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Ringgold School District board approves routine hires, contracts and 2025–26 emergency operations plan
Summary
At a regular meeting the Ringgold School District board unanimously approved routine personnel items, vendor agreements, a three-year transportation coordinator contract and the district’s Emergency Operations Plan for 2025–26. Board members requested a follow-up on cyber charter funding changes and clarified facility-fee policy for school-affiliated groups.
The Ringgold School District Board of Education on Dec. 16 approved a slate of routine personnel actions, vendor contracts, a three-year employment contract for the district’s transportation coordinator and the district Emergency Operations Plan for the 2025–26 school year, with all recorded votes 9–0.
Board business opened with a recognition of National Education Support Professionals Day and a report that the recently passed state budget largely matched the governor’s proposal. An unidentified speaker thanked school support staff, saying, “Your dedication, expertise, and heart shape a positive, productive and safe learning environment for every student in our district.” The speaker also warned of changes to cyber charter funding and said the district will assess impacts from modifications to the PDE-363 reporting form.
Most agenda items were routine and passed unanimously. The board ratified hires and approved substitute-pay rates and additions to the substitute roster, all by roll call. The administration’s recommended three-year contract for Keith Kroshel as transportation coordinator was approved; a copy of the contract was included in the board packet and final approval was contingent on solicitor review. A conference request for Shannon Crombie to attend the Improving Schools Conference in Pittsburgh (Jan. 26–28, 2026) at a listed cost of $534.97 was also approved.
The board approved agreements with a set of providers named in the packet: Center for Hearing and HDS Services, Sunbelt Staffing (to support special-education positions), Procare Therapy, Steel Cities Academy and Hope Academy. During discussion a board member asked which positions Sunbelt Staffing would fill; administration responded these were special-education related positions.
An addendum from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for technology services was accepted; the packet lists the data reporting specialist at $70 per hour and an application support specialist at $75 per hour. The term in the materials reads “11/01/2025 through 06/30/1926,” which the board treated as a clerical error; the addendum’s acceptance was contingent on final review by administration and the solicitor.
The administration moved to approve the Ringgold School District Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for 2025–26. The board took a clarifying exchange about facility fees: members asked whether school-affiliated booster groups would be charged rental fees and were told school-affiliated groups are not charged rental fees under policy but may be responsible for additional cleanup or event-specific charges as permitted by district policy. Chief Shell had no additional report.
Board members asked administration to return with a report clarifying the district’s payments to cyber charter schools and the anticipated impact of the state budget changes on those payments. That follow-up request was recorded during discussion but no numerical estimate was provided at the meeting.
All voiced motions described above were recorded by roll call as approving votes (motion carries 9–0). The board continued with packet review and other business.
