Board of Education Update — January 14, 2025 Regular Meeting
The January 14, 2025, meeting of the Board of Education included presentations on the following topics:
Auditor of State Award recognition
Scott Brown, the central Ohio liaison for the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office, recognized Upper Arlington Schools for earning a clean audit opinion and the Auditor of State Award for the fiscal year ending 2024. Only 10 percent of the organizations audited meet these high criteria. He acknowledged that this award represents the hard work of all of the district’s employees. Upper Arlington Schools is proud to consistently earn a clean audit opinion and the Auditor of State Award - recognizing our commitment to effective and accountable financial practices for our community.
District highlights
Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., shared the following district highlights:
- Coffee & Conversation: We have two Coffee & Conversation opportunities this month. We had a nice turnout last week at our morning session focused on strategic planning. You can also join us on Monday, January 27 at 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Jones Middle School Learning Center, 2100 Arlington Avenue — Please enter through the main entrance facing the Mallway Plaza.
- 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. Our first honoree is Tatum T., who is a senior at the high school this year. She has a long list of accomplishments, including being president of student council, captain of the varsity basketball team, a violinist and a dedicated volunteer for local charities. Tatum is a fantastic student, and we are excited to honor her at an upcoming Rotary meeting.
Facilities Master Planning update
Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., shared the following opportunities in the coming weeks for community members to learn more about facilities master planning for the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School and share their thoughts.
- Guided Building Tours — Join us to see the current condition of these buildings firsthand on Thursday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 29. Tours will begin at 6 p.m. at Burbank Early Childhood School, 4770 Burbank Drive, then at 7 p.m. at both Hastings Middle School, 1850 Hastings Lane, and Jones Middle School, 2100 Arlington Avenue. You can choose to attend one building tour and see all three buildings over the two dates.
- Learning Environments Summit — The building team volunteers and any interested stakeholders will come together to explore the future of education and learning spaces at a Learning Environments Summit on January 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Upper Arlington High School North Learning Commons, 1625 Zollinger Road.
- 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.
Enrollment projection report
Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., recommended that the Board of Education commission an enrollment projection study this spring to inform the facilities master planning process.
UAHS Program of Studies
Upper Arlington High School Principal Andrew Theado and Assistant Principal Lydia Smith-Lockwood, Ph.D., shared an overview of the 2024-2025 UAHS Program of Studies. They highlighted a number of new courses and new career pathways and pre-apprenticeship programs involving Business & Administrative Services, Logistics & Supply Chain Marketing, Marketing, Media Arts, and Entrepreneurship. They also shared a new graduation requirement beginning with the Class of 2029 to complete one online course during their four years in high school, as well as a number of online courses that will be offered through Upper Arlington High School beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Policies
Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Siddens, Ph.D., presented policies for first and second read to the Board of Education. Policy 2460.03 Independent Educational Evaluations was before the Board for a second read and vote. The revised version incorporates the existing policy and the related administrative guideline to bring clarity and transparency for families of students with disabilities.
Thirteen bylaws and 19 policies were also presented to the Board for a first read. For the bylaws, most are revisions for consistency, alignment and technical corrections. The policies reflect updates based on new or revised state law or federal grant requirements. In January, these policies and bylaws will be brought back to the Board for review and approval.
Other updates
Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Siddens, Ph.D., shared the semi-annual update on reports of bullying, harassment or intimidation. That information can be found on the district’s website. She also shared a reminder about the Stay Safe. Speak Up! Hotline for reporting any potential incidents of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Strategic planning update
Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., shared his pride and excitement in presenting the final Excellence & Innovation 2030 Strategic Plan, which the Board of Education later approved at the meeting. He noted that the plan reflects the desires of the community and thanked everyone who has taken part in the process and informed the resulting strategic plan - 9,000 touchpoints gathered over two years through the UAdventure, Listen Learn Lead, the district-wide equity audit and the planning process itself.
The Excellence & Innovation 2030 Strategic Plan encompasses three priorities — Engaged Learning, Culture & Climate, and Connections — supported by a commitment to continuous improvement through Excellence and Innovation. The district’s mission, vision and values remain the north star of this plan, along with the Profile of an Engaged Learner, which wraps around it.
The district’s strategy leads presented the specific strategies under each priority area, which can be reviewed in the Excellence & Innovation 2030 Strategic Plan document.
Treasurer’s update
Treasurer/CFO Andrew Gesitfeld shared the monthly financial statements for December 2024 and items for Board of Education approval including the description of student activity funds and a transfer involving the Legacy fundraising campaign for phase one of facilities master planning.
You may visit our Upper Arlington Schools Board of Education page to access the January 14 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.
- Board of Education
- Facilities Master Planning
- Strategic Planning