Tallmadge District Reports Facilities Improvements, PBIS Awards and Switch to Samegoal for IEPs

At the Nov. 19 Tallmadge Board of Education meeting, central office staff reported facility upgrades, student supports recognitions, and a major technology change for special-education documentation.

District administrators described a contractor’s work to remove unsafe bleachers at the middle school and the installation of support poles for a new baseball scoreboard. "They did a fantastic job for the amount of money that we invested," an administrator said about the contractor’s work, noting the project addressed a safety issue and cost far less than earlier estimates.

Administrators also highlighted Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) recognitions: Tallmadge High School and Tallmadge Middle School were recognized as bronze recipients by the state and Tallmadge Elementary School earned silver recognition. District officials praised staff who led PBIS implementation.

On special-education systems, the district announced a migration to Samegoal for IEPs, ETRs and 504 plans with training completed Oct. 13 and a migration window through the December break. The district will integrate Samegoal via MiniOrange single-sign-on; administrators said Samegoal offers translation features and will consolidate MTSS and EL documentation in one platform. "It's a safer system; it's a more efficient system for us," an administrator said.

In personnel news the board approved a slate of hires by consensus, including new paraprofessionals and support staff. Administrators warned that evaluations are producing an uptick in students with IEPs and that staffing ratios for intervention specialists are under pressure; HR and building leaders will continue recruitment and redistribution work to address caseload demands.

Board members praised the work, noted upcoming Swearing-in and organizational meetings, and moved into a work session after the meeting.