A 2020-21 school calendar almost identical to this year’s was approved Monday by the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education.
“The only real change is that we took off the Monday after Easter to give people the opportunity, if they are going to travel for Easter, not to have to travel on Sunday,” Superintendent Tim Davis said.
Students will have Friday, April 2 and Monday, April 5 off for Easter break.
The first day of school in Hillsboro next school year will be Wednesday, Aug. 12. The last day for students will be May 19 and graduation will be held May 23.
Spring break will be March 11, 12 and 15, and Oct. 30 and Jan. 4 will be professional development days, when teachers are at work but students have the day off.
During his report to the board, Davis gave a brief update on construction of the new auditorium. He said the project is on schedule with about 95 percent of the below-grade concrete work completed. He said the concrete slab is expected to be poured this week.
The superintendent also said the school district hopes in the next week or so to start looking at where to place a new access road from SR 247 to the middle school/high school.
At last month’s meeting, the board voted to purchase a five-acre tract of land for $40,000 from retired teacher Donita Everetts for the new access road.
Currently, there is only one way to enter or exit the school grounds, which causes traffic backup issues during events attended by a large number of people.
Davis said after last month’s meeting that the school district would ideally like to have the road completed by beginning of the 2020-21 school year, or at least by the time the new auditorium opens. But he also said no dates for construction had been determined.
He said at the time that tentative plans were for the road to run from what he described as approximately left of the Sam Barnhouse Center behind the middle school/high school to SR 247.
He said the district has talked about naming the road Everetts Way as a way to thank Everetts and her family.
A 1980 Hillsboro High School graduate, Everetts retired from the school district in 2015 after serving as a teacher for 31 years.
Davis also reminded the board that some students will compete in a robotics competition Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Southern State Community College campus in Hillsboro. McClain High School will join Hillsboro in hosting the event that should last most of the day.
At October’s meeting board member Tom Milbery made a plea to the community for financial help with the district’s Power Pack program that sends food home with students who are eligible during weekends or extended school breaks. At the time, Milbery said 39 eligible students were not receiving their Power Packs because the district had exceeded its allocation from the Freestore Food Bank of Cincinnati.
Monday, Milbery said that all those students are now receiving the extra food.
“I think that’s big thank you to our community, businesses and individuals, both named and unnamed, whose deep pockets came through,” Milbery said.
Board president Bill Myers said he was thankful the school’s athletic department decided to honor longtime volunteer Larry Cole at a basketball game last week.
“Mr. Cole has served our district in a volunteer capacity for I don’t even know how many years,” Myers said. …”In a day and age when volunteerism is not at its highest point, it’s always an honor to go in and see him there.”
The board approved a long list of supplemental contracts for the following, pending a satisfactory background check: Abby Baker, middle school girls track; Tim Bell, softball high school assistant; Gary Breeden, softball high school assistant; Matt Garman, varsity baseball; Trevor Gleadle, middle school boys track; Ethan Hurtt, high school assistant boys track; Bud Marsh, varsity boys track; Ben Miller, high school baseball assistant; Katie Moberly, varsity softball; Jessica Molyet, high school assistant girls track; Brett Prince, middle school boys track; Duston Richards, high school baseball assistant; Matt Schneider, middle school girls track; Rob Snavely, varsity girls track; Larue Turner, high school tennis; Brandon Wilson, high school baseball assistant.
Approved as athletic volunteers were Wyatt Condo for baseball and Nathan Rutledge for track and field.
At the beginning of the meeting the board honored fifth grade student council members including Tylee Davis, Adalyn Gaines, Phoebe Holland, Brynne Holsted, Braxton Jenkins, Garry McDonald, Josie Rhoades, McKenna Stevens and Bailey Wallen.
“This group has kind of definitely stepped up to the plate and took on a few more challenges than they normally have,” Intermediate School Principal Jimmy Rhoades said.
Student council adviser Jennifer Chaney added, “These are your future leaders. I am so proud of them. And they’ve grown so much this year.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
