Austintown

WHAT: Board of Education meeting Wednesday

PRESENT: Katie Berdis, Fred Marcum, Harold Porter, Don Sherwood and Kim Smrek

The board:

• Approved the April monthly financial/expenditure activity report.

• Approved the April forecast report.

• Approved purchase orders over $15,000 and transfers for the month as submitted.

• Accepted the following donations: $150 from Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church to the Fitch Food Pantry; $500 from Joseph and Rebecca Caruso to the Nohra Scholarship; $1,000 from Rise Political Strategies to the speech and debate team; and $2,500 in the form of a printer and ink from Dennis Merdich of TPI photo lab to the Fitch Business Department.

• Approved a three-year agreement with Euna Solutions (Marketplace), the district’s budgeting and procurement system, at the following annual rates: Aug.1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, $9,590; Aug. 1, 2027, to July 31, 2028, $10,070; and Aug. 1, 2028, to July 31, 2029, $10,575.

• Approved Falcon Five pre-kindergarten rates for the 2026-27 school year, including a registration fee of $50; monthly tuition of $400; district employee monthly tuition of $365; monthly tuition with Falcon Care, $650; and district employee monthly tuition with Falcon Care, $615.

• Approved the Austintown Local School District Preschool Handbook for the 2026-27 school year.

• Approved the agreement with the Ohio Department of Higher Education to establish the terms under which the LEA will participate in the Ohio Direct Admissions Pilot Program.

• Approved an agreement with the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio for transportation for special education classroom services.

• Approved the contractual agreement with Frontline Technologies Group LLC dba Frontline Education from July 31, 2026, to June 30, 2027, for implementation services in the amount of $15,000, with a one-time fee of $2,750.

• Approved the new student-managed activity/club at Austintown: Fitch Business Education Booster Club.

• Approved one-year contracts for Catherine Dorbish, Austintown Elementary School principal, and David Phillips, Fitch High School assistant principal.

• Approved three-year contracts for Joanie Jones, Austintown Middle School assistant principal; Salvatore Maiorana, Fitch High School principal; Angel Owens, Fitch High School assistant principal; Timothy Pappagallo, Austintown Elementary assistant principal; Jim Riccardo, high school assistant principal; Andrew Scarmack, middle school principal; and Tom Ventresco, technology supervisor.

• Approved the following resignations: Tina Kubacki, Interact Club adviser; Christopher Martini, junior varsity football coach; and Luke Kelty, Fitch assistant football coach.

• Approved the following transfers: Robin Guzzo, temporary assignment, middle school kitchen manager; Angela Bouch, from middle school 3-hour food service to high school 3.5-hour food service; April Dahl, from intermediate school special education paraprofessional to paraprofessional in the attendance office at the high school; Joseph McMahon, from Fitch intervention specialist to district special education coach; Karen Lamm, from kindergarten to preschool intervention specialist; Krista Moltchan, displaced from elementary school computer technology to preschool intervention specialist; Amy Iacofano, from Grade 2 to preschool teacher; and Julie Toth, from Grade 2 to preschool teacher.

• Approved the non-renewal of teaching contracts for Stephanie Peterson, Jeffrey Gessler and Taylor Susany.

• Approved a long list of limited, one-year and two-year teaching contracts.

• Approved the following summer personnel at a rate of $25 per hour: Carlo Trafficante, Algebra I; Janelle DeSanto, Algebra I; Debbie Berni, Geometry; Gina Cardillo, English II; Andrea Reed, English II; Kaitlin Slater, intervention specialist; and Dylan Hogue, testing coordinator limited to 10 total hours; Jolene Ross ELA/social studies; Kristina Miller, math/science; and Melissa Crump, intervention specialist.

• Approved the following Austintown Intermediate School summer intervention teachers at $25 per hour (Title I grant): Carrie Copeland, Lisa Fitzgerald, Marina Ohlin, Tiffany Mraz, Jenna Riccardo, Monica Theis and Britney Zarlenga.

• Approved the following Austintown Elementary School summer intervention teachers at $25 per hour (Title I grant): Stacy Banko, Jennifer Lemke, Molly Walsh, Brittany Telshaw, Anjelika Postlethwait; and Rachel Mrazik.

• Approved the following summer staff: Tracie Odom, AIS intervention specialist at $25 per hour; Karma Minkewicz, AES tutor at $20 per hour; and Mike Polder, AIS aide at $16.50 per hour.

• Approved the following classified staff for extra summer hours at their contracted rate: Cathy Mellott, AES paraprofessional; Tracy Boyd, AES paraprofessional funded by Title I; MaryJane Loeb, AIS paraprofessional funded by Title I; Nicole Spencer, AIS paraprofessional funded by Title I; Roxanne Alexander, Brionna Collins, Heather McGahagan and Constance Morales, medical assistants; and Rita Evans IT Tech.

• Approved the following Camp Invention staff (grant funded by the National Inventors Hall of Fame): Dr. Dorothy Reppy, director; Jeffrey Swavel, assistant director; and Alicia Burnfield, Carrie Copeland, Lisa Fitzgerald, Andrea Reed and Jenna Riccardo, instructors.

• Approved the following Success By 6 Program teachers at $25 per hour (grant funded by United Way): Carrie Copeland, Jennifer Lemke, Tiffany Mraz, Rachel Mrazik, Anjelika Postlethwait and Brittany Telshaw.

• Approved the following summer cleaning staff at a contracted hourly rate of $13.64: Tammy Baytos, Kevin Benford, Ashley Byrd, Kaylea Carkido, Betsy Cercone, Darcy Fletcher, Mary Hahn, Sharmayne Gay, Robert Millich, Darlene Peters, Michael Prince, Jean Profanchik, Heidi Thomas and Amanda Zanchi.

• Approved a long list of athletic supplemental contracts at the intermediate, middle and high schools.

• Approved six summer sports training camps.

• Susan Wojnar