Orange City Schools approves suite of contracts, personnel hires and OCR accreditation plans

The Orange City Schools Board of Education on May 27 approved a package of membership and vendor contracts, several student-placement contracts and routine personnel actions, and granted formal approval to Orange Community Education and Recreation (OCR) accreditation materials.

The board approved a grouped motion to accept membership-contract items labeled a–h. Contracts listed in the meeting packet and approved by the board included: Dancing Classrooms in Northeast Ohio for $12,000; Comfort Systems USA to add new Schneider controllers for two high‑school chillers for $19,821; a JAMF renewal for Apple device management for $10,305; Google Workspace Plus for $10,500; HIPARA monitoring for $16,820; LEARN21 services for $10,461.16; TDAGS asphalt and seal coating for $59,850; and Eagle Abatement and Destruction for $43,334.31. A Garland DBS Inc. change order for unforeseen repair conditions for $114,000 was presented as an emergency change order and included in the consent approvals.

Board members also reviewed multiple high-cost special-education placements and tuition agreements that were presented for review. Items presented in review included a Cleveland Clinic Learner School for Autism tuition agreement for $94,080; a placement renewal for $38,220; an ECP Leaf Bridge placement for $98,000; and a Beachbrook placement agreement for $295,702. The board asked staff to clarify whether an Achievement Advantage Assessment Services contract (presented under review as item c) carries a $35,000 maximum; a board member noted the $35,000 figure appeared in the agenda but not in the contract text and asked staff to follow up before the next meeting.

Personnel and hiring: The board approved general personnel consent items for hire and reassignments. New hires highlighted during the meeting included Amber Smiley (intervention specialist, Moreland Hills), Emily Jackson (intervention specialist), science teacher Kyle McMahon (Brady Middle School) and PE teacher Scott Gibson (Brady Middle School). Several candidates sent written notes of gratitude because they were unable to attend the meeting.

OCR accreditation: The board approved OCR’s master plan and strategic plan, items the district said were required to complete accreditation review. Jill (OCR leadership) told the board that the accreditation review team was “very impressed” and that formal accreditation will be awarded in September at the National Recreation and Park Association conference.

Votes at a glance: Consent packages containing the membership and contract approvals, the financial consent resolutions, personnel approvals, disposal (one TV) and OCR plan approvals were moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Board members who responded during roll calls included Mrs. Arnold (yes), Dr. Boyle (yes), Mr. Bilski (yes) and Mr. Lycan (yes). The minutes for the May 12, 2025 meeting were also approved earlier in the meeting by roll call.

Clarifications and follow-up: Board members asked staff for additional documentation on the Achievement Advantage contract amount discrepancy and requested follow-up information on long-term student placement costs and whether placements are expected to be temporary or extend for multiple years. Several board members also urged staff to ensure any public-facing explanatory materials (for example, a school-funding FAQ distributed by regional education service centers) are fact‑checked and cited before posting on the district website.

Ending: The approvals were routine consent actions required to manage operations and student services; board members asked for follow-up on a small number of contract clarifications to be provided at a future meeting.