PHOTO BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FINANCIAL FORECAST … Treasurer Joyce Kinsman (center) delivers the district’s Financial Forecast to board members, pointing out a projected positive cash flow through FY27.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
The Archbold School Board met on Wednesday, September 24, for its regular monthly meeting with Tyson Stuckey, Jeremy Hurst, Skeat Hug, Karen Beck, and Gina Benecke in attendance.
Also on hand were Elementary Principal Andrea Thiel, Middle School Principal Matthew Shields, High School Principal Royal Short, Curriculum Director Michele Bagrowski, Treasurer Joyce Kinsman, and Superintendent Jayson Selgo.
Following roll call and recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, the board approved the evening’s agenda.
In elementary news, Principal Andrea Thiel thanked local businesses for their support of the S.O.A.R. (Supporting Outstanding Archbold Readers) Reading Program.
Those businesses include Leaders Farms, Marco’s Pizza, Doughbox Bakery, Archbold Subway, Lange’s Bakery, Archbold McDonald’s, Samuel Mancino’s Archbold, Archbold Dairy Queen, Defiance Putt-Putt Golf & Games, and Eric’s Ice Cream.
Thiel also touched on testing updates and the upcoming December PBIS Reward trip.
Middle School Principal Matthew Shields shared details of the “Start With Hello” national campaign at AMS, which focused on kindness, connection, empathy, and social inclusion among students. Shields also detailed recent teacher professional development activities that staff took part in during the school’s scheduled two-hour delay in-service.
Homecoming Week festivities are underway at the high school, according to Principal Royal Short, with the Spirit Committee adding a tailgate event featuring yard games and a cookout.
This year’s Homecoming Court is as follows: Queen and King: Brynn Hurst and Rudy Rodger; Senior Attendants: Miley Gericke and Tobias Heidenreich; Junior Attendants: Daylin Bosco and Connor Plassman; Sophomore Attendants: Maci Martz and Tripp Langenderfer; and Freshman Attendants: Briella Nafziger and Matthew Barnhart.
Several high school students were invited to speak at the Annual Suicide Awareness Breakfast on September 11. National Honor Society induction will take place on October 12, and the Fall Play “It Happened on Route 66” is set for November 15 and 16.
Before closing out his report, Short congratulated the girls’ golf team on winning both the league and sectional titles.
In addition to testing and professional development updates, Curriculum Director Mrs. Bagrowski relayed that the 2025 Ohio School Report Cards were released on September 15, with Archbold Area Schools receiving four out of five stars. At the October school board meeting, Bagrowski will provide a more comprehensive breakdown of the rating.
Superintendent Selgo took a moment to welcome new staff, reported updates on the Business Advisory Council Meeting, the NWOESC BAC Plan, and pointed out a request to allow FFA students to travel internationally to Belgium and the Netherlands in 2027.
This year, four FFA students had the opportunity to visit Ireland and recently shared highlights of their trip with the Archbold Rotary Club.
Selgo also discussed in his report that in response to recent legislative issues, superintendents of the seven Fulton County school districts are collaborating to keep residents informed about potential education policy changes at the state level.
“The goal of these updates is to inform residents of the impact of certain legislative items, particularly policies that could eliminate or restrict districts’ ability to secure and maintain funding sources, which are obviously problematic,” Selgo explained.
“To date, we’ve sent two communications that have been shared. The most recent was yesterday, September 23rd, and the public response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Selgo added that the superintendents recently held a press conference and since that time, they have met with Ohio Representative Jim Hoops, and will be meeting with Ohio Senate President Robert McColley on Friday, September 26.
Board President Jeremy Hurst added, “I just want to say publicly that I appreciate what the Fulton County superintendents are doing to bring light to the things that are happening and being discussed about public education.”
Hurst continued, “I think – I think opinions are one thing, but facts are another, right? I think the most recent letter that went out, which showed the flip of state funds versus taxpayer funds, is very interesting and provides a lot of perspective.
“You know, obviously, we’ve gone through some levies here, and that-that is a valuable piece of information, which puts our district, in addition to numerous districts throughout the state, in the situation they are.
“And now to say, ‘we want to lessen the burden of property taxes but still keep funding.’ At the limits they are, you’re basically squeezing out public institutions.”
The conversation moved to payment from Rover Pipeline following the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold its $3.7 billion valuation. It was noted that to date, Rover has not filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
Treasurer Kinsman noted that throughout the duration of the litigation, Rover has continued to make reduced tax payments to the school district.
It is still unknown when school districts will begin to see back payments and interest from Rover based on the original pipeline valuation.
Kinsman walked board members through the Financial Forecast (formerly known as the Five-Year Forecast), which will be submitted to the state by October 15.
To show the effect of Rover Pipeline revenue on the district’s overall financial outlook, Kinsman pointed out that in FY17 and FY18, public utility receipts were less than $400,000 per year.
Then, in FY19, when the district began to receive tax payments from Rover, that number jumped to more than $1.6 million. Utility receipts dipped in FY22 and FY23 before they rebounded to the more than $1.6 million range for FY24 and FY25. Kinsman noted that utility receipts also include income from electric, natural gas, water works, and heating companies.
The Rover case further impacts the district’s overall income since state funding calculations include the full taxable valuation of Rover, which shows the district is wealthier than it actually is and does not take into account that Rover has been paying less during the pendency of the litigation.
Kinsman noted that while the district should receive back payments plus interest, a lump sum repayment (back pay and interest) is not factored into the financial forecast; however, the resumed tax payments are taken into consideration for future revenues. She hopes to have a better idea of those exact numbers by the next financial forecast in February 2026.
Monthly cash balances from 2022 to present show that totals were on their way down in FY2025 until the most recent emergency levy payments kicked in.
The Financial Forecast shows an actual FY25 surplus of $1,134,759, a projected surplus for FY26 ($430,708) and FY27 ($860,532), with deficit spending beginning in FY28, assuming the current real estate tax levies will be renewed and pipeline tax collections begin in 2026.
Expenditures are expected to grow due to inflation. Medical premiums are projected to rise 8% per year, and base salary increases and employee share of medical insurance, according to the union contract, are assumed.
Kinsman concluded her report, noting fiscal goals going forward are transparency of board and financial reports, the use of financial forecasting software to prepare forecasts, monitoring line 6.010, which is the “excess of revenues and other financing sources over (under) expenditures and other financing uses” line item, for current and future fiscal years, and to evaluate enrollment numbers and staffing levels.
Moving to the Consensus Agenda, the board approved the minutes from August 18, 2025, and the August 2025 Financial Reports.
$5,400 in donations to the district were accepted, which included $2,500 from the Bluestreak Touchdown Club to the Football team and $1,100 from Compass Rose Events LLC to the Boys Golf Team.
Other financial items approved were the STRS Resolution on picked up contributions, the adoption of the Ohio Deferred Compensation Roth 457 Plan, the FY26 Permanent Appropriations, and Estimated Resources.
The board also authorized Kinsman to submit the district’s Financial Forecast to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce by October 15, 2025.
The board approved the FFA club to attend two trips in the future, one on October 29-31, 2025, in Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention, and the second trip will take place in June 2027 when the group travels abroad to Belgium and the Netherlands.
A resolution for a transportation agreement for the 2025-2026 school year for Bodie Cowell, NEOLA policy 9211, and an Assignment of USDA Foods Member Agreement with the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council were also approved.
In personnel, the board approved the paraprofessional and teacher substitute lists as provided by the NWOESC.
Employment and appointments were approved for the following: Kelly Hamilton, Andrea Short, Michelle Schramm, Brittany Spotts, David Weber, and Paige Shafley as classified substitutes; Claire Conrad, Jill Martinez, MacKenna Whitacre, Suzanne Papin, Kara Rosene, and Allison Bentley as grade-level high-dosage tutors.
Additional approvals included Brittany Spotts as substitute bus driver, LeeAnn Brummett for the lunchroom, MacKenna Whitacre as show choir choreographer, Josh Voll as auditorium technician, Jen Throne as fall high school concessions manager, Royal Short as assistant concessions manager, and various high school and middle school athletic workers. Also approved were Mark Miller as long-term bus aide and Addison Ziegler as special education aide.
The board adjourned its regular meeting before moving into a financial work session with David Conley of Rockmill Financial Consulting.
The board has had a series of public meetings with Conley, and the most recent was to begin to draft a tax policy for the district.
The next Archbold Board of Education meeting is set for Monday, October 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in the AHS Media Center.