PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FINANCIAL FUTURE … CFO Treasurer Bill Blakely presents the five-year forecast, full of uncertainty amid several changes still occurring at the state level.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
On the same day Edgerton welcomed students back for the 2026-2027 school year, the Board of Education met, discussing highlights from day one and details from the financial forecast.
President Bob Siebenaler called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and moved directly into roll call.
All members were present: Lyn Bowsher, Nick Hug, Gary Plotts and Scott Zimmer. Also in attendance were Superintendent Dr. Ben Wilhelm, Elementary Principal Lucas Smith, High School Principal Brett Grieser and CFO Treasurer Bill Blakely.
The first item was to approve the night’s agenda, moved by Bowsher and seconded by Hug. With no revisions, Plotts moved to approve the minutes from the July meeting, and Hug again seconded. Both motions passed.
TREASURER’S REPORT
The board then turned its attention to Blakely for the treasurer’s agenda. Blakely apologized for the length of the report, including the forecast, and worked to move through each item quickly.
First was the general fund report. July revenue was up over last year by $7,275, with the main driver being income tax. State revenue was down, as expected, due to the change in the funding formula.
Expenditures were up by $45,000, while purchased services were down by $14,000. Blakely attributed a portion of the savings to the new chiller producing ice during overnight hours, though he said he could not directly correlate the entire amount to that without a more detailed weather comparison, and assured the board it had a significant effect.
Supplies and materials were up due to some flooring and landscaping needs.
Blakely moved on to an annual action item, reporting to the board on the district’s available credit card and related accounts.
He outlined the available credit card accounts: American Express, with four cards used mainly at stores where the district does not have an account; Bank of America, with two cards held by the superintendent and the treasurer; and Marathon Gas, which has a card in each vehicle with an operator-specific PIN.
The fiscal year 2026 compiled financial statements followed, which Blakely provided to the board electronically and said he would post for public view on the school website.
FEDERAL GRANT SPENDING
Next was a topic open for public comment detailing how the district spends several federal grants.
The IDEA-B grant is approximately $135,000, spent mainly on the HOPE center and other ESC-type costs. Title I funds, totaling somewhere between $80,000 and $90,000, are spent on Title I teachers and teacher aides. Title II funds, ranging from $13,000 to $14,000, are spent on class-size reduction.
Title IV funds, around $10,000, are used for a range of things including technological aides and guest speakers. Finally, REAP funds, totaling between $45,000 and $50,000, are used mainly for student Chromebooks.
COST CENTERS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
Blakely next presented a slide illustrating the special cost centers created to provide more detailed tracking within the general fund, noting the structure was implemented at the direction of the State Auditor’s Office.
After detailing the multitude of individual accounts required, Blakely noted he was not in favor of the change.
Before moving into the treasurer recommendations, Blakely reported on the capital improvement fund, which has around $373,000 after the recent bus purchase.
Interest income sits at around $250,000 after the bus barn construction. Plotts asked if the bus barn had been completely paid for.
Blakely said that, with the exception of a potential heater — for which there is already an encumbrance — the bus barn was completely paid for.
Bowsher asked about the transfer of funds out of Hicksville Bank due to its upcoming sale. Blakely said he hoped to have everything transferred by September or October, noting he had been informed the sale would happen in November.
TREASURER RECOMMENDATIONS
Blakely then moved into recommendations, starting with the financial reports, bills for payment, and appropriation and estimated resource modification for July.
He provided the board with a list of investment account totals and interest rates, noting this would probably be the last Hicksville Bank CD renewal.
The next recommendation was posting a 1-mill permanent improvement tax settlement to the maintenance fund, a requirement of the OSFC.
Blakely then recommended a contract adjustment for employees in the treasurer’s office. To streamline the process, he proposed renewing the contract with an Aug. 1 start date.
Since the current contract runs through Sept. 1, the change would end the existing term on July 31 to align with the new start date. With two employees expected to retire in the near future, only one contract change was recommended.
The board approved the routine transfer of leftover Class of 2026 funds into the principal legacy fund.
Blakely also presented budget purpose statements for student activities and three then-and-now purchase orders, used when purchases occur before a formal PO is issued.
Siebenaler asked whether the district should expect additional repair costs for the gasoline buses, noting two of the retroactive POs involved bus repairs.
Blakely said continued issues are likely, as the problem is common, but agreed a preventive maintenance plan could help reduce future costs.
Siebenaler also asked about the Hicksville Bank CD, and Blakely confirmed he was trying to roll the money into a similar account at State Bank.
FIVE-YEAR FORECAST
Blakely then moved into the bulk of his recommendation agenda: the five-year forecast, which he said is littered with unknown details.
Enrollment, for example, is currently a moving target, with Defiance County Schools not starting for another week.
Payment was just received for a tax credit, due to the state rolling back the tax-free holiday to a single weekend this year.
The money was given to the school as reimbursement for lost revenue in real estate tax. Blakely said the payment received may not exactly match the credits issued to taxpayers but should be within 10 percent; the district received $500,000 in the credit payment, and Blakely has not yet received any settlement sheets to compare.
In the forecast, 2027 shows a predicted revenue surplus of $229,000, but as the years continue, the surplus shrinks to a deficit of just over $2 million by 2031, based on current projections.
Blakely noted 2027 is the last year of the biennium budget, with a new budget beginning in 2028, and that state government leadership will also be changing within that time.
Blakely explained that under the fair school funding plan, input costs are outdated, though real estate and income tax values have been updated.
The current forecast holds steady with what is known, without increasing any base costs, which makes the forecast look more favorable.
On the expense side, current base increases are built in for payroll. Employee benefits are subject to change, as health insurance markets can range from 5 percent to double-digit increases; Blakely used a 5 percent to 9 percent range for planning purposes.
He also noted the district pays 14 percent toward employee retirement, as required by law, and said there has been talk of increases, though he wanted only to inform the board.
Purchased services and supplies and materials carry standard built-in increases, and Blakely used a standard 1 percent to 2 percent increase for income tax revenue. Overall, Blakely said the forecast was not great news but that he remained optimistic.
Siebenaler questioned the recently adjusted days’ cash maximum and minimum limits. Blakely explained that while the days’ cash sits around 317, over the 230-day cap, he was hesitant to take any action given the deficits projected in the future and uncertainty around the coming election.
With no further questions, Siebenaler asked for a motion to approve all treasurer recommendations. Bowsher moved to approve, Plotts seconded, and all board members approved.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Dr. Wilhelm followed with the superintendent’s agenda, beginning with communications and an electronic copy of the Four County Career Center meeting minutes.
Wilhelm thanked H&W Auto Parts of Hicksville for donating a pallet of bottled water totaling 72 cases; the water will be sold at football and basketball games, benefiting the athletic and music boosters respectively.
Several additional thank-yous followed: Hicksville Bank for providing food for the staff workday luncheon; the technology, custodial and maintenance staff for preparing the campus for the start of the year, which Wilhelm said looked phenomenal; and the cafeteria staff for the opening-day staff breakfast.
Administrative recommendations followed, beginning with participation in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program for the 2026-2027 school year.
All students will receive free meals through the CEP program, with adult and visitor pricing set at $5.20 for lunch and $2.55 for breakfast. The board also recommended approval of bus routes for the 2026-2027 school year.
PERSONNEL AND SUPPLEMENTAL CONTRACTS
Personnel recommendations followed, starting with the current NWOESC substitute list for paraprofessional and teacher positions.
Both Marchetta Caryer, as varsity softball coach, and Mike Caryer, as junior varsity softball coach, submitted resignations for approval; Wilhelm thanked both for their long service to the organization.
Wilhelm continued with recommendations to approve the non-certified substitute list and the bus and van driver list, pending completion of any required pre-employment steps or training. Work calendars for the superintendent, principals and treasurer/CFO were also presented.
Additional recommendations included compensation for teaching staff who attend Crisis Prevention Institute training outside of contractual days, focused on de-escalation techniques with students.
The board was also asked to approve Samantha Etoll as a long-term 5/8-time intervention specialist substitute and Luke Braman as a long-term health and physical education substitute teacher.
Moving to supplemental contracts, Wilhelm handed the floor to Principal Grieser to introduce new Varsity Baseball Coach Chris Sanchez.
Grieser said the district had a strong application pool and praised Sanchez for his dedication to the baseball program at multiple levels, noting the high school team already has a strong relationship with him through his coaching of the ACME team.
Grieser closed by saying Sanchez believes in fundamentals and has a passion for Bulldog baseball. Sanchez, who was present, thanked the board for the opportunity, and the board paused to congratulate him.
Also approved were Gayle Adams as resident mentor to both Carrie Zeedyk and Jordan Culler, and Joseph Bales as resident mentor to Luke Braman.
The last supplemental item was a position exchange, retitling Kelly Bales as musical advisor for music and Nora Jackson as musical advisor for drama.
The board also approved Chloe Merrilat as a substitute teacher. The approvals of Etoll, Braman and Merrilat were all made in advance of action by the NWOESC, which was to meet Aug. 25. Bowsher moved to approve all recommendations, Hug seconded, and all members approved.
In a separate personnel item, the board approved Patrick Bowsher as a bus driver and non-certified substitute for the 2026-2027 school year. Hug moved to approve and Plotts seconded; all members approved except Bowsher, who abstained.
The board next considered a one-year contract for Neil Haughn as a bus driver, which Wilhelm noted was a retire-and-rehire situation. Hug moved to approve with Siebenaler seconding.
Zimmer abstained, Siebenaler and Hug voted yes, and Bowsher and Plotts voted no. Blakely clarified the tie equated to a no vote, meaning the motion did not pass, though it could be revisited at a future meeting if desired.
The final recommendation was to approve Plotts as a volunteer bus driver. Bowsher moved to approve with a second from Hug; all members approved, with Plotts abstaining.
PRINCIPAL REPORTS
The meeting concluded with two brief principal reports. Principal Smith spoke first, highlighting several successes including a smooth first day back, kindergarten orientation held Tuesday, and open house held Thursday, along with a newly implemented third-grade orientation that included a follow-up parent survey for better alignment in the future.
Smith outlined several upcoming dates: staggered kindergarten start days, with half the students starting Aug. 18 and the other half Aug. 19, with all students attending by Aug. 20; the first PTO meeting, also Aug. 18; benchmark assessment beginning for the elementary Aug. 31; and Grandparents Day, set for Sept. 18, which Smith said he hoped would bring good weather.
Grieser followed, first highlighting the new athletic records board donated by the Athletic Boosters, noting the time and work that went into updating the records and sharing several compliments the district had received.
He also noted a strong turnout at senior sunrise, held that morning at 6:30 a.m., and impressive attendance at seventh-grade orientation, with all but two incoming seventh-graders present.
Grieser highlighted Logan Samper, who has been invited to the All-Ohio Choir and was also asked to accompany on piano, calling him exceptionally talented musically.
Grieser closed with an athletics rundown as fall sports get underway. The football team has held two scrimmages and will face the Edon Bombers on Friday, Aug. 21.
The cross country team recently attended camp in Hocking Hills, with its season set to start Aug. 29 in Defiance.
The volleyball season kicks off Monday, Aug. 24, against Montpelier, and golf is already underway.
With no questions for either Smith or Grieser, Bowsher moved to adjourn, Plotts seconded, and the meeting adjourned by unanimous approval at 7:02 p.m.
The next school board meeting will be held Monday, September 21.
