Two percent raises for most everyone in the school district were approved Tuesday by the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education.
Those receiving the raises for the 2017-18 school year include members the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE), Hillsboro Education Association (HEA), exempt classified employees, and administrators and supervisors.
Superintendent Jim Smith, whose retirement was approved by the board for July 31 of this year, said the school district did not have any contractual obligation to approve the raises. But he said that in exchange for the raises the OAPSE members agreed to have all pay checks direct deposited and that the HEA agreed to a new maximum of five professional development days per year as opposed to the former maximum of two.
The board also approved a pay increase from $12 per hour to $13 per hour for substitute bus drivers “to stay competitive with the surrounding districts in Highland County.”
During his superintendent’s report, Smith said that all the gym floors in the district are being refinished this summer. He said the district is collecting estimates to fill cracks, seal and restripe some of its parking lots, especially at the elementary school, with the work slated to completed in July.
Smith said that work on the school’s tennis courts, which basically entails tearing out the four former courts and replacing them with six courts and lighting, is behind schedule, mostly due to setting the light poles. He said that while the school’s tennis courts are being redone, the tennis team will practice on the old tennis courts at the city park.
“In the end we’re going to have a fabulous complex here,” Smith said.
In other news from the meeting:
• Treasurer Ben Teeters reported that the district’s expenses for May were $2.17 million as opposed to $2.02 million for the same time a year age, and that the district’s revenue for May was $1.80 million, as opposed to $1.78 million a year ago.
• The board approved temporary appropriations for fiscal year 2018 that totaled $22.79 million.
• The board approved the following purchase orders in excess of $25,000 for fiscal year 2018: AEP $400,000; AT&T $30,000; Ennis & Britton LPA $30,000; Gordon Foods $512,000; Hartley Oil $130,000; Hillsboro Public Utilities $68,200; Xerox $40,000; Pike Natural Gas $176,000; Auditor of State $30,000; Millennium Business $30,000; Multi-Vendor $473,000; Roetzel & Andress LPA $30,000; Pepsi $30,000; Premier Produce $68,000; Reiter Dairy $89,000; and Rumpke $32,000. Teeters referred to the orders as “super blankets” and said they were requested so the treasurer does not have to ask for purchase orders each month for the listed entities.
• The board approved the resignation of Ryan Wagner as a fifth grade teacher and approved hiring him as a middle school assistant principal. Smith said Wagner’s new position will replace the position of a former administrator who is not returning to the district this year.
• The board approved auctioning the following items at 5 p.m. July 28 at Southern State Community College: two school buses, one truck, and various items including student desks, chairs, book cases and drafting tables.
• The board changed its July meeting date to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 26 at the board offices.
• The board approved the purchase of about 350 new Chromebooks for approximately $70,000. Incoming superintendent Tim Davis said the purchase means that students in grades 9-12 should have pretty much a Chromebook each for their core classes.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].
