Board approves appropriations amendment, transportation payments, field trips and other routine business; resolution opposes dismantling U.S. Department of Ed

The Westerville City Schools Board took a series of formal actions at its April 7 meeting. Below are the motions recorded on the agenda and the board’s stated outcomes.

Votes at a glance

- Amendment to fiscal year 2025 appropriations (Agenda item 8.01): Board approved an amendment to finalize previously adopted reductions and reflect grant allocations and principal discretionary requests. (Motion approved; district staff recommended approval.)

- Then‑and‑now purchase approval under Ohio law (Agenda item 8.02): Board approved purchase(s) where vendor ownership changed after a purchase order was opened. (Motion approved; staff said funds were budgeted.)

- Personnel consent agenda (Agenda items 9.01–9.16): Board approved the personnel consent agenda, which included retirements and reductions in force. One board member recorded a dissent on part of the agenda; the motion passed. (Motion approved.)

- Business items (10.01–10.04) and policy first readings (11.01–11.07): The board advanced routine business and completed first readings of several policies, including updates tied to federal grant administration and parental status of students. (First readings; no final policy adoption recorded.)

- Resolution declaring nonpublic students impractical to transport and authorizing payment (Agenda item 12.01): The board approved a resolution identifying 53 nonpublic students as impractical to transport for the 2024–25 school year and authorized a payment amount of $583.86 per student (the per‑student amount identified by state education officials for this year). District staff noted the state no longer reimburses the district for these payments. (Motion approved.)

- Out‑of‑state overnight field trips (Agenda item 12.02): The board approved two overnight trips: the Westerville North boys basketball trip to the University of Dayton (already taken) and an upcoming Westerville North boys lacrosse trip to the Toledo area for regional games. (Motion approved.)

- Early graduate candidates (agenda item 12.03): The board approved early graduation for students who completed local and state requirements. (Motion approved.)

- Award of contract for Genoa Middle School walk‑in cooler and freezer replacement (agenda item 12.04): The board awarded a contract to Lewis R Company in the amount of $124,000 for summer 2025 replacement work; staff said the project is 100% funded from food service dollars. (Motion approved.)

- Resolution opposing dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education (agenda item 12.05): The board approved a resolution opposing any effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and asked that copies be sent to federal and state leaders. The resolution cited district reliance on federal funds (over $7 million annually) that support reading intervention, special education, English learner supports, and mental‑health staff. (Motion approved.)

Procedural notes: Most motions were approved by roll call. The transcript records board roll‑call confirmations of yes votes for many items; where the transcript did not provide a complete roll‑call tally for a specific motion the board’s motion outcome is reported here as “approved.”