Board of Education Update — June 26, 2025 Special Meeting

The June 26, 2025, special meeting of the Board of Education included presentations on the following topics:

Public meeting on rehiring of retirees

The Board of Education opened the meeting with a public hearing for the rehiring of five retirees. 

State budget bill update

Treasurer/CFO Andrew Geistfeld provided an update on the state budget bill, which has advanced out of the House/Senate Conference Committee and is now awaiting approval from Governor Mike DeWine. The biennium budget must be signed into law by July 1, when the new budget cycle begins.

Geistfeld provided updates on three key school funding components that have been topics of discussion during the state budget process: 

• Fair School Funding Plan: As it stands now, the budget bill would maintain the phased implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan and includes funding to support enrollment growth and performance-based incentives. As a result, Upper Arlington Schools would receive an increase of approximately $1.6 million in state funding in fiscal year 2026 and $2.6 million in fiscal year 2027.
   
• House Bill 335 (inside millage): The proposal to eliminate inside millage — a form of unvoted tax revenue — was not included in the budget bill sent to the governor for approval. Inside millage is shared among counties, school districts, municipalities, and townships, and in Upper Arlington, the school district receives 5.65 mills, which will generate an estimated $16.7 million in 2025.
   
• Cash Carryover Cap: The budget bill sent to the governor includes a new 40% cap on cash carryover balances for school districts. This means that districts cannot retain year-end cash balances exceeding 40% of their total budget. For Upper Arlington Schools, this would result in exceeding the cap by approximately $26 million in fiscal year 2025.
   

To proactively address this proposed cap, the Board of Education was asked to approve the transfer of $26.75 million to safeguard taxpayer-approved funding and support long-term financial planning. These funds will be reallocated to four key areas, including the new Capital Project Fund for technology and vehicle needs, the Capital Project Future Fund to offset costs for phase two of facilities master planning, the Building Reserve Fund for ongoing maintenance, and the district’s Benefit Fund.

Superintendent Robert Hunt, Ph.D., noted that while these transfers are a response to the proposed changes at the state level, they are also part of the district’s forward-looking approach to ensure strong support for the evolving needs of Upper Arlington students and schools.

As part of this update, Geistfeld also presented a revised five-year financial forecast to reflect the proposed changes. Although the forecast was last updated in May, as required by the state, the proposed cash carryover cap and resulting Board-approved transfers represent significant shifts in future financial projections. 
 

Facilities Master Planning update

Dr. Hunt shared an update on the second phase of the facilities master planning process for the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School. He reviewed what has happened since the fall of 2024, when the process was launched. So far, the district has: 

• Created a Facility Oversight Committee and a Facility Task Force composed of 19 community members with expertise in the areas of construction, real estate  
• Developed Guiding Principles and Parameters that have been approved by the Board of Education for the process based on community, staff and Facilities Task Force input
• Completed both the physical adequacy and educational adequacy assessments of all three buildings
• Formed building teams and conducted five community engagement sessions 

This spring, the process focused on revised draft options for each of the school buildings. Through the community engagement session in May and surveys available through mid-June, nearly 1,600 stakeholders provided their feedback on the draft options. As part of the district’s commitment to transparency throughout this process, that feedback is available at www.uaschools.org/facilities. Dr. Hunt presented that feedback for Board of Education discussion, noting that, while it is not scientific or a vote, it will be used to help inform decisions going forward.  

After reviewing the feedback, the Board of Education suggested narrowing the options to be evaluated in preparation for additional community engagement in the fall. 

This fall, the district will continue to engage the community and bring together a Financial Advisory Board composed of community members with expertise in the finance area to offer their insight as the district looks to finalize a master plan recommendation to the Board of Education by the end of the year or possibly the beginning of next year. 
 

Teaching & Learning updates for the upcoming school year

• Next Education Workforce: Director of Elementary Education Michelle Banks and Tremont Elementary School Principal Jacki Prati shared an overview of the district’s work involving Next Education Workforce. This is a collaborative instructional model that is designed to deepen personalized learning, strengthen instructional outcomes for students and embody Upper Arlington’s enduring commitment to Excellence and Innovation. Staff members at Tremont Elementary School and Windermere Elementary School are leading this work so far in the district. 
• STEM Committee Work: Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Siddens, Ph.D., and Chief Academic Officer Keith Pomeroy shared an update on the work with the district’s new STEM Committee. This committee of administrators, teachers and community members is working together to review and make recommendations about preK-12 STEM programming and course offerings. The committee has met twice so far and will continue to meet in the fall, with the goal of making recommendations yet in 2025.
• Generative AI Committee Work: Dr. Siddens and Chief Excellence & Engagement Officer Denise Lutz, Ed.D., shared an update on the Generative AI Committee, which was formed in the fall of 2024. The committee is made up of administrators, teachers, students and experts from the education field. In the past year, the committee has helped develop a document to guide the appropriate and safe use of AI and address current and future educational goals, teacher and student agency, academic integrity, and security. The district has selected the following AI tools to approve for student use beginning in the fall: Google Gemini (high school only); Magic School AI (free version, K-12); and Brisk Boost Activities (K-12).
• High School Innovation Work: Director of Secondary Education Kristin Robbins, Ed.D., and Upper Arlington High School Assistant Principal Lydia Smith-Lockwood, Ph.D., shared an update on work surrounding innovation at the high school. The Future Readiness Committee at the high school has spearheaded this work and worked with an expert from the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio, gathering feedback from other schools in the state of Ohio and students and staff within UAHS. From this process, the high school is looking at possibly implementing three new opportunities for students in the 2026-2027 school year: a High School 101 course to build readiness for students from day one; Bear Tracks, a flexible learning pathway that combines core coursework with career interests including internships or externships; and INCubator EDU @ UAHS, an entrepreneurship program that would offer students collaborative, real-world experiences. During the 2025-2026 school year, the high school will be having teachers further dive into the logistics for implementing these potential new opportunities. 

You may visit our Upper Arlington Schools Board of Education page to access the June 26 meeting agenda. 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.