Marlington board celebrates district awards, major donations and program growth

The November Board of Education meeting on Nov. 13 confirmed that the current board—Karen Humphries, Cathy Krupko and Mark Ryan—will remain in place after all three incumbents were re-elected in the general election. Superintendent Dan Swisher reported that all Marlington school buildings earned Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Recognition Awards in the same year for the first time. Washington and Marlboro elementaries received Gold Awards, while the high school, middle school and Lexington Elementary earned Silver Awards. He thanked the building teams led by Renee Kaley.

Swisher also recognized Eastern Buckeye Conference first-team athletes, the girls volleyball team that advanced to the state finals, the high school girls cross-country team that competed at state, and strong fall seasons across boys cross-country, golf, tennis, boys soccer, cheerleading and band.

Marlington again participated in the Million Sheets of Paper Competition, with the middle school earning second place and receiving 250,000 sheets to be distributed district-wide. Swisher also noted the district’s donation of old buses to local fire departments for training and one to the Mahoning County Career Tech diesel program. He praised the National Honor Society’s Field of Flags fundraiser, which raised more than $1,065 and placed 96 American flags on the high school lawn.

Swisher added that he plans to begin seeking summer project bids after a January work session, begin classified negotiations in the spring, and encouraged families to attend upcoming Christmas concerts.

In public comments, Marlington Youth Wrestling head coach Adam Mitchell highlighted the rapid growth of the program, which now serves 120 boys and girls from grades K-12. He said the team needs additional space, as only one wrestling room is designated for 24 students, forcing practices into the cafeteria and sending some students to Mount Union for training.

The board approved multiple new, revised and rescinded policies following second readings and introduced five additional policies for first reading. Members also approved an out-of-country field trip for Spanish students to Ecuador, potentially in 2027.

Treasurer Bob Foss reported that the district has two years and four remaining payments of $350,000 each on the bond issue used to restore school buildings. Budget revisions included replacing a transport van and acquiring a snow brush for use at the high school and middle school, partially funded by a grant.

A donation of $247,639.95 was made to the Marlboro Elementary PTO by five families—Lori and Steve Keller, Kurt and Katie Keller, Nicole and Shane Wagler, Ed and Barb Robinson, and the Joseph A. Jeffries family—for playground improvements. The board and superintendent thanked the donors for their generosity.

The board entered executive session to consider the purchase of property for district purposes but took no action. The next regular meeting will be held at the DLZ at Marlington High School on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at 6 p.m.