Organizational Meeting

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the
Constitution of the state of Ohio; and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge your duties as members
of the board of education of the Ridgedale Local School District, Marion County, Ohio, to the best of your ability, and

in accordance with the laws now in effect and hereafter to be enacted, during your continuance in said office.

0169.1 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

The Board of Education recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest. The Board offers public participation to members of the public in accordance with the procedures below. The Board applies these procedures to all speakers and does not discriminate based on the identity of the speaker, content of the speech, or viewpoint of the speaker.

In order to permit the fair and orderly expression of such comment, the Board shall provide a period for public participation at every regular and special meeting of the Board and publish rules to govern such participation in Board meetings.

• The presiding officer of each Board meeting at which public participation is permitted shall administer the rules of the Board for its conduct.
• The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:
• Public participation shall be permitted as indicated on the order of business.
• Attendees must register their intention to participate in the public portion of the meeting upon their arrival at the meeting.
• Individuals may not register others to speak during public participation.
• Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name, address, and group affiliation, if and when appropriate.
• Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to five (5) minutes duration unless extended by the presiding officer.
• During the portion of the meeting designated for public participation, no participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard.
• All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question Board members individually.

The presiding officer may:

• interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's session when they make comments that are repetitive, obscene, and/or comments that constitute a true threat (i.e., statements meant to frighten or intimidate one (1) or more specified persons into believing that they will be seriously harmed by the speaker or someone acting at the speaker's behest)
• request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the conduct and/or orderly progress of the meeting;
• call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action.

The portion of the meeting during which the participation of the public is invited shall be limited to thirty (30) minutes per topic unless extended by a vote of the Board.

Nominations for President of the Board for Calendar Year 2026.

Motion to close nominations and elect ___________________ as President of the Board for calendar year 2026.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

I, (state your name), hereby swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and that I will perform faithfully the duties of my office as President of the Board of Education of the Ridgedale Local School District.

President assumes the chair.

Nominations for Vice President of the Board for calendar year 2026.

Motion to close nominations and elect _______________________ as Vice President of the Board for calendar year 2026.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

I, (state your name), hereby swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and that I will perform faithfully the duties of my office as Vice President of the Board of Education of the Ridgedale Local School District.

Recommend to approve the appointment of Mrs. Cathy Hamilton as Ohio School Boards Legislative Liaison for 2026.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Recommend to approve the appointment of Mrs. Cathy Hamilton as the delegate and Mandy Roberts as the alternate delegate to the Ohio School Boards Association annual conference for 2026.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Recommend to approve the Eric Park as Board member to serve on Tri Rivers Career Center Board for a 3 year term (2026-2028).

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush 

Recommend to approve the appointment of Bricker & Eckler, LLP as General Legal Advisor for 2026, and Ennis/Britton and Walter/Haverfield as secondary legal advisors.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Recommend to approve the Regular Board Meeting dates, times, and locations for 2026, and that the Board establish regular meetings in 2026to occur on the following dates of each month, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the District Office, 3103 Hillman Ford Rd, Morral, Ohio, except as noted below:

February 23, 2026
March 16, 2026
April 20, 2026
May18, 2026
June 29, 2026
July 20, 2026
August 24, 2026
September21, 2026 at Tri Rivers Career Center
October 19, 2026
November 16, 2026
December 14, 2026

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

The Superintendent hereby makes the following committee appointments for 2026:

Finance: Hayden & Park
Transportation: Roush & Park
Buildings & Grounds: Hayden & Park
Athletic Council: Hamilton & Roush
Rural Enterprise Zone:Hayden & Hamilton
Curriculum and Student Achievement: Roberts & Hamilton

Resolution to approve the committee appointments for 2026.
______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park______Roberts ______Roush

Recommend to approve the establishment of the Board Service Fund in the amount of $5,000.00 for calendar year 2026.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Recommend to approve the standing Authorizations for Superintendent and Treasurer for 2026:

a. Payment of Bills: The Board authorizes the Superintendent and Treasurer to approve and pay invoices when due, provided funds are available, and to submit monthly to the Board a list of all bills paid.

b. Employment of Temporary Personnel:  The Board authorizes the Superintendent and Treasurer to employ and pay temporary personnel as needed, and that such personnel will be submitted for Board approval at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.
c. Investment of Funds: The Board authorizes the Treasurer to invest all funds of the district in accordance with Board policy.
d. Participation in State and Federal Programs and Grants:  The Board authorizes the Superintendent and Treasurer to submit applications and other documents as needed for the Board to participate in state and federal programs and grants available to the school district.
e. Requesting Tax Advances:  The Board Authorizes the Treasurer to request tax advances from the Marion. Wyandot and Crawford County Auditors, for real estate and personal property taxes as they become available in 2026.
f. Professional Development and Field Trips:  The Board authorizes the Superintendent to approve or deny staff attendance at professional and in-service meetings, field trips, and other events as may occur in 2026.
g. Appointment of Purchasing Agent:  The Board appoints the Superintendent as the Board's purchasing agent in 2026.
h. Employment of Full Time Personnel and Accept Resignations:  The Board authorizes the Superintendent to hire employees, for existing or newly created positions, pending board confirmation at its next regular or special meeting called for this purpose, and to also accept resignations which have been submitted by employees; that upon ratification by this Board shall be deemed effective as of the date and time of acceptance by the Superintendent, effective January 1, 2026- December 31, 2026.

i. The Treasurer/CFO will be the boards designee for public records training, annually for the Board of Education.

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush

Discussion about the Tax Budget to be approved at regular Board meeting on January 15, 2026.

Motion to Adjourn

______Hamilton ______Hayden ______Park ______Roberts ______Roush