Board Meeting Recap for March 2023
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, March 15, 2023 at Mercer Elementary School to discuss a variety of topics relevant to students, staff and the community.
Special Recognitions
Eight students from Turpin High School and Anderson High School were recognized as National Merit Finalists. This places them among the 16,000 highest performing students in the entire country. Congratulations to Daniel Hensler, Samuel Mizukawa, Cole Williams and Benjamin Zhou from Anderson High School. Congratulations to Jacob Goehring, Shobhit Mishra, Vipul Rao and Braden Williams from Turpin High School.
Several students from Nagel Middle School presented research projects on changes they hope to see in their school. This is part of an initiative called Design Thinking Fair, which gives students the opportunity to collaborate and pursue their passions to make a difference in their school community and learning experiences. Students Audrey Pinto, Emma Weisenberger, Cora Harman and Lucy Smith suggested changes to lunch room seating to improve social outcomes among classmates. Students Calvin Smart and Andrew Houghtaling suggested adding a “recess” opportunity to lunch period, including an outdoor basketball space. The Forest Hills Foundation for Education surprised the students with a grant for recess equipment upgrades to make that plan a reality.
Allie Hardman and Katy Hoying are the two ELA teachers who spearheaded the project.
Superintendent Update
Superintendent Larry Hook provided information about specific reduction scenarios related to the upcoming May 2, 2023 levy.
For additional information about his presentation, please click here.
For additional information about the combination levy, please click here.
Board Action
The Board of Education often reviews and votes on a variety of actions that impact different departments throughout the school district. Sometimes, the action items presented by department representatives are voted on together as part of the “consent agenda.”
The Human Resources report was voted on separately from the consent agenda during the March meeting. Both were approved by the Board of Education. For specific information about any of the following items, you can find the meeting agenda and attachments here.
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
- 8.1 BrightView Landscapes, LLC, Landscape Services Agreement
- The total cost of the agreement is $129,688.65 and it is effective January 1, 2023 through December 21, 2023.
- 8.2 District Insurance
- The renewal of district insurance carriers will cost $411,535.00 for the period of April 1, 2023 through April 1, 2024.
HUMAN RESOURCES
- 9.1 Human Resources Report is the item for approval
- The report covers a variety of topics including appointments for coaches in spring sports, a robust list of volunteers, revised job descriptions for some positions, among other items.
- William Amburgey was hired to be an assistant principal at Anderson High School, replacing Dave Kammerer who is retiring at the end of this school year.
- This item was approved in a separate vote.
TEACHING AND LEARNING/CURRICULUM
- 10.1 Addendum to the ELA Course of Study
- This addendum was presented to supplement the original ELA course of study that was approved by the Board on January 18, 2023. This addendum provides additional clarification about AP courses and elective courses offered in language arts.
- 10.2 Computer Science Course of Study
- The updated Computer Science Course of Study was presented to the Board and public for the first time. Formal approval will be requested at the April 19, 2023 meeting.
- 10.3 Science Course of Study
- The updated Science Course of Study was presented to the Board and public for the first time. Formal approval will be requested at the April 19, 2023 meeting.
TEACHING AND LEARNING/STUDENT SERVICES
- 11.1 Resolution Agreement
- These resolution agreements are required to be kept confidential pursuant to FERPA (20 USC 1232 g et al.), R.C. 3319.321 and IDEA (34 CFR §§ 300.610 through 300.626).
TECHNOLOGY
- 12.1 HCCA Renewal Contract for Internet Services
- HCCA is the current internet services provider (ISP) for Forest Hills. This contract renews our agreement to provide services for a five-year period beginning July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2028.
TREASURER
- 13.1 Treasurer’s Report
- Treasurer Alana Cropper’s report provided information on the following items:
- Donations
- Statement of Board Accounts
- General Fund Receipts
- General Fund Expenditures by Function
- General Fund Expenditures by Object
- Monthly Bank Statement
- Amendments to Permanent Appropriations
- Closing Student Activity Fund
- Approval of Certification of Funds
- Treasurer Alana Cropper’s report provided information on the following items:
Approved Minutes
The Board of Education approved minutes for the February 15, 2023 meeting. You can view those official minutes here. Click “View Minutes” under Agenda Item Details, next to the category titled “Minutes.”
