Board Meeting Recap for June 2025

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 Wednesday, June 25, 2025 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 YouTube here.

Special Recognitions

Turpin High School student Claire Iaciofano was celebrated for earning her second pole vault state championship, resulting in back-to-back titles for Claire! Turpin Athletic Director Tony Hemmelgarn spoke to the Board and audience about Claire’s incredible work ethic and commitment to a difficult sport. He also congratulated Claire on coming first in the pole vault at the Adidas Track Nationals, which took place earlier this month.

Superintendent Update

Superintendent Larry Hook welcomed Mr. Zach Larson and Mr. Chad Raleigh to the meeting. Mr. Larson will serve as the Maddux Elementary School assistant principal beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Mr. Raleigh has been hired as the district’s Coordinator of Facilities and Maintenance, and he will begin working this summer in his new role.

Following up on an ongoing discussion that has taken place at previous Board meetings, Mr. Hook provided an update on the process to review and update procedures related to the selection of instructional materials for school libraries. Administrators across the school district have been involved in providing feedback and developing these procedures, which are directly in alignment with established Board of Education policies.

Mr. Hook also updated the Board on recent developments in the state biennial budget process. The Ohio General Assembly approved a final version of the state budget on Wednesday, which means Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will now review the budget. The governor has the ability to execute line-item vetoes against specific aspects of the budget, if he wishes, and a final budget is required to be in place before July 1, 2025. You can learn more about the ongoing budget process by visiting our school funding webpage here.

Also happening this week at the state level, Superintendent Hook informed the Board of an update to the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit. The Board voted to join the lawsuit during the May regular meeting, but set the joinder resolution to specify the district’s participation beginning after July 1, 2024 to line up with the 2025-2026 school year. A Franklin County Common Pleas judge ruled that Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program is unconstitutional. The voucher program will continue to operate and utilize state funding while the court decision is appealed.

All mental health partners have been selected for the 2025-2026 school year. Mr. Hook provided information about the new partnerships with Necco, serving elementary schools, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, serving students and the middle and high school level.

Additionally, Superintendent Hook provided a full breakdown of the district’s Family Engagement Survey, following up on a sneak peek at the initial results that were shared at the May meeting. Check back here for a link to a dedicated news article with the full survey results in the coming days. In the meantime, you can view the full presentation slides here.

Finally, Mr. Hook shared information about upcoming summer facilities projects and important changes on the horizon for transportation routing software. The new transportation system is expected to improve bus routing and GPS directions for drivers, provide real-time alerts to parents and guardians and deliver automatic mechanical and safety notifications to the Transportation Department.

Board Action

The Board of Education often reviews and votes on a variety of actions that impact different departments throughout the school district. The following action items presented by department representatives were voted on together as part of the “consent agenda.” For specific information about any of the following items, you can find the meeting agenda and attachments here.

Human Resources

• 9.1 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

• 10.1 Certification of Standards Governing Types of Food and Beverages Sold on School Premises
  
  • As of July 2011, Ohio Revised Code 3313.814 requires each school district board of education and each chartered nonpublic school governing authority to adopt and enforce nutrition standards governing the types of food and beverages that may be sold on the premises of its school and specifying the time and place each type of food or beverage may be sold. The standards specified in 3313.816 and 3313.817 are minimum standards and do not preclude the adoption of more stringent standards by the Local Educational Agency (LEA).
  • You can view the district’s annual report regarding the certification of these standards here.
• 10.2 District Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment
  
  • A local school wellness policy ("wellness policy") is a written document that guides a local educational agency (LEA) or school district's efforts to establish a school environment that promotes students' health, well-being, and ability to learn. The final rule requires at a minimum a triennial assessment by state agencies. LEAs must conduct and assess compliance, progress toward goals, and how it compares to model wellness policies. Also, strengthening such policies with the wellness policy requirements that were established by the Child Nutrition and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act of 2004 and further strengthened by the Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). It requires each LEA participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program to develop a wellness policy.
  • You can view the FHSD Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment here.
• 10.3 Resolution Declaring Impractical Transportation 2025-2026
  
  • This resolution lists certain non-public schools where transportation has been declared impractical. Families of students attending those schools will be offered payment in lieu of transportation, pursuant to state law. You can read the resolution here.

Teaching and Learning

• 11.1 School Resource Officer and Anderson Township Agreement
  
  • This item approves the Cooperative Agreement and Resolution with the Board of Township Trustees of Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio for the services of a second School Resource Officer. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.2 Children's Hospital Service Agreement 2025-2026
  
  • This item approves an agreement with Children’s Hospital Medical Center to provide mental health services to FHSD youth and families while working with agencies and schools. This partnership replaces an existing agreement with a separate agency, and it comes at zero cost to the school district. You can read the full agreement here.
• 11.3 PK-6 and 7-12 FHSD Student-Parent Handbooks for 2025-2026
  
  • This item approves the grades PK-6 and the grades 7-12 FHSD Student-Parent Handbooks for the 2025-2026 school year. You can view the PK-6 Handbook here and the 7-12 Handbook here.
• 11.4 Satellite Agreement with Great Oaks
  
  • The purpose of this agreement is to establish program requirements, conditions and procedures for a close working relationship between FHSD and Great Oaks Career Campuses in order to implement a well-coordinated career technical education program in FHSD, specifically the Teacher Preparatory Academy (TPA) and DECA programs. You can read the full agreement here.
• 11.5 LEAD Partnership Agreement
  
  • This item approves a partnership agreement with LEAD, which is meant to expand and strengthen college and career readiness efforts through a customized strategic roadmap, targeted programming, and workforce development initiatives.
  • The total cost to FHSD will be $16,125 and funding will come from Career Awareness and Exploration funds available via Career Technical Education programs.
  • You can view the related documents here.
• 11.6 Hamilton County Educational Service Center-Head Start MOU 2025-2026
  
  • This memorandum of understanding between FHSD and Hamilton County Educational Service Center Head Start will serve up to 16 children ages 3-5 who qualify for services due to low income. The Head Start early learning preschool program is held at Mercer Elementary School. You can view the MOU here.
• 11.7 Special Instructional Services - Clermont County Educational Service Center 2025-2026
  
  • This item approves an Itinerant Hearing Impaired Supplemental Support Teacher (SST) to provide direct services, per the IEPs, to our students who are deaf and/or hearing impaired. This will cost FHSD $650 per day of service and $325 per half-day. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.8 SJO Kids, Inc. dba NewPath Child and Family Services Agreement (2025-2026)
  
  • This agreement between FHSD and SJO Kids provides mental health and educational services through a residential interventions program. The cost of the agreement is $76,802.05 for two educational aides. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.9 Contract Cincinnati Occupational Therapy Institute, Inc.
  
  • This item approves appropriate Occupational Therapy Services, per the student IEPs, at Mercer and Wilson Elementary Schools. The contracted time in the school will include a full-time therapist (OTR/L and/or COTA) at 60 hours per week to service both schools. The cost to the district will be $84 per hour for a total cost of $176,400. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.10 Cincinnati Center for Autism
  
  • This item approves a contract to provide educational services for a special education student. The service amount reflects placement from August 11, 2025, to June 26, 2026 at a cost to the district of $100,842.50. You can view the contract here.
• 11.11 Clermont County Educational Service Center - CEC/South
  
  • This item approves a contract to provide educational services for a special education student at a total cost of $111,275. You can view the contract here.
• 11.12 Agreement with Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) 2025-2026
  
  • This agreement between the Forest Hills School District and Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) is required for the Board of HCDDS to provide services to students from Forest Hills for the 2025-2026 school year. This agreement is for one year, for the district to pay for services for students who attend Rost or Fairfax Schools. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.13 Resolution to Contract with Clermont County Education Services Center - CEC South 2025-2026
  
  • This agreement with Clermont County Education Services Center supports the placement (per IEPs) of three special education students at a cost of $41,769 ($240.05 per day each). You can view the resolution here.
• 11.14 Resolution to Contract with Applied Behavioral Services West Chester 2025-2026
  
  • This agreement supports the placement (per IEP) of a special education student from August 7, 2025 to June 26, 2026 at a cost of $119,500. You can view the agreement here.
• 11.15 Resolution to Contractor Agreement for Student Services and Educational Services
  
  • This contract agreement supports the therapeutic and educational services for a district elementary special education student in a specialized day treatment program (Wasserman Center), operated by the Clermont County ESC and Child Focus, Inc. The cost to the district will be $44,452.35 (annual projected costs at 173 days). You can view related documents here.

Technology

• 12.1 Hamilton Clermont Cooperative (HCC) Contract July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026
  
  • This item approves a contract to provide network and software services at a cost of $258,410.93. You can view the contract here.
• 12.2 ComDoc Document Management Agreement
  
  • This item approves the renewal of a lease and maintenance contract for district print and copier services. You can view related documents here.

Treasurer Update

• 13.1 Treasurer's Report
  
  • Treasurer Alana Cropper’s May report 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
    • Transfer and Advance of Funds
    • Travel Allowance
    • Board Service Fund
    • Permanent Appropriations and Amendments
  • You can find the May Cash Position Report here.

Committee Reports

Board Members provided updates on the committee meeting listed below.

• Technology and Facilities Committee
  
  • Committee Chairperson Bob Bibb provided an update on the committee meeting held on June 9, 2025 which discussed topics such as plans to conduct an enrollment projection study, efforts to reduce transportation fuel costs, an upgrade to the transportation routing software and upcoming summer facilities projects.

Board Discussion

The Board celebrated and congratulated Anderson Raptor Report (student newspaper) for recently being named a top 5 student newspaper in Ohio and being the only school in the state ranked in top 10 for both print and web versions. They also discussed ELO design lab programs at the elementary level that explored concepts of play spaces and real-world themed design programs.

The Board also discussed the special meeting held on June 9, 2025, during which the Board of Education met to discuss its vision and focus areas and finalize drafts for the superintendent and treasurer evaluations. The Board identified five key areas of focus: students, staff, financial stewardships, facilities and communications. The Board’s goal is to work with district leaders to gather relevant data and metrics related to these key areas that can be shared publicly to better inform the community about the district’s execution of the Strategic Plan.

Regarding the Superintendent and Treasurer evaluations, the Board explained that an initial evaluation for each position will be conducted later in the summer to set a baseline and expectations for the upcoming school year. There will be a mid-year evaluation in December and a full-year evaluation conducted at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 school year.

You can click the following link to view the full discussion period, which begins at 1:20:40 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.”

• Special Meeting - May 7, 2025
• Records Commission Meeting - May 21, 2025
• Regular Meeting - May 21, 2025