Recent achievements highlighted at Hillsboro school board meeting

The accomplishments of several district students and staff members, including the state-qualifying robotics and bowling teams, were discussed by Hillsboro City Schools superintendent Tim Davis during the Board of Education’s March 16 meeting.

Davis said the team of Logan Barton, Riley Gallimore, Conner Kelch and Allie Roush qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship for a second year in a row. At the state level, Davis said the team tied for first place with their score of 181 but lost on a tiebreaker. During the meeting, the board approved an out-of-state field trip for the team to travel to the world competition in St. Louis, Mo. for April 20-24.

“They're currently ranked third overall in the state of Ohio, all time, and 88th in the world,” Davis said. “That group has won the Highland County Classic Robotic Skills Competition excellence award. They won the Pickerington Tournament of Champions, the innovative award at Washington Court House and design award and robot skills champion at Beavercreek, and they were the OETC [Ohio Educational Technology Conference] STEM Competition Tournament Champions, so outstanding year for them.”

Davis said that although this team was the only one to qualify for worlds, there were four teams that competed and saw success at the state level.

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avis recapped some of the recent honors for winter sports athletes, as Hillsboro had five of the eight Frontier Athletic Conference Player of the Year Awards this season, including for boys basketball (Jack Howland), girls basketball (Tylee Davis), boys bowling (Camden Lively), girls bowling (Rylie Ison) and boys swimming (Cameron Burkard). 

Both bowling teams also qualified for the Division I state tournament, with the girls team finishing third overall and Ison being the individual state runner-up. The boys team was ninth at state, with Jay Reno being second-team All-Ohio as an individual. 

Since the last board meeting, the girls varsity basketball team and the middle school boys wrestling team earned FAC championships as well, Davis added.

Staff members recognized included Hillsboro Great Oaks FFA adviser and agriculture instructor Brian Cummings, who has been selected as one of 10 finalists statewide for the Golden Owl Award. According to a press release, “On Feb. 25, Brian Cummings, an agricultural teacher at Hillsboro High School, was honored as one of 10 finalists for the 2025-26 Ag Educator of the Year honor through the Golden Owl Award. As a finalist, Cummings was presented with a plaque in front of students and the FFA Chapter will receive $1,500 to help support future educational efforts.  Cummings will have the chance to be crowned as Ohio’s Ag Educator of the Year this spring during the 98th Ohio FFA Convention and earn an additional $5,000 for his school’s agriculture program.”

“They came and did a presentation, and it was a great thing for him,” Davis said. 

Also recognized by the superintendent was bus driver Denice Fraysier for doing “an outstanding job this month in a situation, and handling herself extremely well,” Davis said. 

Davis also discussed recent and upcoming events, including the annual Highland County Wildcats game that was held March 12. The game included players from the Special Olympics Wildcats team as well as members of Hillsboro’s basketball teams.

“We had an unbelievable environment,” Davis said. “It’s probably in the top five events we put on every year. I want to thank Mandi Jones, Taylor Reed and Nathan Boatman for coordinating the event. We had tons of community sponsors. I want to thank all of our players, cheerleaders, fans, students and Mr. Bruce Miles for announcing the event.

“The atmosphere is electric. It's a great afternoon and a lot of fun for everybody, and a lot of support for the DD and staff and different donations that come in.”

Davis reminded the community that the HHS theatre department will be presenting “The Music Man” March 27-29.

The superintendent also distributed invitations to the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center’s upcoming tri-county board meeting to the board and Teeters.

In other reports, board member Larry Lyons provided an update on the various property tax reform discussions at the state level, including a movement for a ballot issue in November for a proposed elimination of property tax.

“The legislators are nervous,” Lyons said. “They’re very nervous because the group continues to get signatures to put it on the ballot. They are pretty certain it's going to be on the ballot, and now it's going deeper, because the bonds in Ohio, the municipal bonds, are guaranteed based on the money coming from property taxes.

“Everybody who's holding those bonds has gotten involved now to say, ‘hey, look, you can't pull out what you already promised.’ I don't know what's going to happen, but if it does go to the ballot, it'll be incumbent on all of us — I mean, all of us — to get the message out about the fallacy in eliminating property taxes.”

Board member Beverly Rhoads discussed the March 11 Great Oaks Board of Directors meeting, which included the recognition of board members honored at the OSBA Southwest Spring Conference; the approval of academic calendars; and a construction update on work at Diamond Oaks and Scarlet Oaks.

In other action:

• The board approved the following policy updates: new policies, 2431.06 Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) In Athletics and 6425 Use of District Tax Exempt Certificate; revisions to 3440 Job-Related Expenses, 4440 Job-Related Expenses, 5112 Entrance Requirements, 5421 Grading, 5430 Class Rank, 6220 Budget Preparation, 6320 Purchasing and Bidding, 6325 Procurement - Federal Grants/Funds, 6423 Use of Credit Cards, 6424 Procurement Cards, 6460 Vendor Relations and 8500 Food Service; and a replacement, 7540.09 Artificial Intelligence (“AI”).

Davis and district treasurer Ben Teeters said the revision to 5430 Class Rank included clarifications to the Governor’s Merit Scholarship ranking as well as to specify that students must be enrolled for at least “four consecutive semesters” prior to graduation in order to qualify for graduation honors.

• The board approved the financial reports as presented. Teeters reported a general fund cash balance of $9,263,585.82 for February, down from $10,902,648.68 in February 2025; expenses of $2,841,118.24, up from $2,297,520.80 last year; and revenues of $1,445,690.52, also down from $1,560,193.18 a year ago.

“The expenses are a little bit more because in that month, we got a double bill for health insurance because we didn't pay it in January,” Teeters said. “They didn't get the billing out, so we paid more, twice as much, in February.”

• The board accepted the following resignations, all effective at the end of the 2025-26 school year: teachers Cassie Adkins (retirement), Donica Grow (retirement), Tara Gilliland (retirement), Sara Lamb, Megan MacIvor and Kelly Yochum; paraprofessional Crystal Anderson (retirement); secretary Debbie Couch (retirement); and cook Tracy Cremer (retirement).

“I just want to thank all those retirees,” Davis said. “A lot of them have been in the district for a long time.”

• The board approved the following individuals for the contracts and positions indicated: sub classified, Kendal Fawley (secretary, aide) and Chad Vaughn (van driver); sub certified, Tracey Barnett, Robert Hixon, Page Rowe and Caleb Tong; volunteers, Dustin Barr, Kayla Cumberland and Holly Jones for HES and Shelby Hidy for all schools; and supplemental, Hannah Brandyberry (HS assistant girls track coach), Nathan Horne (third-quarter weight room supervisor retroactive to Dec. 19, fourth-quarter weight room supervisor and HS varsity football coach), Ben Howland (HS varsity boys soccer coach), Heather Jones (HS varsity girls volleyball coach), Phil Loudin (HS varsity boys golf coach) and Katrena Scaletta (MS girls track coach).

• The board approved leaves of absence for teachers Elaine Gilliland (effective Feb. 17-May 11), Willie Hollingsworth (Jan. 23-April 2), Brittany Oxley (March 7-April 4), Randy Phipps (Feb. 24-April 6) and Lauren Purtee (March 24-June 16) and for custodian Wesley Purtee (March 24-April 7).

• The board accepted the following donations: Community Markets of Hillsboro ($25), NCB ($150) and Schroeder Law Group ($100) toward prom 2026; Foothills Coffee Co., $40 value of raffle basket items toward the class of 2028; Hillsboro Fraternal Order of Eagles #1161, $1,000 toward the high school physical education classes; and Rural King of Hillsboro, $40 value of popcorn for elementary students’ Valentine’s Day party. 

• The board approved a contract agreement between Cincinnati Center for Autism and Hillsboro City Schools from March 1-June 30.

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