Maple Heights board reviews finances, approves contracts and special-education providers; tables evaluation contract over mileage
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Summary
At its Dec. 15 meeting the Maple Heights City Board heard a treasurer report showing a roughly 100-student drop in funded enrollment, approved several service contracts and special-education resolutions, and tabled a superintendent-evaluation contract because of a question about a mileage charge.
Maple Heights City Schools’ board addressed district finances, contracts and several resolutions during its Dec. 15 regular meeting.
Finance: Treasurer Miss Baldwin told the board that pending state property-tax reform legislation could limit levy growth and change collections, and that the district’s semiannual forecast is now due in February instead of May. Baldwin reported the district expected 2,726 students for funding but the December state-funded count showed 2,603 — roughly 100 fewer funded students than expected — and said the decline is affecting state funding.
Invoices and procurement: A board member raised concerns about recurring "then and now" invoice adjustments in several departments and asked what the administration is doing to prevent late purchase orders. Baldwin said the district is implementing better purchase-order tracking and will apply stricter denial of after-the-fact purchase orders beginning in January.
Contracts and resolutions: The board approved several items by roll call: a service agreement with Zen Educate Inc. to provide substitute coverage and paraprofessional support for 2025–26; a memorandum of understanding with the Maple Heights Teachers Association clarifying terms to rehire retired teachers; and a quote for RTA Strategic Planning and Consulting LLC for up to 125 hours of coaching and implementation support (not to exceed $21,875 through June 30, 2026) to support instructional coaching. During discussion of the RTA quote, board members asked how the district will monitor the service and collect teacher feedback; administration said the curriculum department will oversee the work and that instructional rounds and data collection will be used to measure impact.
Tabled item: The board paused action on a $6,000 contract with Leadership and Learning LLC for evaluation services after a member questioned why the district would pay mileage for the contractor. The superintendent said the mileage line could be amended and the board voted to table the item pending clarification.
Grants and special-education contracts: The board approved a First Amendment to the Closing the Achievement Gap (CTAG) grant that extends the grant term to Dec. 31 and reduces the total disbursement to districts by about $27,091.01 (the transcript contains a discrepancy in the written vs. spoken number; one speaker read $27,092.01 and the superintendent confirmed a correction would be made). The board also approved resolutions to contract with Integrations Treatment Center Inc. (a single-student placement listed at $104,265), Educational Alternatives and Reeducation services for special-education placements, and suburban school transportation for special-education students. Roll calls for these resolutions were recorded as unanimous 'Yes'.
Other business: The board accepted donations including 20 Cleveland Cavaliers tickets valued at about $800, five $100 gift cards for families at JFK, winter clothing and a $24.20 gift card for a classroom. The board set its organizational meeting for Jan. 5 and appointed a president pro tem for that meeting. The public-comment period produced no extended comment in the provided transcript segments, and the board moved into executive session at the end of the meeting.
Next steps: Administration said it will provide additional contract details where required (for example, clarifying the mileage charge on the Leadership and Learning LLC agreement and finalizing CTAG exhibit amounts) and will implement tighter purchase-order controls after the new year.
