Butler Honored for Blood Bash Dedication at May Board Meeting
The May 21 Barnesville Board of Education meeting began with several recognitions. High School Principal Ron Clark presented Marvin Butler with a plaque that reads “Presented to Marvin Butler for 35 years of dedication to the Barnesville High School Blood Bash.”
Nine years ago at Principal Clark’s first Blood Bash, he was introduced to Marvin Butler. “This man cooks all day long! Hot dogs and hamburgers. He dedicates his time and donates blood every single year.” Clark continued, “we need to honor a man that does stuff like that for our community.”
The Middle School Robotics Team was recognized for its outstanding season, with Team A attending the world championships. Superintendent Micah Fuchs commented, “I think with Brianna’s experience in engineering, that she has been able to provide quality instruction in coding that I don’t think we had before.”
The Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators reached out to Superintendent Fuchs to inform him that Ron Clark was nominated as the Zone 8 Principal of the Year. Zone 8 includes Jefferson, Harrison, Columbiana, Belmont and Monroe counties. In the fall, Clark will be among the considered candidates for Ohio Principal of the Year.
“It’s really a tribute to the people I work with, because they are the ones who nominated me. I am very appreciative of that,” Clark said.
Charlie Baker applied for and received the TNG Charities Grant for $500. The Nutrition Group manages cafeterias in 300 districts. Of those districts, ten grants were awarded.
Charlie is a sophomore and works in the cafeteria. The grant money is to assist with post-secondary education or training.
Administrator and Committee Reports
High School Principal Ron Clark shared preliminary state test scores. The passage rates for each tested course are as follows: 95% for English Language Arts 10, 83% for Biology, 91% for American History, 91% for American Government, 92% for Algebra I, and 45% for Geometry. In reference to the Geometry scores, Clark stated, “for some reason, that test is the one that students struggle with around the state, but we keep improving each year.”
President Ed Eberhart directed a question to Clark about an attendance initiative mentioned a year or two ago. Clark responded that Barnesville has just finished the first full year in the program. The initiative dashboard is valuable in collecting data.
“The state push has always been to move away from punitive or punishments for attendance and move into ways that schools can provide services to families to help get their kids to school,” Clark said.
Superintendent Micah Fuchs added that Battelle Laboratories offers collaborative meetings where schools across the state share their initiatives to incentivize students to come to school.
Middle School Principal Casey Mayo recapped the career shadowing days that took place in the school as well as in the community. Mayo shared that businesses thanked us for the opportunity for eighth graders to experience something new out in the community. Students showed interest in the US Army and the State Highway Patrol. There was also a robot from ACNR in the building.
As for middle school state testing scores, 8th-grade math, 8th-grade science and 5th-grade science were at 80%, with the state average in the 50% range.
Director of Food and Nutrition Brian Saner summarized the special events and pop ups that occurred the past month. The Take Nutrition Global and Nutrition Expedition was Japan. Across the district, students were served ramen bowls with a topping station where they could customize their bowls with vegetables and sauces. Due to middle school students eating breakfast before state testing, the budget for breakfast was surpassed for the first time, overperforming by 1,300 breakfasts for the month. The sushi pop ups were very well received and will return next year.
Treasurer Adam Quirk updated the winter financial forecast from February. Quirk stated that the forecast is based on more solid data. Quirk shared that there are many Ohio House and Senate bills impacting school finance being passed into legislation. “However, for each of these bills, we still do not have very much clarity as to what they are going to look like in action,” added Quirk.
Some of the recommendations in the forecast include funds being set aside for a Capital Improvement Fund, which was started last year, and a Termination Benefit Fund, which would cover severances for future staff retirements. Currently, the forecast shows a slight positive at the end of this year. The next forecast is required in August.
At the Athletic Council Committee meeting, budgets for fall sports were approved. Also, Athletic Director Brad Hannahs is now in charge of the banner program. Letters have been sent out, and checks are starting to come in. Barnesville received the OVAC 3A Overall Award for the third straight year.
Superintendent Fuchs reported that the Curriculum Committee discussed working toward student agency and STEM designation. The committee discussed the current ELA (English Language Arts) interventions continue to improve testing scores. Math interventions for math, especially at the elementary and middle school levels, were discussed. Scheduling at the high school has been adjusted to better meet students’ needs. “We are developing a focus that will help us engage students better,” Fuchs said. Board member Leslie Schulz mentioned that truancy and absenteeism will be part of the staff’s professional development next year.
The Board entered into executive session at 6:03 pm to consider employment matters returning to open meeting at 7:20 pm.
Donations and Grant
The Board approved donations totaling $5,350 for the following programs during April:
- Middle School Robotics from Barnesville Rotary, Michael & Amy Smith, ACNR, Inc., VFW Post 2792 and American Legion Post #168
- High School Student Council from Barnesville Kiwanis
- Blood Bash from Robert Shugert Farms LLC and Women’s Club of Barnesville
- Hoot-n-Holler from B.P.O.E. No 1699 and Flag Floors of Barnesville
The Board also accepted the $50,493.20 of grants from the Barnesville Area Education Foundation. See projects funded and individual amounts here .
Agreements/Contracts
The Board approved the fiscal year 2027 Jefferson Health Plan Renewal Rate, effective July 1, 2026. Based on the consortium’s claims and expenses, health insurance rates for school district employees will increase by nine percent.
The Board approved the Member and Associate Member Services agreement between the Barnesville Exempted Village School District and OME-RESA, effective July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.
The Board approved the food service renewal contract between Barnesville Exempted Village School District and The Nutrition Group for the period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Personnel
Personnel items were passed in a single motion, which passed 3-0-1 with Ed Eberhart abstaining due to a personal conflict. Board member Tammy Wells was not present at the meeting.
The Board issued the following certified limited one-year contracts for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Hailey Leasure
- Brianna Holskey
- Cade Hannahs
- Chris Hannahs
- Erin Hannahs
- Lauren Blair
The Board issued the following certified limited three-year contracts for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Sarah Vincenzo
- Brian Clark
The Board issued the following certified limit five-year contracts for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Nathan Kearns
- Samantha Huff
- Kelley Hanlon
- Paige Evick
- Jennifer Elerick
- Danelle Dudzik
- Heather Dornon
- Bridget Brooks
- Melanie Van Wey
The Board issued the following one-year supplemental contracts for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Co-Assistant Football Coach — CJ Hannahs and Neal Zaccagnini
- Jr. High Assistant Football Coach — Gavin Carpenter and Josh Jones
- Head Bowling Coach — Chad Hall
The Board approved the following volunteers for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Volunteer Marching Band — Hanna Travis
- Jr. High Assistant Girls Basketball — Chad Winland
- Jr. High Football — Clint Abbott and Micah Fuchs
The Board awarded Brenda Doty the eight-hour afternoon shift custodian position currently assigned to the elementary school, effective May 5, 2026.
The Board awarded Lisa Butler the full-time educational aide position currently assigned to the elementary school for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Board awarded Ami Boroski the full-time educational aide position currently assigned to the high school for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Board approved Ashley Carpenter for the 2025-2026 school year as a classified substitute bus/groundskeeper floater.
Summer Personnel
The Board approved the following 2026 summer school instructors at the rate of $25 per hour (contingent upon student enrollment):
- Elementary Summer School:
- Caitlin Wells
- Ashley Campbell
- Alivia Campbell
- Bailey Leach
- Terra Shriver
- Anna Eberhart
- Middle School Summer School:
- Brittney Young
- Matt Johnson
- High School Summer School:
- Brittney Young
- Lisa Gallagher
- Elementary School Transition to Kindergarten:
- Brittney Young
- Anna Eberhart
- Bailey Leach
- Ashley Campbell
- Elementary School Accelerated Reader:
- Caitlin Wells
- Alivia Campbell
- Ashley Campbell
- Tara Shriver
The Board approved Brady Treherne as the extended school year special education services instructor for the summer of 2026, paid at $25 per hour.
The Board approved the contract for speech and language services between Arrin Midei and the Barnesville Exempted Village School District, effective June 1, 2026, through the extended school year 2026.
Other Business
The Board approved a purchase order for $288,380 to Energy Optimizers, USA for the high school chiller replacement project. The project was approved at a previous meeting.
The Board approved the list of athletic ticket and athletic pass prices for the 2026-2027 school year. According to Athletic Director Brad Hannahs, the prices are the same as the previous year.
The Board approved the School Parent and Family Engagement Plan for the Barnesville Elementary School for the upcoming school year.
The next Barnesville School Board meeting will take place on Monday, June 29, at 5:30 pm at the middle school cafetorium. This meeting will include the required end-of-the-year fiscal report.
Disclaimer: Author Lisa Gallagher for Barnesville Area News is an employee of the Barnesville Exempted Village School District.
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