Board appoints president pro tem, handles personnel items

Scot Bowman was appointed president pro tem for the Jan. 5 organizational meeting of the Sandy Valley Board of Education at the board’s Dec. 15 meeting.

Personnel actions approved included Kerstin Karl, Karen Barnes and Jennifer Byrd as classified substitutes for the 2025-26 school year, along with a supplemental contract for Trevor Yoder as a 0.5 varsity assistant football coach.

In other business, the board:

— Amended the exempt employee contract for the superintendent’s secretary to include 10 vacation days retroactive to the start of the year;

— Reviewed curriculum maps, testing schedules and the textbook inventory for the 2025-26 school year and approved next year’s testing schedule;

— Approved student fundraisers for the Sandy Valley wrestling donation fundraiser, softball and Middle School Student Council;

— Approved open enrollment for Kassidy Perine, an eighth-grader, to attend Sandy Valley Local Schools for the 2025-26 school year;

— Voted to join the Ohio School Boards Association Legal Assistance Fund for 2026 and approved OSBA membership at a cost of about $7,000 each;

— Approved permanent appropriation adjustments for fiscal year 2026;

— Heard updates on holiday events and schedules from Superintendent Matt Whitted;

— Set the next meeting for Jan. 5 at 6 p.m.

Records Commission meeting

At a separate meeting, the board reviewed and approved the records retention schedule and records disposal for submission to the Ohio History Connection.