Board of Education Update — February 11, 2025 Regular Meeting
The February 11, 2025, meeting of the Board of Education included presentations on the following topics:
Board of Education Appreciation Month
Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., and Treasurer / CFO Andrew Geistfeld recognized the members of the Board of Education for their commitment to the students of Upper Arlington for Board of Education Appreciation Month. They presented each Board member with handmade cards and items from our elementary schools.
District highlights
Dr. Hunt shared the following district highlights:
- Coffee & Conversation: We have another coffee and conversation opportunity this month on Thursday, February 13, focused on student well-being. Join us from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the upper level meeting room at Giant Eagle Market District at Kingsdale.
- UA Rotary Student of the Month: The Rotary Club of Upper Arlington has started a new honor, which will recognize a service-oriented junior or senior who also demonstrates admirable traits such as honesty, responsibility, courage and leadership. February’s honoree is Caroline B., who is a senior at the high school this year. Caroline is a member of the school’s Hope Squad, which works to foster a safe and supportive environment in both school and community, as well as reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. She has also been volunteering with Special Olympics for over two years, where she serves as a basketball coach. She is a member of the Upper Arlington HIgh School field hockey team, a talented artist, an animal lover and a fantastic student.
- Scheduling for 2025-2026: Upper Arlington High School held a scheduling fair last week to showcase the wide variety of course offerings and programs for students for the 2025-2026 school year.
- Kindergarten registration: This fall, we will be welcoming the Golden Bears Class of 2038! Our elementary schools have been holding parent information sessions to help families prepare for registration and get ready for the exciting journey ahead in kindergarten. Registration opens next week at www.uaschools.org/kindergarten.
- The Sound of Music: Upper Arlington High School will present The Sound of Music February 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and February 16 at 2:30 p.m. The high school also offered a preview performance for senior citizens in the community on February 11 in partnership with the Upper Arlington Civic Association.
Facilities Master Planning update
Dr. Hunt shared that the district is now in the options phase of facilities master planning for the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School. In the past week, the volunteers on the building teams and the community experts on the Facilities Task Force have reviewed the initial draft options, which will be presented to the community next week.
- Community Engagement Session #3 — Draft Planning Options: You can join us to learn about the draft planning options developed by the building teams at our third round of community engagement sessions on February 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Upper Arlington High School; and February 19 at 9:00 a.m. at the Graf Center, 2020 Builders Place.
Dr. Hunt stressed the importance of the community getting involved in the process and sharing their feedback and encouraged residents to attend these meetings.
Culture & Climate update
Chief Excellence & Engagement Officer Denise Lutz, Ed.D., shared an update on the Culture & Climate priority in the new strategic plan. A first step is that students are providing voice through a winter Culture & Climate survey, which was administered to students in grades K-12. She reviewed the overall results by grade bands in the areas of school climate, school safety, teacher-student relationships, and cultural awareness and action (administered to only grades 6-12). Principals have been encouraged to meet with student groups or have conversations during morning meetings or advisory time to talk through the questions and get qualitative feedback.
Programs of Study
Chief Academic Officer Keith Pomeroy and Director of Secondary Education Kristin Robbins, Ed.D., presented the UA Online Academy and the Middle School programs of studies for 2025-2026. They walked through the high-level changes, including clarifications on the PE and Health requirements and Physical Science and Honors Physical science recommendations at the middle school level, and the addition of icons for clarity and the addition of a Physical Geology course in the Online Academy.
Policies
Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Siddens, Ph.D., presented 13 bylaws and 19 policies for second read and approval to the Board of Education. She also presented six policies for a first read, including three policies for discussion by the Board of Education.
Board communications
The Board of Education discussed and approved a draft resolution regarding SB104 and restroom signage.
The Board of Education’s HR/Policy Committee brought forward three policies for discussion and feedback:
- 5136 Personal Communication Devices
- 5223 Release Time for Religious Instruction
- A new Student Voice Policy
All three policies will be revisited at a future meeting.
Treasurer’s update
Treasurer/CFO Andrew Geistfeld shared the monthly financial statements for January 2025.
In addition, he shared a contract to purchase a property at 2134 Coventry Road, contiguous to the Jones Middle School property, for under the appraised value. The property purchase, he noted, would provide potential flexibility down the road for the Jones property. The property purchase would be paid through the permanent improvement fund, with the potential for reimbursement through the general fund or a potential bond issue in the future. Based on his recommendation, the Board of Education voted to approve the property purchase contract.
You may visit our Upper Arlington Schools Board of Education page to access the February 11 meeting agenda and video. To view the meeting presentation, please click here. For meeting dates and more information about the Board of Education, please visit www.uaschools.org/board.