Laurel School Board approves routine hires, handbook change and $840,118 bond rebate payment

The Laurel School District Board of Trustees approved a series of routine action items at its public meeting, including personnel actions, handbook changes required by a Title I audit and a required federal tax payment tied to the district’s bond investments.

The board voted to hire an assistant girls soccer coach (listed in the agenda as Jay Shovar) pending a background check after a motion and second were recorded. The board also approved adding an annual family letter to all student handbooks to address a Title I audit finding related to McKinney‑Vento requirements for students experiencing homelessness; an administrator said, “It’s just information from the federal government,” describing the insertion as an administrative compliance step.

In the meeting’s largest single financial vote, the board approved a bond arbitrage rebate payment to the Internal Revenue Service after investment earnings exceeded the IRS limit on tax‑exempt bond proceeds. A trustee moved to approve the payment in the amount recorded in the meeting ($840,118.45); the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

Other routine approvals included lists of out‑of‑district students leaving and attending Laurel Schools, administrative updates to human resources and Title IX contact information, and approval of weekend and blended traffic education classes for the 2026–27 school year. The chair announced each vote as passed on voice vote or by saying “motion carries.”

The board did not take any controversial or contested votes during the session; most items were presented by staff, moved and seconded, and approved without recorded roll‑call tallies. The meeting concluded with several informational reports and a call for an executive session on a student privacy matter.