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Stow-Munroe Falls board approves slate of service contracts, hires and temporary budget measures
Summary
At its July 1 meeting the Stow-Munroe Falls board approved multiple service contracts and personnel recommendations — from interpreters to bus-routing software — and adopted temporary appropriations to carry the district through September, while several trustees pushed for shorter contract terms.
The Stow‑Munroe Falls City School District Board of Education on July 1 approved a series of personnel recommendations and multi‑year service agreements covering interpreting and translation, special‑education therapy, bus routing and district communications, and authorized temporary appropriations for fiscal 2027.
The board voted to hire Brian Ballheimer as principal at Woodland and to welcome previously approved Riverview principal Sean Dockerty. Administrators also sought approval for continuing contracts the district uses routinely: Cross Threads for in‑person interpretation, Asian Services in Action for phone interpretation, LLA Therapy for occupational/physical/speech services, Wings of Change placements and LearnWell psychiatric services where students require hospital‑based instruction.
Superintendent Dr. Gold said Cross Threads serves roughly 125 students and the district is "monitoring" an additional 96 to determine future needs; she described the phone interpretation contract as a backup for family outreach. On hospital‑based services the administration clarified that reported vendor line items reflect five hours of individual instruction per week for a specific case and that many such services are reimbursable under federal programs tied to students’ IEPs.
Operations staff presented technology and operations contracts the board approved, including a bus routing, GPS and communication package (Tyler Technologies/myRide K12) the district uses for route optimization and parent notifications, and a renewed multi‑year ParentSquare agreement for districtwide messaging and emergency notifications. Operations director Mr. Train said the routing software provides GPS tracking, turn‑by‑turn driver support and quicker route adjustments during absences or road closures.
The board also approved an amended five‑year Xerox lease and service agreement for leased copiers and fleet management; administrators said device counts were reduced and negotiations should lower annual costs by an estimated $8,000 compared with earlier spend levels described as "north of $100,000." A website upgrade with Finalsite to meet federal accessibility requirements and a nutrition‑menu contract (ProTeam) for federal meal compliance were also approved.
Treasurer staff brought temporary appropriations for FY27 to maintain operations through September; members asked for clarifications on fund balances, including a permanent improvement (PI) balance and the 300 (student activity) fund, which the treasurer said had about $203,000 in the turf improvement line. The treasurer told the board the temporary appropriations are intended to be close to projected final appropriations and that a final budget will be adopted by late September.
What’s next: The board approved the consent items and temporary appropriations and will return with final FY27 appropriations in September. Several trustees said they prefer one‑year contracts for vendor or administrative agreements when possible and asked staff to provide historical cost data before future renewals.
Votes at a glance: The board approved the personnel hires, the named vendor contracts and the temporary appropriations by roll call during the meeting, with individual roll calls recorded in the minutes.
