Ashland School Board adopts 2025–26 budget, extends superintendent contract and approves secondary ELA adoption

The Ashland School District School Board on June 12 unanimously adopted Resolution 2024-25B-3, approving the district budget for the 2025–26 academic year, voted to extend Superintendent Joseph Hatrick’s contract by one year, and approved the recommended secondary (grades 6–12) English language arts curriculum materials.

The budget adoption followed a brief presentation from interim business manager Sherry Ely, who said auditors and staff found only clerical errors in some fund entries and that changes were limited to reversing revenue that had been entered as positive rather than negative and balancing associated expenditures. “It was just a clerical error to switch that from a positive to a negative and then adjust the expenditure so that those, each of those budget fund, items balanced,” Ely said.

Board President called for roll-call voting on the budget; the board voted unanimously to adopt the 2025–26 budget. The board also approved the consent agenda (with YMCA MOUs pulled for later consideration), extended the superintendent’s contract by one year and adopted the secondary ELA recommendation; all motions passed by unanimous vote.

Why it matters: Adopting the budget finalizes the district’s spending plan for the coming school year and establishes the financial framework for staffing, curriculum and operations. The superintendent contract extension signals continuity in district leadership through the next year, and the ELA action sets the instructional materials and course planning direction for grades 6–12.

Budget and finance highlights: Interim business manager Sherry Ely and Superintendent Joseph Hatrick reported the district completed a multi-month budget restructuring and actively managed a cash shortfall this spring by securing a $10,000,000 tax anticipation note to maintain operations. Hatrick said the district used $5,120,000 of that loan in the process of stabilizing finances. The superintendent also said the district implemented an emergency intervention plan this year that saved “approximately $3,500,000” and that an anonymous donation of $890,000 had been received and credited to district efforts. Ely said preliminary figures showed an ending fund balance around $1,280,000 but that June accounting could raise that figure when final bills and payroll cleared.

Superintendent contract: Board members moved and approved a one-year addendum to extend Joseph Hatrick’s contract. The board took the vote by voice and recorded the action as unanimous.

Secondary ELA adoption: Curriculum staff presented the committee’s review and the recommendation to adopt teacher-created units at the middle school and a mix of teacher-created units and some state-approved Open Up Resources/Odell Education high-school literacy units at the high school. The board approved the recommendation. Staff said the approval does not necessarily require an immediate purchase and that further implementation work, including professional learning communities and vertical alignment, will continue over 2025–26.

Other procedural items: The board approved the consent agenda (excluding the YMCA MOUs, which were pulled for a future meeting). Several items on the consent agenda were routine and were approved as presented.

What’s next: Staff said principals and curriculum teams will use approved materials and Youth Truth and other data this summer to set school improvement goals and that the district will continue budget and implementation updates to the community over the summer.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution 2024-25B-3 (2025–26 budget): motion to approve adopted unanimously (roll call). Outcome: approved. - Superintendent contract addendum (one-year extension): motion to approve adopted unanimously. Outcome: approved. - Secondary (6–12) ELA curriculum recommendation: motion to approve adopted unanimously. Outcome: approved. - Consent agenda (YMCA MOUs pulled): motion to approve adopted unanimously. Outcome: approved.

Sources: Presentation and roll call at the Ashland School Board meeting, June 12, 2025.