The Garfield Heights City School District Board of Education convened an organizational meeting on Jan. 5, 2026, where newly elected members were sworn in and officers and routine governance actions were approved.

Mitchell Dudley, Chloe Irvin Dozier and Heather Morrison took the oath of office. The board then adopted the organizational meeting agenda and elected Miss Thomas as board president and Tandita Cox as vice president for 2026; both officers completed the oath of office during the session.

The board adopted its 2026 regular meeting schedule, set for 6 p.m. on the third Monday of each month (with Jan. 20 moved to Tuesday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day), and approved a service fund resolution, Resolution 2026-02, establishing a $20,000 board member service fund and setting meeting compensation at $125 per meeting. "That motion passes," the chair announced after a unanimous roll call.

On administrative appointments, the board named Tandita Cox as its delegate to the Ohio and National School Boards Association conventions with Heather Morrison as alternate and approved committee and liaison assignments for the year. The board also approved its legal counsel firms and heard a brief explanation of which firms handle which matters: Hurd for discipline and negotiations, Riley Law Firm for construction work, Squire Patton Boggs for levy and financing issues, and Peters/Kaleo/Mark Akas for tax appeal representation.

The board authorized the superintendent to employ temporary personnel as needed for emergent staffing matters until such hires can be ratified at a subsequent meeting. It also approved a motion authorizing the treasurer to make investments on behalf of the district; during discussion a speaker described lawful options under the Ohio Revised Code, noting common vehicles such as STAR Ohio and money-market accounts and citing a current approximate return of about 4.5% on invested cash balances.

At the tax-budget portion of the meeting, with no public comment, the board approved Resolution 2026-01 to adopt the 2027 tax budget as presented. A board speaker summarized the budget’s role: "So the tax budget you're approving now will set the appropriation rates and the expenditure amounts for our 2027 fiscal year amendments from the county," and noted that a bond retirement millage connected to the high school construction will drop off in tax year 2027, removing roughly 9–10 mills from the district's tax base and affecting future collections. The speaker also said emergency-levy calculations were adjusted (about 7.38 mills) to align with county procedures and recent state property-tax reform changes.

Board leaders discussed a board retreat planned for Feb. 7 to review district history, roles, and governance; a consultant, Keys Wright, will lead governance training and suggested pre-work for participants. The meeting adjourned after unanimous roll-call votes on the remaining motions.

Decisions taken at this organizational meeting included officer elections, committee and delegate assignments, approval of legal counsel and administrative authorizations, adoption of a service fund and meeting compensation, authorization for treasurer investments and temporary hires, and formal approval of the 2027 tax budget. The board set the next regular meeting calendar and scheduled a retreat in February.