Board Meeting Recap for April 2024

Forest Hills School District is utilizing these articles as a way to communicate specific action taken at regular Board of Education meetings throughout the year. The Board of Education met on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at Mercer Elementary School to discuss a variety of topics relevant to students, staff and the community.

The official agenda and related attachments for this meeting can be found on the FHSD BoardDocs page here. You can watch a full recording of the meeting on YouTube here.

Special Recognitions

All nine FHSD schools honored an outstanding volunteer for the 2023-2024 school year. The district is incredibly grateful to all individuals who decide to dedicate their time and energy to support students and staff. Please click here to read a brief article that lists all the volunteers recognized during the meeting and thanks them for their efforts. PHOTOS.

The Forest Hills Foundation for Education reminded community members to sign up to participate in the FH5K, which will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Individuals can register online by following this link, and folks are able to participate virtually if they will be out of town or otherwise unable to attend in person.

FHFE will also host a pre-race party on Thursday, April 18 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Wandering Monsters. The restaurant is graciously donating 10% of food sales to the Foundation during this event.

All funds raised through the FH5K will be used by FHFE to directly support student wellness initiatives throughout the school district.

Superintendent Update

Superintendent Larry Hook thanked the volunteers who were recognized by each school building earlier in the meeting. He acknowledged their dedication and sacrifice, pointing out how lucky FHSD is to be supported by volunteers like this and the many others who work behind the scenes to support students.

Mr. Hook also announced several administrative changes and welcomed some new members to FHSD. Current Turpin Assistant Principal Camey Eberhard will become the associate principal beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. Nathan Dumford, also a current assistant principal at Turpin High School, will assume a new role in Central Office as Coordinator of Secondary Special Education beginning next school year.

Joining the Turpin administrative team are two new assistant principals. The first is Ashley Warren, who is finishing up her eighth year as an assistant principal at Sycamore High School.  The second is JP Casanova, who is finishing up his first year as the principal of North College Hill, but will also bring with him fifteen years of administrative experience. They will each begin their roles at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Mr. Ali Moore has been selected to serve as FHSD’s Director of Student Services, beginning next school year. Mr. Moore has extensive administrative experience as a building principal at Colerain Middle School and as the Safety and Security Director at Princeton City Schools.

Bryan Stewart, Head Custodian at Nagel Middle School, will transition to a new role as the Supervisor of Facilities and Maintenance with responsibilities to oversee all custodial staff across the school district. The district is excited to have Mr. Stewart step into this supervisory role.

Additionally, Mr. Hook shared that the district has once again received national recognition as a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. This is a prestigious honor that FHSD has been able to earn the past several years, and it is a direct recognition of the district’s stellar music education programs across all schools. You can learn more about the award and the criteria for recognition in this news article on the FHSD website.

The district also celebrated Mercer Third Grade Teacher Erinn Cox for being selected as a finalist to represent Ohio in the national review for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Out of the entire state of Ohio, only five teachers were selected for this honor.

Mr. Hook recognized Mrs. Cox for her ability to create meaningful lessons to solve real-world problems which truly engage students in the learning process. She’s described by colleagues as an educational leader in her building who works to empower students and staff to get excited about hands-on learning, collaborate with each other and the community, and think outside the box. Mrs. Cox has led some wonderful educational initiatives with the Anderson Township Historical Society and Urban Farm, and she is working with our Food Service and Custodial staff to develop creative ways to improve sustainability and become more environmentally friendly. Both areas have offered many hands-on learning opportunities for students.

State finalists are reviewed by a national review panel and one awardee from each state may be chosen in each subject area. Awardees will be announced by the Office of the President of the United States. FHSD is wishing Mrs. Cox the best of luck throughout this process.

Board Action

The Board of Education often reviews and votes on a variety of actions that impact different departments throughout the school district. The following action items presented by department representatives were voted on together as part of the “consent agenda.” For specific information about any of the following items, you can find the meeting agenda and attachments here.

The following items in the consent agenda were approved by the Board of Education.

Human Resources

• 8.1 Human Resources Report
  
  • The report covers a variety of topics including retirements, resignations and appointments of different staff members. You can view the report here and find related attachments here.

Business Operations

• 9.1 Resolution Expressing Intent to Award Contract for Turpin High School Auditorium Stage Lighting Renovation
  
  • This resolution awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Beck Studios, for the Auditorium Stage Lighting Renovation at Turpin High School at an estimated cost of $137,054.00.
  • You can view the resolution here.

Teaching and Learning/Curriculum

• 10.1 Overnight Field Trip Requests
  
  • This item approves several overnight field trip requests for students.
  • You can view the proposed trip here.
• 10.2 Foreign Exchange Student - Turpin High School
  
  • This item approves the enrollment of a foreign exchange student at Turpin High School for the 2024-2025 school year.
• 10.3 Health Course of Study
  
  • This item presents the updated Health Course of Study to the Board of Education. The document, linked below, will be available for review in the Teaching and Learning Department until the May 2024 Board of Education regular meeting, at which time formal board approval will be requested.
  • You can read the proposed Health Course of Study here.

Technology

• 11.1 E-Rate Bids for Purchase of Equipment and Services
  
  • This item approves bids for the purchase and installation of network infrastructure improvements as presented. Forest Hills School District is eligible for E-Rate funding to offset 40% of the cost of infrastructure improvements including access points, switches, batteries, and installation costs.
  • You can view the bids presented here.

Treasurer Update

• 12.1 New 403b Provider - IPX Retirement
  
  • This item approves the addition of a new district provider to the Forest Hills School District 403(B) Plan. The vendor and investment products meet the requirements imposed by the Employer as permitted under Ohio Revised Code - Annuity Contracts and Custodial Accounts.
  • IPX Retirement has attained the eight (8) accounts necessary and submitted the required documentation and agreements to be eligible as an approved provider under the Forest Hills School District 403(B) Plan Document.
• 12.2 Treasurer's Report
  
  • Treasurer Alana Cropper’s April report provided information on the following items:
    
    • Donations
    • Five-Year Forecast
    • General Fund Revenue
    • General Fund Expenditures
    • General Operating Cash Balance
    • Permanent Improvement Fund
    • Investment Income Snapshot
    • Past Month Reconciliation
    • Permanent Appropriations
    • Amendment to Permanent Appropriations
  • You can find the March Cash Position Report here.

Committee Reports

Board Members provided updates on the committee meeting listed below.

• Policy Committee
  
  • Committee Chairperson Sara Jonas provided an update on the March 27 meeting. This meeting was held to discuss NEOLA policy updates from Volume 42,  No 2, which you can find here. These items were brought before the Board for a first reading, and they will be considered for formal approval at the next regular meeting of the Board of Education on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
• Teaching and Learning Committee
  
  • Committee Chairperson Katie Steward provided an update on the March 27 meeting. At the meeting, the committee discussed course of study updates, legislative topics and updates on wellness programming.

Board Discussion

The Board of Education touched on a number of topics during the designated open discussion portion of the meeting, including looking into potential partnerships to address ongoing challenges with district aquatic facilities. Some members also discussed details about the Health Course of Study. You can watch the full Board Discussion on the FHSD YouTube Page here (beginning at 1:45:44).

Approved Minutes

The Board of Education approved minutes for the following meetings, which you can view by clicking the link associated with each meeting. After clicking the appropriate link, you will need to then click “View Minutes” under Agenda Item Details, next to the category titled “Minutes.”

• Finance Committee Meeting - March 12, 2024
• Regular Meeting - March 20, 2024
• Policy Committee Meeting - March 27, 2024
• Teaching and Learning Committee Meeting - March 27, 2024