Elyria City Board approves routine personnel, contracts; waives alumni band insurance requirement and schedules executive session

The Elyria City Board of Education on Aug. 12 unanimously approved routine minutes, personnel appointments, district contracts and student-activity statements and voted to waive a policy insurance requirement for an alumni band, then moved into two executive sessions to discuss economic development assistance.

Board President Elaine Seguin opened the meeting and the board approved minutes from the July 16 meeting and a slate of board business including designation of delegates to the state capital conference. The board approved Mike Gephardt as a delegate and Len Hauser as an alternate.

Superintendent Anne Schloss presented several administrative and operational items that the board approved by roll call. Those items included separate Spectrum Growth contracts for several students, an agreement with Aramark to serve the early-college food program, the board's 2025–26 bus routes and stops (the district reported it was able to eliminate one bus route, reducing costs but noting routes may change when more students enroll), and payment for required training hours for certified and classified staff.

The board also unanimously approved multiple personnel motions presented by the superintendent: temporary appointment of a special education administrator to supervise IEPs, payment for an existing video-producer for up to 20 hours, stipends for the Webb middle-school program, several resignations and multiple appointments of classified and certified staff, and athletic supplemental contracts for the 2025–26 school year. New hires and introductions were made during the meeting.

The board approved the treasurer's action to adopt student activity purpose statements for the district as submitted.

On policy, the board voted to waive the district policy regulation KGR’s usual requirement that outside groups provide separate liability insurance in one case. The alumni band requested a waiver of the requirement to provide a separate $1,000,000 liability policy because it practices on Eastern Heights property; the board voted to waive the insurance requirement for that group.

Board members discussed extracurricular athletics and noted that a girls flag-football program that began as a volunteer club last year is now sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association; the board heard enrollment and scheduling concerns but took no formal policy action on that item during the meeting.

Before adjourning the public portion of the meeting, the board approved two motions to enter executive session. Both motions, described as necessary to protect confidential information and to consider requests for economic development assistance and related investment/expenditure of public funds, passed by unanimous roll call vote.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (July 16): approved by unanimous roll call. - Capital conference delegates (approve delegates to attend in Columbus): approved (Mike Gephardt primary; Len Hauser alternate) by unanimous roll call. - Treasurer action — student activity purpose statements: approved by unanimous roll call. - Superintendent action items (Spectrum Growth contracts for specified students; Aramark agreement for early-college food; 2025–26 bus routes/stops; payment for CPI/required training hours): approved by unanimous roll call. The district reported elimination of one bus route; exact savings not specified. - Personnel actions (appointments, resignations, stipends, athletic supplemental contracts for 2025–26): approved by unanimous roll call. - Waiver of policy KGR insurance requirement for alumni band (waive requirement to provide separate $1,000,000 liability policy): motion approved by unanimous roll call. - Executive session motions (two separate motions regarding economic development assistance/confidential marketing/financial information and to protect the district’s interest regarding possible investment/expenditure of public funds): both motions approved by unanimous roll call; board entered executive session.

The meeting included routine updates from the superintendent about upcoming newsletters, staggered start dates for students, kindergarten screening and staff orientation, and a reminder that a governor-led cell-phone mandate was referenced in the budget/house bill and would be reflected in communications to families. The board also noted continued work on the district phone system and community contact procedures.

No votes failed and no dissenting roll-call votes were recorded in the public record portion of the transcript.