West Geauga Board Hears Report On State-Funded Special Student Services
West Geauga Board of Education Special Meeting – July 14, 2026
Meeting Details: The West Geauga Board of Education met on July 14, 2026 at 4:30 pm in the Board Office Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township. Meetings are open to the public and media. The meeting agenda and minutes are available online. Look for the Meeting tab in the right hand corner. Pick the meeting you want to review and then click on “Agenda.” A video recording is available here. As of the date of publication of this report, this video has been viewed 54 times. Notations in the report refer to the minute notation on the video for a particular section.
Board Attendance: Mrs. Pam Claypool, President; Dr. William Beers, Vice President; Mrs. Kathy Leavenworth, Member; Mrs. Ellen Naylor, Member; and Mr. Mark Vidmar, Member, were present.
Staff Attendees: Dr. Nancy Benincasa, Superintendent; Mrs. Karen Pavlat, Treasurer/CFO; Dr. Amy Davis, Assistant Superintendent; Mr. Scott Amstutz, Director of Operations & Technology and Ms. Meagan Bellan, Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
Other Attendees: The Board attorney, two other unidentified persons and this Observer were in attendance.
Opening of the Regular Meeting - The Special Meeting was called to order at 4:30 pm by Mrs. Claypool. The roll call was conducted, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
1.17 min. Program Reports and Presentation
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2026-07-237 Student Wellness and Success Funding and Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid Uses, by Dr. Amy Davis. Dr. Davis explained that the Student Wellness & Success Program supports the mental, emotional and physical health of the students, and the Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid program focuses on engagement with academics and other academic barriers. Funding for each of these programs is provided by the State of Ohio to the District annually. Funding is based on the number of disadvantaged students and the average daily attendance of the District. She identified the following community service providers for the two programs: Ravenwood Health, Education Center of the Western Reserve, and Geauga Family First Council.Dr. Davis provided the Board a report with detailed information about the programs and their costs for the 2025-2026 school year which is available as an attachment to the meeting agenda and will be available on the District web site. Mrs. Claypool asked if the report showed the cost and reimbursement amounts for all of the services, and Dr. Davis indicated that was the case. Dr. Beers asked which non-English languages were involved in these programs and was informed that Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian were.
The Board accepted the report and did not vote on the resolution.
Observer Notes:
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Ravenwood Health is a private nonprofit, trauma informed agency that strives to provide a safe and compassionate community that supports and respects the unique journey of each person's path to healing, creating hope for all those who walk through their doors. Trauma Informed Care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.
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The Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve is committed to providing innovative programming and quality services to support and promote student achievement in all aspects of the educational communities within the region and state.
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The Geauga Family First Council is a collaborative of local agencies and community representatives who pool resources and work together to strengthen Geauga families. The Council helps remove barriers through prevention, early intervention, and the provision of services which support the entire family.
3.40 min. Personnel Resolutions - All Passed
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2026-07-238 Resolution to Accept Classified Staff Resignations
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2026-07-239 Resolution to Approve Certified Stipends for Work Outside of the 2026-2027 Contractual Year
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2026-07-240 Resolution to Approve 3.5% Raises for Central Office Staff for the 2026-2027 School Year
4.45 min. Business Resolution - Passed
5.55 min. Board Resolution - Passed
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2026-07-242 Resolution to Approve the Certification of the 2026 West Geauga High School Graduates- In response to a question from Dr. Beers, Dr. Benincasa explained that this formally certifies that these students have filled all requirements and credit accumulation by the end of the 2025-2026 school year and are graduates.
8.40 min. Executive Session - Passed
The Board attorney, Mrs. Pavlat, and Dr. Benincasa were invited to join the Executive Session. The Board indicated they would not take any further action after reconvening to the Regular Meeting.
Reconvene into Regular Session - The Board reconvened to the Regular Session at 6:00 pm with no action taken.
1:29.25 min. Next Meeting/Adjournment
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There will be a Regular Meeting on Monday, July 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm, in the Board Office Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road in Chester Township.
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2026-07-244 Resolution to Adjourn - Passed - The meeting was adjourned at 6.02 pm.
Observer: Bob Doxey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: July 16, 2026
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