e7eaa238f01798/thumbnail_1159000.jpg","/articles/6577797/Ohio/Parent-and-supporter-tell-Elyria-City-Schools-board-a-father-was-barred-from-school-access-board-pledges-follow-up","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577797-3e06d2d17b5f8a9997700e2c81ea596f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770433029&Signature=E~Z8vA~FtI3zg8E5qEtiLx5YcPv4UYGmmjw282oqBjFMj1JD9S8X06o89iFGHu8bWXCqxqh8MoPUmFmLmDE~9R5EIDI9nC5Go7~jFAxIWYKPoRoeAOJLDVaBOBYDJViAFgekfW4d4x6viM9zWBgbCtw99zxmoaO6VRfGXL5bLOw7iG9SLriY8BOR-L1hIWHaWOXUjal~AJL~TEIhQ5Q2TpjVMa0Wws~YcUJP7F7FGZUn06rvFx43q6HjgqPi9uMq-L-1VcalOD0m53s56iw6CwM0vVTmSUGh1LGqWX02lmswqoNXoHMivkSUHe~ShNd49cZfYfL94hTknQk2j2b~5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ramon Gilbert, a parent of students at Eastern Heights Elementary, told the Elyria City Schools Board of Education on April 16 that he and his family have struggled to get a school response after he was temporarily barred from campus and after his sons’ individualized education program (IEP) needs were not being met.

Gilbert described repeated attempts to reach district staff and the superintendent without resolution, saying the situation has “become troublesome and it’s interfering with everyday life” and that the restrictions have affected his ability to help his children at school. Jonathan Higginbotham, who said he lives in Amherst and was at the meeting to support Gilbert, introduced Gilbert and said he had been trying to assist the family.

The parent said staff had changed one child’s classroom recently and that the new placement “is going okay for now,” but he raised concerns about prior delays and what he described as unreported incidents that the family learned about only at a later meeting. He also said both sons have IEPs and that one child is “almost 10 and has trouble” with reading and writing, which he said made the need for prompt intervention urgent.

Superintendent Anne Schloss responded during the meeting when asked whether staff would follow up. Schloss said she would “absolutely” circle back with the family and update them. Board President Elaine Seguin confirmed the board had the family’s contact information.

Why this matters: Gilbert said the restrictions on a parent’s campus access and delayed responses to IEP and classroom-placement concerns are affecting his children’s ability to learn. The parent asked for timely communication and clearer procedures so the family can support the students and respond in emergencies.

What the board said it will do: At the meeting Schloss committed to follow up with Gilbert and to provide the family an update; Seguin said the board had the family’s contact information and would discuss next steps. The board did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting.

Context and limits: Gilbert and Higginbotham described the family’s concerns during the board’s public-comment period. The district did not provide additional documentation or a staffing timeline during the meeting. The board’s pledge to “circle back” is a commitment to follow up; it does not itself change any school assignment or policy.

Next steps noted at the meeting: The superintendent said she would contact the family and report back; no date for that follow-up was given in the public meeting record.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are identified from the meeting record.","At the April 16 Elyria City Schools board meeting a parent and a supporter urged the district to resolve a reported temporary ban on a father, raised concerns about communication and special-education supports, and asked for a clearer response from district leadership.","actionData","errors"]

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Elyria City Schools board approves paving, phone system, payroll items; recognizes athletes, robotics and Special Olympics

Parent and supporter tell Elyria City Schools board a father was barred from school access; board pledges follow-up