Canton Local Board approves routine financial items, personnel actions and security camera upgrades; discusses curriculum and cell-phone rules

The Canton Local Board of Education on Aug. 18 approved routine financial and personnel items, accepted donated equipment for a new HVAC career-technical program, authorized a contract to upgrade building security cameras and discussed curriculum choices and new state rules on student cell-phone use.

The board approved the minutes of its June 16, 2025 meeting and heard the treasurer—s cash-reconciliation report showing a reconciled balance of $19,897,517.64 for the period ending June 30, 2025 and a noted July reconciled balance of about $25,000,008.42, which the treasurer attributed to incoming real-estate collections following the 2024 reappraisal. The district also accepted in-kind donations of HVAC equipment from multiple vendors to support the new HVAC program and recommended those donations for approval.

Board members voted to advance district funds to cover several late state and federal grants while the Ohio Department of Education—s new grant system and federal allocations are delayed. The district listed the amounts it advanced to cover grant obligations as: Preschool $35,000; IDEA special education $75,000; Title I $100,000; Title I Part B $40,000; Title IV-A $20,000; and Title II-A $30,000.

The board reviewed and approved several contracts and agreements presented as exhibits, including the district—s annual contract with Spark Master Services for accounting and payroll systems, a multi-county juvenile detention services agreement (exhibit wording in the transcript was unclear), the annual school resource officer agreement with the county sheriff, and a shared-services agreement with Sandy Valley.

Superintendent—s report: hires, resignations and personnel action The superintendent reported several resignations and multiple new appointments and supplemental contracts across buildings, including bus drivers, paraprofessionals and certified and substitute positions. The board approved the slate of resignations and appointments as presented.

The district also moved to correct the record for a previously approved reduction in force involving an employee identified in the meeting as Catherine Norris. Officials said Norris had been verbally notified earlier but did not receive the contractually required written notice within the specified timeline. The district issued the required written notice on her return; she will work the 20 required days and, per the district statement, the reduction in force will take effect afterward. The district said Norris may be placed on a two-year callback list but will not remain employed after the RIF period.

Curriculum and student handbook changes Board members discussed curriculum vendor decisions for ELA and science. The district described piloting two high-school ELA options and recommending CommonLit for high-school ELA (with professional development, assessments and digital features that use existing novels). For science, the district said it would use an Ohio-interactive product to align national NextGen science standards to Ohio expectations; teachers will have access to multiple resources.

The superintendent told the board the district identified a handbook "loophole" that allowed students to pass a year-long course by passing only the first semester; the student handbook was revised to require passing the second semester as well to earn full credit for year-long classes.

Safety upgrade: Abbe Electric contract The board authorized a resolution to contract with Abbe Electric to upgrade and add security cameras at the elementary, middle and high schools to address blind spots and improve building coverage. The superintendent said the work is intended to eliminate unmonitored areas where incidents can occur.

Legislation on cell phones Board members and staff discussed recent state legislation updates. The superintendent said district staff received information about House Bill 8 from Nicole Danovsky and reported the district is tracking other bills dealing with student cell-phone use (transcript references included "House Bill 96" and another bill number that was unclear in the record). The district—s current interpretation is that, as drafted or currently understood, a statewide restriction could prohibit cell phones from the first bell to the last bell beginning Jan. 1, 2026; the superintendent said the timeline gives the district several months to communicate policy and rationale to families and students.

Other items and next steps The board reviewed informational listings required under the Revised Code, including commercial paper holdings and the prescribed uses of student-wellness and DPIA funds (reading instruction, dropout prevention and safety/security). The board discussed the upcoming capital/legislative conference and provided contact points for questions. The meeting concluded with a motion, second and roll call to enter executive session to discuss the superintendent—s evaluation.

Quotes from the meeting "You'll notice a pretty big increase in the fund balances there; that's because our real estate collections started coming," the treasurer said when describing recent cash-position changes. "It's amazing how quickly you find out how many blind spots there are," the superintendent said introducing the Abbe Electric camera upgrade resolution.

What the board decided - Approved minutes of June 16, 2025. - Advanced district funds to cover multiple delayed grants (listed above). - Accepted donations to support the HVAC CTE program. - Approved contracts/exhibits with Spark Master Services, the sheriff's office SRO agreement, and a shared-services agreement with Sandy Valley (as presented). - Authorized agreement with Abbe Electric for camera upgrades. - Approved personnel resignations and multiple hires/appointments; modified the RIF process for Catherine Norris to correct notice procedures. - Revised the student handbook to require passing the second semester to receive full-year credit for year-long courses.

The board moved into executive session on Aug. 18 to discuss the superintendent—s evaluation; no public action on that item was recorded before the meeting record ends.