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Board Meeting Recap for January 2026

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Board Meeting Recap for January 2026

Jan 31, 2026
Board Meeting Recap Board of Education
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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 Thursday, January 22, 2026 at Mercer Elementary School to discuss a variety of topics relevant to students, staff and the community.

The official agenda and related attachments for this meeting can be found on the FHSD BoardDocs page here. You can watch a full recording of the meeting on the district’s YouTube page here.

Special Recognitions

Turpin High School orchestra students performed in a string quartet and shared their impressive talents with the community, board members and administrators by performing String Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 159 — II. Allegro W. A. Mozart. The performance was under the direction of Lynn Poffenberger, orchestra director at Turpin High School.

The Forest Hills Foundation for Education highlighted a 2025 teacher grant that was provided to Nagel STEM teacher Julie Koenig. The grant gave Nagel students the opportunity to receive hands-on, experiential learning with drones and coding robots.

FHFE also touched on ways they are implementing two key aspects of their Strategic Roadmap 2025-2028: increase student engagement and increase alumni involvement. The organization is once again offering student-led grants to embrace student voice. Grants are due February 12 and will be awarded in mid-March. Additionally, FHFE is making progress on its alumni directory project that will be completed in the next few months. The Foundation is encouraging all alumni to respond to information they might receive about this initiative so they can stay connected to our school district.

Community members are encouraged to save the date for the FH5K, which is going to be held on Saturday, May 9 at Nagel Middle School. FHFE also reminded local businesses and individuals that sponsorship opportunities are still available.

You can learn more about the Foundation’s initiatives and find ways to support their efforts by visiting the FHFE website at https://fhfe.org/.

Organizational Meeting Update

On January 10, 2026, the Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting. They elected Wendy Strickler to serve as Board President and Jason Simmons to serve as Board Vice President for 2026. The Board also set meeting dates and times throughout the year and made appointments for committees and liaison positions. You can view meeting times here, and you can find committee assignments and liaison positions here.

Superintendent Update

Superintendent Larry Hook recognized the service and dedication of all board members as part of School Board Recognition Month in Ohio. As part of this special month, the district is celebrating our school board members for their commitment to our students and community. Thank you to the dedicated leaders who are scaling new heights in public education! They play a crucial role in the education of our children.

Mr. Hook also announced that all nine FHSD schools recently received the Purple Star Designation from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. The Purple Star Award recognizes schools that show a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Additionally, Superintendent Hook talked about the Nagel GLOW Pep Rally that was held earlier this month. The pep rally is part of the school’s efforts to cultivate a culture of hope, belonging and connection. Details were also shared about the transition process for current sixth grade students to make sure they enter middle school next year ready to succeed.

The superintendent also reminded community members that it is time to start thinking about kindergarten registration and preschool lottery applications for the 2026-2027 school year. Kindergarten registration opened January 20 and the preschool peer model lottery opens on February 1. You can find additional details on our website here.

As part of ongoing efforts to implement the FHSD Strategic Plan, Mr. Hook shared important updates related to the following aspects of the plan:

  • 2.5 Priority/Action Statement: Promote opportunities for ongoing reflection and feedback, fostering greater learner ownership of their educational journey.
  • 3.1 Priority/Action Statement: Support students through tier-one PBIS-aligned experiences that exemplify the values of the FHSD Culture Blueprint.

Superintendent Hook recently hosted his Student Leadership Council, which is made up of representatives from grades 7-12 and includes students from all secondary schools. The meeting allowed Mr. Hook to get critical feedback from student leaders while also encouraging them to serve their schools as positive role models. Student disciplinary data was also presented to the Board, with special emphasis on vaping-related offenses and efforts to address that behavior and support healthy choices for students.

Finally, the Board of Education engaged in two detailed conversations about separate topics with Superintendent Hook to close out this portion of the meeting.

In anticipation of a potential student demonstration during the school day, board members and the superintendent discussed how the district responds to situations like that, what kinds of policy and legal procedures should be followed and what safety measures would be in place to protect students on school property. You can watch this full discussion beginning at 1:14:40 in the board meeting livestream.

Separately, the Board of Education asked Superintendent Hook about a potential visit from the U.S. Department of Education and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. There was a detailed discussion about the timeline of events, concerns about the nature of the program and what circumstances led to the district not moving forward with the possible opportunity. You can watch this full discussion beginning at 1:22:51 in the board meeting livestream.

Board Action

The Board of Education often reviews and votes on a variety of actions that impact different departments throughout the school district. For specific information about any of the following items, you can find the meeting agenda and attachments here.

The following items in the consent agenda were approved by the Board of Education.

Human Resources

  • 8.1 Human Resources Report
    • The report covers a variety of topics including retirements, resignations and appointments of different staff members. You can view the report here and find related attachments here.

Business Operations

  • 9.1 Resolution Authorizing Solicitation of Cooperative Contract (Ayer Roof)
    • This resolution authorizes the Equalis Group to advertise and receive Bids for roof improvements at Ayer Elementary at a cost of $0. You can read the resolution here.
  • 9.2 Resolution Authorizing Advertisement and Solicitation of Bids (Operations Center Concrete)
    • This resolution authorizes the district to to advertise and solicit bids for the repair of the Operations Center Concrete at an estimated cost of $90,000. You can read the resolution here.

Teaching and Learning

  • 10.1 Proposed Secondary Course Change Descriptions for 2026-2027 School Year
  • 10.2 Overnight Field Trip Requests
    • This item approves planned and possible overnight field trip requests which you can find here.
  • 10.3 Summer School Dates and Fees for 2026 Grades 7-12

Technology

Treasurer Update

  • 11.1 Treasurer’s Report
    • Treasurer Alana Cropper presented the December report which provided information on the following items:
      • Donations
      • Five-Year Forecast
      • General Fund Revenue
      • General Fund Expenditures
      • General Operating Cash Balance
      • Permanent Improvement Fund
      • Investment Income Snapshot
      • Past Month Reconciliation
      • Approval of Certification of Funds
    • You can find the December Cash Position Report here.

This completes the meeting’s consent agenda.

Board Discussion

The Board of Education discussed a plan for responding to emails and questions from the community that are directed at all five board members. Moving forward, and based on similar practices that had been in place previously, Board President Wendy Strickler intends to respond on behalf of the board. Individual members will be able to respond separately if they feel it is necessary, and any questions that are directed at specific board members will be that member’s responsibility to address.

The Board shared information with the community about the purpose and goals of the “work session” regular meetings that have been scheduled throughout 2026. By scheduling these work sessions in advance, the Board hopes that it will allow the community to better plan to attend if they wish. Board members talked about the possibility of spending time at an upcoming work session looking into the FHSD Strategic Plan.

Board members also discussed Inclement weather procedures and indicated there might be a chance to improve collaboration with Anderson Township on snow removal. Additionally, celebrations and shoutouts across several buildings and programs were shared with the community.

You can click the following link to view the full discussion period, which begins at 2:27:03 during the meeting livestream.

Approved Minutes

The Board of Education approved minutes for the following meetings, which you can view by clicking the link associated with each meeting. After clicking the appropriate link, you will need to then click “View Minutes” under Agenda Item Details, next to the category titled “Minutes.”
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