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Elyria City School Board approves January financials, multiple personnel actions and student trips
Summary
At its March 5 meeting the Elyria City Board of Education accepted the district's January financial report, approved overnight student trips and renewed league membership, and approved multiple retirements, resignations and personnel appointments. A public visitor praised classroom engagement ahead of an upcoming levy.
The Elyria City Board of Education on March 5 unanimously approved the district's January 2025 financial report, a slate of superintendent personnel recommendations including several retirements and resignations, and overnight student trips, board members said.
The meeting opened with a public comment from Dave McFarland, a part-time educator at Elyria High School, who praised the district's classrooms and staff as the district prepares for an upcoming levy. "I walk through these halls and students are where they're supposed to be. They're in classrooms. They're engaged," McFarland said.
The board then approved minutes and moved to the treasurer's action item: acceptance of the financial report for January 2025, which the treasurer said included bank reconciliations, an investment report and a cash balance report. The treasurer also noted the district has been assigned levy issue number 19 and posted updated fact statements on the district website.
Superintendent Anne Schloss presented action items that the board approved by roll call. The board authorized overnight travel for the varsity softball team to attend a sanctioned tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, and approved an overnight trip for Northwood choir/band (described in the meeting as "Northwood Bridal School students") to the Cuyahoga Valley Park in March. The board also approved the district's continued membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) for the 2025-26 school year and approved a declaration of the impracticality of providing transportation for certain pupils listed in the superintendent's packet (the packet's specific pupil list was not read into the record).
On personnel, the board approved a package of leaves, retirements, resignations, reassignments and appointments. The superintendent identified five classified employees and one certified teacher retiring or leaving after long service: Stephanie Carey (described as 40 years with the district and 43 years including substitute work), Kathy Cunningham (28 years), Helen Coughlin (29 years), Laura Schwett (27 years), Susan Sonnagal (25 years) and Brad Diedrich (32 years). The board also accepted the resignation of certified staff member Kathy King (who the superintendent said intends to return at a later date) and the resignation of Selena Biggio, coordinator of Gifted and ELL.
The board approved an administrative reappointment and reassignment noted in the packet: Eric Francis is moving from operations supervisor to a technology support technician role. The board also approved athletic supplemental contracts, the classification of substitute pay rates and appointments of daily substitutes as listed in the superintendent's materials.
Each of these items was approved by roll call with the board recording unanimous "Aye" votes during the meeting.
The board concluded the open session by voting to enter executive session to discuss "the appointment, employment, or compensation of an employee or official" under the revised code sections read aloud at the meeting. The motion to enter executive session carried on a unanimous roll call vote.
