Franklin County school board approves handbooks, personnel hires and a classified wage increase; summer meals funding urged by public

The Franklin County Community School Corporation board on June 9 approved a slate of personnel actions, handbook updates and a classified wage increase and heard a public plea to protect federal funding for school meal programs.

The board unanimously approved the consent agenda covering amendments, expenditures and resignations and then voted to confirm new hires, extracurricular coaches and staff. On policy items, trustees approved 2025 student and academic handbook changes, a revision to the 2025–26 school calendar that adds three waiver/professional-development days for teachers, and a revised support-staff handbook. The board also approved a new temporary job description for a student engagement specialist and accepted Superintendent Dustin Gehring’s recommendation to appoint Joe Brock to that position.

Why it matters: the decisions set staffing and operational rules for the coming school year, commit the district to three professional-development waiver days, and put a multiwave wage-increase plan in motion for classified staff.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting): - Consent agenda (amendments, expenditures, resignations): motion opened and approved (chair declared approved after no opposition). (start: SEG 560, end: SEG 571) - Personnel – new hires (examples: Tasha Adams, cafeteria; Chad Lieberman, guidance counselor): approved (meeting record shows a 7–0 vote). (start: SEG 571, end: SEG 591) - Extracurricular hires (multiple middle- and high-school coaches/assistants): approved (7–0). (start: SEG 592, end: SEG 624) - FCHS band preliminary travel to Missouri ('26): approved pending details (7–0). (start: SEG 625, end: SEG 647) - Student handbook updates (elementary, middle, high): approved (7–0). (start: SEG 941, end: SEG 986) - Academic handbook changes (middle/high): approved (7–0). (start: SEG 987, end: SEG 1000) - School calendar revision (three waiver days for teachers): approved (7–0). (start: SEG 1001, end: SEG 1029) - Student engagement specialist job description: approved (7–0); Joe Brock recommended and approved for the role. (start: SEG 1031, end: SEG 1076) - Classified wage increase (first wave: classified staff, 4%): approved (meeting record shows approval). (start: SEG 1077, end: SEG 1111) - Support staff handbook revisions: approved (7–0). (start: SEG 1123, end: SEG 1139)

Financial snapshot and questions: finance staff reported fund balances as of May 31, 2025: Education fund $6,803,524.69; Operations fund $2,793,816.93; Rainy-day fund $4,164,641.37; interest earned year to date $183,504.35. The presenter explained that property-tax timing and a prior-year reclassification mean fund balances can shift between reports. "The education fund balance as of 05/31/2025 was $6,803,524.69," the finance report stated (financial presentation). (start: SEG 657, end: SEG 716)

Public comment and program staffing: Sarah Duffy, a local resident, praised the summer meal program and urged residents to contact U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin and Senators Banks and Young to protect school food funding. She told the board, "Our kids really need those free, healthy, and tasty meals." Administration and staff told the board they had "no evidence to think otherwise" that the program would continue and that they would provide participation numbers when compiled; staff later reported short-run counts of 2,930 students served this year compared with 2,746 in 2024 for early dates supplied. (start: SEG 827, end: SEG 1280)

Superintendent Dustin Gehring also used the report period to thank staff for graduation logistics, note delivery of new copiers, and emphasize the value of the approved waiver/professional-development days for staff instruction and classroom culture work. (start: SEG 1141, end: SEG 1199)

What’s next: the board asked staff to prepare follow-up reports on custodial-supplies procurement and on resuming bus service for certain dead-end roads; trustees will receive more detailed property-tax/budget information when the district prepares the budget later in August/September. The meeting adjourned with the next regular meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, July 14, 2025, at the district administration building. (end: SEG 1429)