Sycamore board approves updates to policy, accepts October financial report and hears warnings on pending state tax bills

At its meeting the Sycamore School Board approved several administrative items and received a detailed financial update.

Policy votes: The board completed a second read and approved a set of 3000-series (professional staff) policies — including Policy 5136 (personal communication devices), Policy 8305 (information security), and Policy 8640 (transportation for nonroutine trips) — which staff said reflect current practice. Trustees also voted to rescind four older district policies to avoid duplication with the newly adopted Neola-model policies; staff said they will bring a blanket resolution at a future meeting to cover any missed rescissions.

Contracts and purchases: Trustees approved an agreement with Thomson Reuters to support residency verifications, authorized the purchase of new chairs for the Sycamore High School auditorium (installation expected in a limited summer window), approved an out-of-town student field trip, and approved payment of a prior-fiscal-year invoice from HGC that exceeded $3,000 after the vendor discovered the missed invoice during an audit.

Financial report: Treasury staff presented the October 2025 month-end report and five-year forecast. Staff reported a cash position of approximately $47,400,000 — about 44% of annual expenditures and roughly 155 days of cash on hand — well above the board's 25% minimum target. Revenues were revised upward after an October state payment: staff now project state funding around 30% higher than last year (about $2.5 million), which is roughly $1 million more than earlier estimates; expenditures through October were $35,300,000 (about 31.6% of annual estimates). Personnel costs and benefits were described as tracking as expected; staff noted wage increases of roughly 2.7% year-over-year for September–October and certified-salary increases of about 1.2%.

Legislative concerns and levy planning: During a legislative update trustees discussed several bills moving through the Ohio legislature that could reduce local property-tax revenue or cap future millage growth: House Bill 335 (changes to inside millage, earlier statewide impact estimates cited as $135M in 2026, $250M in 2027 and $378M in 2028), HB 186 (caps future increases at inflation), HB 129 (adjusts the 20-mill computation), and HB 309 (expanded authority for budget commissioners). Staff warned these changes could strain district budgets and urged community engagement with legislators. Trustees discussed scheduling a finance work session (targeting Dec. 10 with an early start) to plan levy strategy and potential next steps.

Votes at a glance: The board recorded votes to approve the 3000-series policies, rescinded duplicate policies, approved the Thomson Reuters contract, approved auditorium seating purchase, approved the field trip, accepted the October monthly financial report, approved donations, and authorized payment of the prior-fiscal-year invoice from HGC.

The board did not adopt new district policy language on lockdowns or public disclosure of security protocols at the meeting; staff said they will consult legal counsel before releasing security details.