Board approves series of financial, personnel and policy items; authorizes notes up to $175,000 for property acquisition

The New Philadelphia City Board of Education approved a package of financial agreements, personnel actions and policy items and passed a separate resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of notes not to exceed $175,000 to fund acquisition of district real property.

At the April meeting held at York Elementary, the board voted on consent financial items that the treasurer presented as a group. The list included a three-year agreement with Bonefish Systems for fiscal-compliance services ($12,004.26 total, one-third payable immediately), an engineering services agreement for the South Side traffic study with TMS ($11,610), a five-year stadium-field maintenance agreement with Vasco ($10,000), an agreement for a student’s services through Impact Services (noted as "$109 a day" in the transcript), the first semiannual liability-insurance payment to Kennedy Insurance (approximately $83,004.29), a quote for press-box HVAC work from Carpenter Heating and Cooling ($6,349), and a booster heater quote from Helblings for food service ($5,264.58). The board also approved voluntary student accident insurance for fiscal year 2026 through Guaranteed Life Trust, accepted three donations (Moreland family for middle-school scoreboards; Quaker Club for a tournament; Quaker ladies for girls locker room), and made an amended appropriation of $2,000. The treasurer told the board that balances were in order.

The board then considered and passed a separate resolution "providing for the issuance and sale of not to exceed $175,000 of notes in anticipation of the issuance of bonds for the purpose of acquiring real property for school district purposes." The resolution carried on a roll-call vote with all board members recorded as voting yes.

Personnel approvals formed a substantial agenda item. The board acknowledged the retirement notice of Cheryl Graham, who the superintendent said has served the district for 51 years (plus five prior years of experience referenced in the presentation). The board approved administrative recommendations including naming Josh Jarvis as the new Wealthy Middle School principal and Benjamin Bartholomew as the recommended high-school assistant principal. The agenda also included new teacher contracts, classified hires, supplemental positions for the remainder of the current year and for 2025–26, summer school and custodial summer positions, substitutes, volunteers and student-teaching placements; these were presented as a single personnel motion and approved on roll call.

On policy and partnership items the superintendent asked the board to: approve a partner agreement with Kent State University for field experiences and student teachers for the next school year; approve a memorandum of understanding with Mount Vernon Nazarene University for College Credit Plus courses for 2025–26; adopt on second reading board policy JEFB (release time for religious instruction); and accept several policy first readings (with the exception of policy IGBLA, letter m, which the board had earlier tabled). The motion to accept the superintendent’s items passed on roll call.

Public comment included one question about a previously purchased property on Dawson Lane and about how the board intends to acquire additional land referenced in a plan; board members said the district will follow up outside the meeting and that the prior purchase had occurred before the current board.

Roll-call tallies recorded during the meeting showed unanimity on the motions presented: the votes for the noted financial consent items, personnel approvals and the note-issuance resolution were recorded as carried with the board members voting yes. The board scheduled an executive session at the end of the meeting; no actions from the executive session were recorded in the transcript.