Recap of June 25 Ada Board of Education meeting

By Betsi Werling

The Ada Board of Education met on Thursday, June 25, with board president Matt Gossman conducting the meeting. The first item of business was the appointment of new board member Matt Fisher, following Justin Hollon's resignation. Treasurer Tessa McVey administered the oath. Jay Salyer was elected Vice President. 

HICKMAN RECOGNIZED
Superintendent Julie Simmons took a moment to recognize Kayleb Hickman for outstanding track achievement. He placed 2nd in the 400m at the OHSAA state finals and broke a school record set in 2001 by Coach Tyler Craig, who attended the meeting with his sprinter. Hickman will attend Ohio Northern University this fall.

MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL REPORT

College Credit Plus
Principal Dr. Dan Lee reported that a total of 896 credits were earned through the College Credit Plus program. Some of the increase was due to expanded partnerships with the University of Findlay. 

Incentives
Each year, there are quarterly incentives and yearly incentives for students who have no office referrals and at least a C in all their classes. The school goal has been 75%, and for many years, classes got close to this mark. This year, for the first time, 77% was achieved. 

State report card
Last year, the State Report Card graded Ada Schools with 2 stars for College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness. Next year's report card will show 4 stars based on the accomplishments of 2025 graduates. A goal this year was to increase the number of scholarship applications submitted. It was up by 44%, with 117 applications submitted. 

Professional development
Teachers had two additional professional development days this year and focused on a program that will help with writing and the gifted program.

New Veteran’s Day plan
IN 2026-2027, students will be in school on Veterans’ Day. A committee has been established to make it a special day for the community. 

Individual graduation plans
Every student in the district in grades 9-12 has a graduation plan, and this will be expanded to 8th graders. The district will use an early warning dashboard to monitor attendance, discipline and missing assignments. The goal is to help students as soon as there is a concern. 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPORT 

Diagnostic assessments
Principal Angie Maag reported that the district is monitoring what the state is sharing about diagnostic assessment. Implementation of Math Improvement Plans is being considered. Currently, the district already utilizes the Reading Improvement Plans with every student.

This year, teachers have been delving into MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports). This program helps districts support students. Information is collected through various diagnostic tests. This allows the support to be geared to each student. 

Restorative Justice
Through Behavioral Leadership work, a team has been created called the Restorative Justice Team. The team's goal is to help teachers and students rebuild relationships when behavior has created a conflict. This team has received more in-depth training on Behavioral Leadership and will provide tools and resources to students and teachers. 

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT 

Eilola joins Library Board
Superintendent Julie Simmons introduced Bill Eilola as a new member to the Ada Public Library Board. Eilola moved to Ada 11 years ago when he accepted the role of VP of Enrollment Management at ONU. He retired recently and wants to stay involved in the community. 

Wins and goal setting
Simmons held meetings with the administrative leadership team to dig into the data, celebrate wins and set goals for the upcoming year. Areas of celebration mentioned during these meetings were the district receiving 4.5 stars on the state report card, the Jim Tressel physical challenge, the bus safety grants, work on Behavioral Leadership and Dr. Britton Devier being nominated for Assistant Principal of the Year. 

Maintenance
The teacher parking lot will be resealed and painted beginning Monday. The Elementary Hallways will get new paint with a three-color scheme and all new baseboards. 

The Roof Replacement project has been moving along. They have removed shingles on the elementary area and K-12 gym and will begin putting on the metal roof in those areas. 

The central office will receive new carpet, and two science classroom floors will be replaced with stained concrete surfaces. 

Initial plans were reviewed with Garmann Miller, who will be working to renovate the ‘71 gymnasium. 

The Patriotic Pops concert will take place on Sunday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. on the east lawn of Ada High School. The Board went into Executive Session and reconvened at 7:26 p.m. 

TREASURER’S REPORT
Tessa McVey provided the Treasurer’s Report. This is the 11th month of the budget cycle and 91.7% through the year. Expenses are increased due to the end-of-year expenditures. The budget modifications and final appropriations for FY ‘26-June 30, 2026 were presented and will be sent to the county. 

McVey shared a report on donations given this fiscal year. The new grant accounts for FY ‘27 and the 2026-2027 temporary appropriations were provided. 

McVey recommended that the liability, property, fleet and cyber insurance be renewed with Hylant Administrative Services. The total cost for these insurances will be $61,526 which is a 12.3% increase. She also recommended that the CFC Underwriting for Cyber Insurance administered through Hylant be approved. The premium for this coverage is $3,504 and did not increase.

CONSENT AGENDA 

The following items were approved through consent agenda action. The list of classified employees for the 2026-2027 school year was presented. Ashley Stuber will be a cafeteria worker starting 7/1/2026. Jacob Wagner will serve as summer school instructor and will be paid an hourly rate of $30. Camille Alt completed her Master’s +15 degree and Joseph Gerken completed 150 hours, which earns them salary adjustments. 

Academic supplemental contracts for 2026-2027 were presented. Sara Bryan and Brandi Albright will be Co-Substitute Coordinators for the new academic year. 

Cafeteria vendors will be Gordon Food Service, Velvet Ice Cream, Reiter Dairy, Brown’s Supply Company and Nickles Bakery. The list of recognized sports and shuttle drivers were approved. Athletic Supplemental Contracts for 2026-2027 were listed. 

ACTION ITEMS
The agreement with Muskingum Valley Education Service Center to provide driver education oversight and instruction will continue. Hardin Northern Locals Schools and the district will collaborate to transport Hardin Northern students to Apollo on Ada buses. 

The Wood County Educational Service Center agreement will continue into 2026-2027 academic year. The nonrenewal of Sam Dubois, Assistant Technology Director, was approved. 

The district will contract with ONU for the use of their pool between the hours of 8:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. starting November 2026 and ending February 2027 for the rate of $3,650 during the agreement period. 

NEXT MEETING
The next Ada Board of Education meeting will be on July 16 at 6:00 p.m.