Sidney City school board approves financial report, authorizes bus bids and updates policies

The Sidney City School Board on Monday approved a series of routine and administrative measures, including a financial report that the treasurer said left the district with a strong fund balance and authorization to advertise cooperative bids for new school buses.

Treasurer (speaker 2) moved to approve the minutes, financial reports and invoices and reported that “total revenues were 480,000 above estimates,” that cover revenues exceeded expenditures by “1,600,000.0,” and that the general fund balance for the period was “nearly $13,000,000.” He also said carryover could remain “just over $20,000,000” depending on transfers. The board approved the motion by roll call with all members voting yes.

The board authorized participation in a cooperative purchase through the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council to advertise and receive bids for one or more school buses, which the treasurer said lets the district place orders well in advance to meet long vendor lead times. That motion also passed unanimously.

Board members also approved a purchase services consent agenda (items b through g). Treasurer (speaker 2) highlighted two items during discussion: adding hardware to a previously approved high-school door project so the new entry will be handicap accessible, and engaging a new vendor to establish a more thorough asbestos baseline inspection after finding earlier records incomplete. “This gets us the appropriate baseline that we should have had to begin with,” the treasurer said. The consent agenda was approved by roll call with no dissent.

Superintendent (speaker 3) asked for and received approval of presented personnel items, pending proper certification and paperwork, and for revised staff handbooks. He said handbooks were updated for paraprofessional classifications and to ensure consistency across documents. The board also approved the district’s required online learning day plan — a contingency plan the superintendent said would only be used under extended emergency conditions — and completed second reading and approval of several updated policies; he noted the attendance policy had been removed from action for further work because it would not take effect until next August.

Superintendent (speaker 3) also requested approval of students recommended for graduation with the class of 2026, contingent on completing state and local requirements; the board approved the listed graduates.

Before adjourning into executive session to review staffing matters, the chair told attendees there would be no votable actions after executive and that the meeting would adjourn upon its conclusion.

What happens next: The board entered executive session to discuss staffing; no public votes were scheduled following that session.