The Cambridge City School District Board of Education approved the district’s five-year financial forecast, a document submitted to the State every year that is used to verify that the school district is appropriately managing the finances of the school district.
According to Treasurer Ed Wright, the forecast is based on assumptions derived from the information known at the point in time forecast is prepared and the projected estimates for revenues, expenditures, and operating balances of the General Fund for the district for the fiscal years 2021-2025.
“We continue to conservatively manage our finances and find efficiencies in our district while still providing a quality education to our students, and we will continue to do that,” Superintendent Dan Coffman said. “However, there are several unknown factors that impact our finances including changes in the state funding system for schools and local property valuations.”
Superintendent Coffman, as he did in his monthly Livestream event prior to the board meeting, announced a change to the school district schedule making Tuesday, Nov. 24 a remote learning day for students who would normally attend face-to-face.
“Rather than bringing students into the buildings for one day the week of our Thanksgiving break, we decided to just make Tuesday a remote learning day,” Coffman said. “This gives us our staff an extra day to thoroughly clean and disinfect classroom spaces plus limits the amount of interaction and the potential spread of COVID-19.”
Coffman also addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the school district and praised the students, teachers, and staff for limiting the spread within the buildings.
“We’ve had some staff members and students that have had to quarantine because of possible exposure, but we have had very few positive tests,” Coffman said. “In general, Bobcats have done a great job of following protocols.”
In other business, the board approved the recommendations of the treasurer to establish a pair of STEM funds for the high school and middle school, to establish an ESSER fund, a Coronavirus Relief fund and a Broadband Connectivity fund, the acceptance of several donations, and a fund-to-fund transfer of $85,750 for HB264 principal and interest payment.
In personnel matters, the board approved Jordan Ball as Middle School wrestling coach, Christopher Miles as freshman boys basketball coach, Allyssa Ball as eighth grade girls basketball coach, Logan Ball, Aaron Quinn, Dave Holdren, Logan McCort, and Sydney Shockley as athletic volunteers for the school year.
The board approved Robert Hagar as substitute custodian, Christine Jefferies as substitute clerical/aid and substitute cook, and Lauren Wisenbarger and Alexis Starr as substitute teachers. They approved the unpaid leave of absences for Julie Bishop and Tamara LePage, a medical leave of absence for Tamara Ball, and the non-renewal of fall sport athletic contracts for Tim Fox, JR Fox, Tim Gibson, Mark Jamiel, Crissy Booth, Jessica Snyder, Lovel Quinn, Marlo Taylor, Ray Leek, Devin Nicholes, Aaron Mathews, Tim Wilson Dan Lytle, Kevin Yurik, Jacob Tharp, Robert Mascolino, Tony Jones, Kevin Gunn, Mark Clifford, Kevin Smith.
The board approved the one-year athletic supplemental contracts for Mike Birkhimer, JV girls basketball; Gregg Strasser, JV boys basketball; Kevin Yurik, seventh grade boys basketball; Jake Tharp, eighth grade boys basketball; and Andy Pointer, seventh grade girls basketball.
The board also approved Danielle Eubanks as RTI coordinator, Andrea Gander, Hailee Engle, and Laura Golden as 21st Century Community Learning Center teachers; Jennifer Howell as COVID-19 Coordinator, Sadie Williams and Jodi Neff as Book Bandits Afterschool Reading Club teachers, and Rachel Todd as after school journalism club instructor.
The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on December 15 at the Garfield Administrative Center.