News / Articles

             

Kenston Provides Tool for Residents to Determine How Much 

the Permanent Improvement Levy Will Cost Them Personally

Kenston Board of Education Regular Meeting – September 16, 2024

Meeting Details: The Kenston Board of Education (BOE) regular meeting took place on September 16, 2024, beginning at 7 pm.  The full video is  posted on the Kenston Website page here and on Kenston’s YouTube page here.  View the agenda online and any attached documents here by selecting the meeting tab and then the meeting date and agenda.

Board Attendance: Tom Manning, President, Jennifer Troutman J.D., Vice President, Jim Henry, Dennis Bergansky, and Beth Krause, Ph.D. 

Staff in Attendance: Superintendent Bruce R. Willingham Jr., Ed. D. and Treasurer Seth Cales. 

Reviewer Note:  The time stated for each segment of the meeting indicates the time on the video.

3.25 Min Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance with Dennis Bergansky and Addison Weber, KMS 7th grade student.

4.24 Min REGULAR  MEETING  WELCOME AND ROLL CALL: This meeting is being held in accordance with Section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code. 

 5.27 Min Approval of the Minutes The Kenston Board of Education approved that the reading of these minutes be waived, and approved the minutes of the Special Meeting of August 20, 2024 as recorded or corrected. The minutes of this meeting can be found here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 3.1 on the agenda. 

5.52 Min Kenston Organization Update

• Kenston PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) Council - Megan Hartfelder, President, and Shannan Holodinski, Vice President, spoke about the efforts of all three buildings’ PTOs to create a positive school community including the following:

  • Internet Safety Guest Speaker Event in 2023

  • Book vending machine at Timmons Elementary School

  • Community walkthrough at AfterProm to view the outstanding expertly planned theme

  • Annual February Service Project project in which students wrote letters to Veterans and thank-you notes to community heroes

  • Gaga Ball and additional playground equipment

  • Two senior scholarships each year

PTO would like to see parents get involved to support the school community as little or as much as they choose. Dr. Willingham thanked the PTO for all they do for the school community.

9.23 Min. Kenston Department Update

• Nutrition Services Director, Andrew Mendez (andrewmendez@kenstonapps.org) spoke about a successful start to the school year for the food services.  

  • Mr. Mendez thanked everybody for their patience as the rightsizing plan made for a number of adjustments, but all was handled smoothly with minimal disruption. 

  • Nutrition Services was able to retain all staff in the transition to three buildings. 

  • Mr. Mendez spoke about regular evaluations of teamwork, customer service, and food service.

  • He also spoke about the current innovations in food services and the introduction of new cuisines, global flavors, and new foods including legumes such as hummus and three-bean salad. There are also new offerings for those with special dietary requirements. 

  • The nutrition services department has held student focus groups in order to give the students a voice in their diets.

  •  A hydroponic garden has also been started this year again. 

  • Mr. Mendez highlighted the efforts of the hardworking Nutrition Services team.

Mrs. Troutman noted that the Nutrition Department runs smoothly and that Mr. Mendez is a “standout leader in our district.” She advised that it is clear that the food services team members really respect Mr. Mendez. Mr. Cales said that Mr. Mendez innovates and still keeps to a meticulous budget, taking into account the “high inflationary period.”

No committee or legislative updates to report this month.  

17.07 Min Superintendent’s Report 

• Dr. Willingham updated the board on his efforts to make change and put a proactive plan in place with regards to the summer social media incident. Reviewer Note: More information about the social media incident is available in the July 16, 2024 Kenston Board of Education Observer Report. He had a presentation about the new group called "Student Voices for Change," and he said that the first meeting of this group had 28 students in attendance along with Dr. Willingham, Dr. Poe, and Mr. Gabram. Mr. Willingham told the board he advised the students that for real change to occur, it must be led by the students themselves. The first meeting involved the brainstorming of ideas and included largely juniors and seniors who were then asked to recruit others including younger students to the group. Dr. Willingham advised that the next step is to bring the group back together to pare down the ideas into a direction that they want to go.

• Dr. Willingham highlighted a QR code here that allows residents to ask questions of him and the Treasurer about the PI (Permanent Improvement) Levy on the November ballot. He advised that the majority of questions that he has received have been about the cost to individual homeowners. Mailers about the levy are also going out, and there is a Kenston website available for information here as above. He noted and addressed some FAQs:

1. How can Kenston afford a new weight room if it needs a PI Levy? Dr. Willingham stated that the cost of the weight room is provided entirely through private donations.

2. PI levy funds can also be used for playground equipment.

3. Kenston is also sensitive to the inflationary aspect of the cost of a levy, as the costs for the school district have increased exponentially as well.

4. In light of the recent school shooting, many parents are asking about the safety and security of the school. Dr. Willingham advised that PI Levy funds can be used to address these issues. An example is the AI software, ZeroEyes, a product for which the school would like to receive cost estimates.Further presentation slides featured safety programs and kits already in place in the classroom:

• Stop The Bleed Safety Kits

• Kenston Resource Officers

• Raptor Technology Visitor System

• Run, Hide, Fight, Safety Training

• Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

• Flock Camera System

• Dr. Willingham again advised that the district is actively looking at specific programs that will provide additional layers of security on campus.

26.54 Min. Hearing of the Public on Agenda Items- None

27.02 Min Agenda Items 8 through 17

Financial Items - Approved.  These are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 8.1-8.4 on the agenda. 

• $1,000 donation from Ms. Maria Strong and Ms. Deanne Costello for the KHS Giving Garden.

Certified Personnel Items - Approved. These items are available here for review by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 9.1- 9.2 on the agenda.

Classified Personnel Items - Approved. These items are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 10.1- 10.6  on the agenda. 

Supplemental Personnel Items - Approved. These items are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 11.1-11.3 on the agenda.

Exempt Personnel Items - None

Business Operations  - None

Teaching and Learning - Approved. These items are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 14.1  on the agenda.

• The KMS 7th grade camp has been a feature of the middle school for 52 years. Mrs Burton has led this camp for many of those years.

Special Education Items - None

Old Business Items- None

New Business Items - Approved. These items can be found here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 17.1- 17.3 on the agenda. 

• WHEREAS, the Kenston Local School District Board of Education wishes to advertise and receive bids for the purchase of two (2) eighty-three passenger conventional school bus chassis and bodies and two (2) transit van nine passengers not including the driver. 

• THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Kenston Local School District Board of Education wishes to participate and authorizes the Ohio Schools Council to advertise and receive bids on behalf of said Board as per the specifications submitted for the cooperative purchase of two (2) eighty-three passenger conventional school bus chassis and bodies and two (2) transit van nine passenger not including the driver.

 31.45 Min Hearing of The Public on Non-Agenda items. 

• Michael Eisner expressed his support for the Kenston PI levy. He spoke about the weight room and the athletic groups, coaches and parent groups who are taking ownership for the future maintenance of the facility.

• Corrie Menary stated that she believes that the single most important thing we can provide for a community is strong public schools. She believes that it can be an equalizer for those less advantaged. She feels proud to have her children educated in a quality district and believes our community is centered in our school. She hopes that people will think carefully about their neighborhoods with a yes vote on the Kenston PI levy.

37.15 Min Treasurer’s Report with Visual Presentation

• Mr. Cales highlighted a QR code here where residents can ask questions and the webpage here in which the resident can input their address and discover how much the PI Levy (Permanent Improvement) will cost them each month and/or year based on the appraised value of their home.

• Mr. Cales advised that the goal of this (the PI Levy) “...is to just maintain what we have.” He spoke of the adage that it’s cheaper to maintain what you have than to buy something new. He highlighted the various areas of repair and routine maintenance needed on the school campus and advised that this is what the PI levy will cover. In the past these repairs have been funded by transferring money from the general fund. This Levy will eliminate the need for that transfer. He advised that this means we can “kick the can down the road” or extend the time before the district needs to go back to the community for a new operating levy. For more current district financial information, see the latest (May 2024) update to the Kenston Five Year Forecast here. Mrs. Troutman suggested that people should share this QR and website info with their neighbors so that more people can be informed about the levy.

42.45 Min Motion to adjourn was approved and the video ended at 43 Min (before all votes to adjourn were tallied).

Next regular meeting: October 21, 2024 at 7 pm.  

More information here: Board of Education | Kenston Local Schools

Observer: Jacqueline Berger

Editor: Anne Ondrey

Reviewer: Sarah McGlone

Date Submitted: 9/25/24 

The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.