Austintown Local Schools board approves consent agenda of hires, maintenance and service contracts
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Summary
At its June 25, 2025, meeting the Austintown Local Schools Board of Education approved a multi-item consent agenda that included three 3-year administrative contracts, audit and financial-reporting engagements, facility and maintenance contracts, transportation arrangements and policy revisions.
The Austintown Local Schools Board of Education on June 25, 2025, approved a multi-item consent agenda that included three 3-year administrative contracts, audit and financial-reporting engagements, several facilities and transportation contracts, and revisions to district policies.
The approvals, handled as consent items, bundle routine personnel and vendor agreements the district says are needed to operate schools and maintain facilities. Board members voted to approve the package after the treasurer and superintendent recommended the items.
Key actions approved included three administrative employment contracts: a three-year contract for David Phillips as high school assistant principal, effective Aug. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028, at salary step 0 under the district's administrative salary schedule; a three-year contract for Adam Loudon as intermediate school assistant principal (term Aug. 1, 2025, to July 31, 2028) at salary step 4 under the administrative schedule; and a three-year contract for Brian Umstead as assistant athletic director/online supervisor (Aug. 1, 2025, to July 31, 2028) at salary step 0.
The board also approved two engagements with Julian and Company: a fixed-fee $800 engagement to prepare the district's Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, and a three-year agreement to prepare the district's annual comprehensive financial report in accordance with U.S. GAAP at a fee of $10,500 per year.
Facilities and maintenance contracts approved include a Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP agreement for fire-alarm inspection services at the Austintown Early Learning Center (term listed as July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026) at a cost not to exceed $304.19; a contract with Joe Dickey Electric Incorporated for welding-shop power repairs and upgrades at a cost not to exceed $83,499; and a contract with ForeverLawn (Penn, Ohio) for grooming services for the existing artificial-turf football field for July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, at a cost not to exceed $15,270.
Transportation and related items included a service agreement with Suburban School Transportation Company Incorporated (Hinkley, Ohio) and a separate board resolution declaring transportation impractical for specified students for the 2024-25 school year; the resolution was approved as presented. The board also approved an agreement with the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities and a 12-month services agreement with Ronald Stewart and Associates LLC for July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
The board voted to revise listed district policies as presented on the agenda and confirmed there will be no July regular meeting; the next work session is scheduled for Aug. 21, 2025, at 4 p.m. followed by a regular session at 5 p.m.
Most consent items were approved unanimously. Earlier in the meeting a motion to approve the meeting agenda was adopted with one abstention by Board Member Porter; that abstention was recorded on the agenda vote and not tied to particular consent items. The meeting included brief superintendent remarks recognizing newly hired administrators and district staff but no extended debate on the consent items.
Documentation on the consent items' individual contracts, fee amounts, effective dates and the full text of the transportation impracticability resolution are part of the district meeting packet and were approved as presented to the board.
