West Holmes board acts on staffing, contracts

The West Holmes Local Schools Board of Education met April 20 at West Holmes Middle School.

During the meeting, the board approved participation in the MEC Purchasing Consortium, the State of Ohio Cooperative Purchasing Program and the Ohio Schools Council Purchasing Co-Op. Board members also approved several policy updates, including policies related to overdose reversal drugs, misbranded foods and cultivated-protein food products, and entrance age requirements.

Additional approvals included student accident insurance for the 2026-27 school year through Griffin Agencies Ltd., attendance for the high school wrestling team at Jeff Jordan’s State Champ Camp May 31 through June 4 near Urbana, and an updated memorandum of understanding with Ashland University’s Dwight Schar College of Education. The board also approved allowing school psychologists and ETR case managers to serve as district representatives on evaluation planning and consent forms.

In personnel actions, the board approved the hiring of Joseph Gilmore as athletic director effective Aug. 1 and Kelsey Runkle as guidance counselor for the 2026-27 school year. The board also approved the hiring of Peyton Speicher as an intervention specialist for the 2026-27 school year and as head boys basketball coach for the same school year. Resignations were accepted from teachers Alexandria Armstrong and Riley Spearman, both effective May 31. The board also approved Alexis Blake as a substitute teacher.

Extended day contracts were approved for Katelyn Schwartz, guidance counselor, and Gilmore, athletic director. Supplemental approvals included Shelby Evans for up to 10 hours per week of home instruction for special education services and Julie Snyder as head girls golf coach for the 2026-27 school year.

The board received reports including an update on FFA activities, a presentation from West Holmes Middle School Principal Brian Baughman recognizing multiple robotics teams that qualified for state competition, and updates on the K-5 building project and the district’s drug testing process.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for May 18 at West Holmes High School.