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Board discusses HOPE scholarship impact, Harrison County invoice and roofing project
Summary
A board member warned that HOPE scholarship vouchers and falling enrollment are reducing district funding and cited figures for local revenue loss; the board also reviewed a $3,305 invoice from Harrison County for FY24 student transfers and a $72,698 McKinley Architecture invoice for roof design work, and heard that SBA bond reimbursements are winding down.
Board members spent part of the meeting discussing district finances and the fiscal pressure of shifting student enrollment and vouchers.
One board member (S5) said the district has "exactly 4,750" students and that 283 students receive the HOPE Scholarship, which he estimated removes $4,700 per student from the Ohio County Schools budget and amounts to about $1,330,100 in lost local funding. He urged legislators to consider the effect on the state's approximately 240,000 public school students.
The board then reviewed payables and specific invoices. Staff explained check 222074 from the Harrison County Board of Education for $3,305 represented FY24 midyear transfers when a small number of students left Ohio County for Harrison County; staff said the charge reflected state aid allocation for the days the students were enrolled in Harrison County.
The board also discussed a McKinley Architecture invoice for $72,698 related to William Park High School roof design work; staff clarified that this is the design fee and that roofing construction costs are separate. Staff said SBA bond work is nearly complete with roughly $1,000,000 left to request, and the clerk-of-the-works requirement may persist for some projects.
Board members asked staff for clarity on grant sources listed in budget supplements: IDEA (a federal program) covers special-education salary and benefits adjustments (true-ups), the Country Roads awards were teacher-won grants for supplies, and state mastery-based learning grants funded a Williamsburg High School program. Staff indicated they would continue to provide budget detail to the public.
The consent agenda, which included personnel recommendations and the listed payables, was approved by voice vote.
