Fairfield Union board approves $4.0M capital transfer, adopts club-sports policy and recognizes swimming as an official school sport

The Fairfield Union Local Board of Education on Tuesday approved a series of routine fiscal and personnel actions, including a $4,000,500 transfer from the general fund to the capital projects fund, adoption of a club-sports policy (with a waived first reading) and recognition of swimming as an official school sport.

Superintendent Bethel opened the meeting with condolences for a district neighbor and outlined two principal agenda items: a contract adjustment for transportation director Dean Rherry and a proposed policy on club sports. “We did not make a move to transition Dean Rherry on the transportation pay scale up to step 10 like we did all the other maintenance guys,” Bethel said, calling the adjustment an oversight and citing the market demand for CDL-qualified drivers and the district’s interest in retaining him.

The board unanimously approved the contract adjustment to move Rherry to step 10 on the salary schedule after a motion and second.

In the treasurer’s report, Miss Roberts said the district is in the final week of its fiscal year and will flip fiscal-year accounting on July 1. She presented two consent items: board approval for a prior purchase and a transfer of $4,000,500 from the general fund to the capital projects fund. Roberts clarified that the board had previously transferred $600,000 at an earlier meeting, which — combined with the new $4,000,500 transfer — brings the year-to-date transfers to about $4,600,000. “This would bring a total of about 4.6 [million],” Roberts said while correcting a prior misstatement.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included the transfer. The meeting record shows motions, seconds and affirmative votes for the consent items and subsequent motions throughout the meeting.

On athletics, Bethel said the district has been working with the Ohio School Boards Association on a club-sports policy after liability-insurance changes prompted a review of how club sports are handled. He asked the board to waive the first reading so the district could move ahead in time for fall planning. “If we pass the policy, under new business we would then move to recognize our club sports that we currently have,” Bethel said. The board voted to waive the first reading and approved the policy as presented.

Following that vote, the board approved a motion to adopt swimming as an official school sport — removing its regular season from club status so the entire season would be school-sponsored, including postseason OHSAA competition — and approved the list of club sports to be recognized under the new policy.

Other business approved by the board included two personal-services supplemental contracts, the substitute classified list, approval of equitable life insurance rates (a slight increase on renewal since 2020, after the district solicited bids), a contract with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department for the school resource officer, permanent appropriations for fiscal year 2024 and temporary appropriations for fiscal year 2025. The board then voted to adjourn into executive session, stating there would be no action to emerge from that session.

Superintendent Bethel also reviewed multiple summer facilities projects: the new chiller installed at Pleasantville with subsequent installations scheduled at Bremen, Rushville and the high school; coordination with gym-floor sanding and parking-lot resealing; and press-box renovation work at the stadium. He noted ongoing staffing and program updates, including a driver’s-education program launched in April with 25 students (six of whom have completed both class and driving portions) and five scholarship slots currently in use.

The board did not identify any public visitors during the recognition-of-visitors portion. The meeting proceeded through the agenda without recorded dissent on the actions noted above and moved into executive session at the end of the public meeting.