School board OKs boundaries adjustment proposal

The Franklin County Board of Education unanimously adopted an order on Tuesday, Aug. 16 redrawing the boundaries for its five members following the completion of the 2020 federal Census and the Board of Supervisors’ approved redistricting plan that was drafted earlier this year.

Board attorney Lane B. Reed said, by law, the school district is required to reapportion its district lines every decade in conjunction with population figures attained through the decennial count of the nation’s population to determine elected representation at the local, state and national levels.

“The last time this was done was on Oct. 2, 2012, and the board, at that time, voted to adopt the same beat lines that were established by the Franklin County Board of Supervisors,” Reed said.

“This board can do what it wishes in going along with what the supervisors recently adopted or coming up with a plan of its own.”

Reed recommended mirroring the supervisors’ plan saying it would be prudent to follow a proposal that had already gone through the required public hearing process and had been accepted and paid for by the county’s governing body.

In the end, board members said they wanted all districts to mimic the boundaries for supervisors that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, in hopes of eliminating voter confusion.

Reed said a third-party analysis of the local population showed that redistricting was necessary in trying to get a generally balanced head count of people living in the area’s five districts.

He pointed out the law requires the variations be under 10 percent when comparing the populations of the largest and smallest districts in the county.

The proposal that was adopted by the school board and supervisors puts that variation at a 6.1 percent difference.

Among considerations that were also part of the redistricting process included boundaries being contiguous, not favoring or disfavoring a protected class or political party, being as compact as possible and preserving communities of interest while staying as close to existing boundaries as possible.

“The numbers mandated moving some of the population around to reach these goals, and those who will be in a different district will be notified of the change by the election commissioners,” Reed went on to say.

In other population news during the board meeting, Superintendent of Education Chris Kent told the panel that early enrollment figures for the district to start the 2022-2023 academic year are showing an uptick.

“In looking at the numbers, we’re actually up a little bit compared to where we were last year,” he said.

“We had been seeing declines in recent years and any improvement is welcome news. The good news is that we still have some trickling in even now.”

The Franklin County Board of Education also considered the following business during last week’s meeting:

• Approved the re-advertisement for bids involving three surplus buses the district is seeking to sell, including a 2003 model Freightliner, a 2004 model Freightliner and a 2006 model Thomas.

No bids were submitted when the buses were officially offered earlier in the summer.

Sealed bids will be accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 20 with the board likely to consider the matter at that time.

• Business Manager Tremel Young reported the district maintenance statement of fund balance, as of July 31, stood at $1,449,476.43.

“Also, by July 31, we had received 5 percent of our projected revenue for the new fiscal year and had spent 4 percent of our projected expenditures,” Young noted.

“In addition, the district maintenance cash flow report for July 31 showed a balance of $2,844,716.45.”

• Heard from Nellie Freeman during the public participation portion of the session in regards to heirship and leased property concerns she has.

Freeman noted she was seeking “peace of mind” in meeting the board face to face to discuss property that was leased to a family member, who is now deceased, and was seeking to have that legal documentation placed in her name.

Freeman said she had proof of heirship and told board members she was the last living heir that wished to lease the five acres of property from the school district.

“They claim they can’t take the land out of his name, but they took the homestead exemption out of his name,” she told the panel.
Board President Gloria Bonds said the panel would take Freeman’s query under advisement as the group’s policy is to not directly respond to matters presented during public participation.

• Accepted low bids for chemical site preparation from Timco (at a cost of $79 per acre) for 200 acres of select school district timber lands and for 200 acres of tree planting services from Baretta Forestry at a cost of $109 per acre.

Those costs are covered by 16th Section land funds.

• Authorized agreements including secure file destruction services through Shred-It along with an annual medical provider service agreement between Dr. Kim Estes and the school district.

• Executed several professional development contracts with Bailey Education Group in the amount of $6,750 and Top Score Writing (used by Franklin County Upper Elementary School teachers) for $1,000.

• Approved software licensing agreements for student testing through Educator Leadership Solutions in the amount of $21,445.

• Authorized a facility usage agreement in conjunction with the local pee wee football program to utilize Louie Mullins Memorial Stadium.

• Voted to allow Franklin County Career and Technical Center instructor Kristie Jones to travel to Washington, D.C. in mid-September to attend a SkillsUSA session.

A grant will pay for Jones’ trip with no district funds expended.

• Gave the go-ahead to several fund-raisers for school groups, including a Franklin County Middle School Valentine’s dance in February; a powder puff football game in October hosted by HOSA — Health Occupations Students of America; a youth soccer league in the fall and a soccer camp in 2023 sponsored by the FCHS soccer program.

The next meeting for the Franklin County Board of Education will be held at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20 in the office of the Superintendent of Education on First Street in Meadville.