Canal Winchester board approves budget amendments, personnel hires and keeps activity fees unchanged

The Canal Winchester Local Board of Education approved routine business and several policy updates in its public meeting.

The board approved the consent agenda containing meeting minutes, two donations (one anonymous and one from the Canal Winchester PTO), multiple personnel actions (certified and classified resignations, new hire recommendations and supplemental contracts), overnight field trips (including biomedical science students to Indianapolis and an added boys varsity basketball overnight camp), an amended FY2026 appropriation and temporary appropriations for FY2027.

Treasurer’s office representative Mr. Watson told the board the district received about $5.6 million in May and disbursed roughly $5.4 million, leaving an approximate $57,000 positive variance in the general fund for the month; he noted a year‑over‑year reduction of approximately $18 million, mainly driven by a $15 million transfer set aside to repay project debt.

The board separately approved a one‑year limited classified contract for Leah Art to work at Indian Trail as a special education aide, noting the item was presented separately because of a family relationship to a board member. The board also approved private tuition contracts for the 2026–27 school year with Eagle Wings and the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities to educate specific students.

In a unanimous roll call the board set pay‑to‑participate fees for FY2027 at $150 per activity for high school and $100 per activity for middle school students, with a cap available for students participating in multiple sports; the administration said fees are unchanged from the prior year and remain competitive within central Ohio.

Administration presented several policy revisions on first reading, including an NIL (name, image and likeness) policy for athletics, a change aligning kindergarten entrance with the first day of school under new state law, changes to grading and class‑rank policies to weight AP, CCP and qualifying CTE courses on a 5.0 scale, updated procurement thresholds for federal grants (micro purchases up to $15,000; small purchases up to $350,000), a new policy addressing artificial intelligence and language in food‑service policy regarding cultivated‑protein or misbranded meat/egg products; these were presented for first reading and will return for subsequent action per the board’s policy process.

All motions in the consent and action items referenced in the meeting packet were approved by roll call votes recorded as Mrs. Tally yes, Mrs. Cobb yes, Mr. Art yes and Miss Green yes.

Next steps: policy revisions will be considered in subsequent readings according to the board’s schedule; the board entered executive session later in the meeting to discuss personnel matters.