[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6506272,"mediaKeyId","5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af","parentId",5810916,"title","Votes at a glance: Board approves multiple contracts, renewals and personnel items; Nearpod renewal passes 3–2","audioSeconds",830,"startMs",2194000,"endMs",3024000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af&start=2194&end=3024","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af/thumbnail_2194000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6506272/Ohio/Votes-at-a-glance-Board-approves-multiple-contracts-renewals-and-personnel-items-Nearpod-renewal-passes-32","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506272-0035871f40aef84d274a846c96705cd7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095491&Signature=i36neysY07BjPUL7iQLlsIK9dQpQj79r3853G2xCBTS2fv0Hi0YtpVfQFtiWWB~4rsTCRastn4ovaQFPOjpW8Jb9LK6bHHEBYZ18YvxrDPeE~ahjYolcJnAjoKIquRnbcBEyJM04A9bx5xvXnRNsltaHaAy61L6~YyVKilbXyRtDJm~w8J9HrKFGFLjClgZIQE3Tr2qWclLBYQoZRUs4KbQMCTc9U7O39awx-EyXf3YcJocIlt61EzVmkxHcarNQoFTjOnrHqWazWF~2F8Lrvax0pxZ5ott976naIP0bQGSxIO~UggnXXTgFe-4jvj5yjwPXUpmPYfRIBWh~zJp0Dg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Mentor Public Schools ","date","2025-08-15T00:00:00Z","article","The Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education took a series of formal actions Aug. 14, approving multiple consent, contract and personnel items. Most items passed unanimously or by a simple majority. Below are the actions recorded during the meeting with roll-call tallies as recorded on the record.

Votes and outcomes

- Consent agenda items (items 6A1 through 6A5): Motion to approve consent agenda passed by roll call, 5–0.

- Hopkins Road cell-tower lease extension: Resolution recommended by administration; motion approved by roll call, 5–0.

- Sale of used surplus equipment by public auction: Motion carried by roll call, 5–0.

- Ice-arena contract agreement with the City of Mentor: Motion approved by roll call, 5–0.

- Addendum to the 2025–26 service agreement with the Educational Service Center (ESE) of the Western Reserve: Motion passed by roll call, 5–0.

- Nearpod annual renewal: Motion to approve the Nearpod renewal passed by roll call, 3–2. Recorded votes: Ms. Jessling — Yes; Ms. Marchezza — Yes; Ms. Iavalo — No; Ms. Payne — No; Ms. Cook — Yes.

- Certified personnel and related HR items (C1–C4): Motion carried by roll call, 5–0.

- Administrative staff recommendations: Motion carried by roll call, 5–0.

- Manor Public Library trustee appointment (Christopher Gallagher): Motion carried with roll-call result 3 yes, 0 no, 2 abstentions (two board members abstained saying they had not been previously familiar with the candidate); recorded as passing 3–0–2.

- Second reading and approval of Policy 5.722 (School-Sponsored Publications and Productions): Motion carried by roll call, 5–0.

- Motion to convene executive session to discuss the employment of a public official: Motion passed by roll call, 5–0; the board entered executive session and reconvened to adjourn.

Notes and context

- Nearpod was the one item that drew a split vote. The board’s roll-call sequence shows two members voting “no”; the administration did not record any subsequent change to the renewal beyond the approval. The remainder of the motions were routine consent or contract items that the administration recommended.

- Manor Public Library trustee appointment passed with two abstentions; the record shows the abstentions were stated by board members who said they had limited personal knowledge of the candidate at the time of the vote.

- Several items were approved without discussion or with only brief discussion; where roll-call names were recorded, they are reflected above.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Mentor Board of Education Meeting August 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education approved a series of consent, contract and personnel items at its Aug. 14 meeting; the Nearpod annual renewal passed on a 3–2 vote and a library trustee appointment passed with two abstentions.","taxTitle","Mentor Exempted Village, School Districts, Ohio","taxId",38575,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6506277,"Board hears extended discussion on elementary class sizes; district outlines hotspots and short-term options",1559,3026000,4585000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af&start=3026&end=4585","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af/thumbnail_3026000.jpg","/articles/6506277/Ohio/Board-hears-extended-discussion-on-elementary-class-sizes-district-outlines-hotspots-and-short-term-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506277-159dc44e5e739e93b69c693a0e99cf1a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095491&Signature=f2~2c1h17dZV2fYO5EiGlnnfHAnHuUazBd-1Z8TIfMDssE3eS5RwrpcrSgAIu~YuQnb-n8yPXhgCeXxGQkmbGvyDa9pk6bZdgZNgQkWyN~zPWii9dltGZtTCSyuPWEIRtLcmgzdUBF201CanzlIlfSw~Xf2jFVXzioYZAumyxsoY140JhiM8qM2qMMtAsrOFvfQGUnH-AhkkyMWQTxiWBMjFBnpN-wxy~xhsn6p9DX7ed2O-IFS56JGbsIF~Zt4q58ljmiwjyGgsAlA-VZ7cPx~M78rrkL35gM0VUB2jjdicL9H3ZL98VnNhG0huJHX78mLEQC1IbLumVWYw6nt3WA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parents, board members and district administrators spent a major portion of the Aug. 14 Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education meeting discussing elementary class sizes and possible short-term responses for the 2025–26 school year.

Superintendent Mr. Heath presented updated enrollment data based on the district’s most recent enrollment reports and highlighted several “hot spots” the district is monitoring: Hopkins (fourth and fifth grades), Bellflower (first grade), Morton (kindergarten, first and third), and Ridge (fifth). Heath said Hopkins currently has 80 students total across fourth and fifth grades and that gifted pull-outs significantly affect how many students are physically present in a classroom at any one time: at Hopkins, 29 of the 80 fifth-grade students are designated gifted and would be pulled out for specialized instruction at times.

Heath explained the district’s approach to potential adjustments: options include adding a section in a grade to reduce per-class headcount, shifting a section between grade bands year-to-year, or using additional classroom assistants or targeted instructional staff to provide small-group supports during core instruction. He said kindergarten counts at Hopkins are unusually low this year (about 16.8 students per section across four sections), which provides some flexibility; adding or removing sections remains possible in the days immediately before and after school opens. Heath also noted that special-education unit placements and gifted pull-outs reduce the number of students physically seated in a general-education classroom at any single moment and that the district will continue to monitor enrollment closely in the opening days.

Public commenters framed the issue as a long-standing concern. Parent Megan Schonig (Hopkins parent) told the board she and other parents have repeatedly raised class-size concerns since redistricting and described individual classrooms with as many as 29 students. Another speaker, Alex Fish, also raised class-size concerns and thanked the district for making agenda materials available online. John Sanford and other commenters noted that reducing class size requires funding and space and urged the board to consider the district’s fiscal and facility constraints.

Board members asked for clarifications about transfers and homeschool filings; administrators said most open homeschool notifications were still being processed and were not yet reflected in the published counts. Board members pressed whether additional staffing (extra teacher sections or classroom assistants) could be added at this late date; Heath and the administration said adding sections or assistants was possible and that similar short-term staffing had been used in previous years to manage temporary surges. The board also asked the district to monitor student achievement in the affected grades (fourth-grade math was mentioned) and to prioritize targeted interventions if scores suggest need.

No formal motion was made to alter staffing or class-sectioning at the meeting; the item remained under ongoing monitoring with the administration directed to provide updated numbers and recommendations as enrollments finalize in the coming days.

","Board members, parents and the superintendent discussed rising elementary class sizes at several schools, with Superintendent Heath presenting enrollment data and options including adding sections, shifting sections between grade levels, and deploying additional support staff or aides; no final policy vote was taken.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6506281,"Board holds required hearing on 2025–26 special-education and federal program budgets; board approves by roll call",62,59000,121000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af&start=59&end=121","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810916-111c8257f3066846c37f4c64f40573af/thumbnail_59000.jpg","/articles/6506281/Ohio/Board-holds-required-hearing-on-202526-special-education-and-federal-program-budgets-board-approves-by-roll-call","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506281-b6e146b26890405b9a03196b023ee253/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095491&Signature=jlduoGL1aheT8YDwN2QfA8-XTvE509DG72ccRLHvzoYmOVKjyq4I3zq8T-vizEmWSs9QLX7zP~wrnm5cMchVTUWXOG3RSPHAUeNCB88Y8oPrLaWZaOZAJI0Q2ys7Ckl-Q-IWoeXFutYZL7xeGL0Y2CXnqbwd3QjNLxUb1vgymWbms8me8tMM5g19mW1Xh8WKFGH1cCn2OCrq7CYCZl7oAeDLL2ew8q39Kn1poZIxfA2enGpZACGilEfYrPDp2CBcKSJtK4ez8MMJbqtvXDqubr3Njifvf5BeoKU2Qj7OH72MgzL1syC~vqm5jIJPgkFgihCyEDW24FtZigg1KvN99g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Madam President and members of the board held a required public hearing Aug. 14 on the Mentor Exempted Village School District’s proposed 2025–26 budgets for federal programs including IDEA (special education), Title I, Title II-A, Title III (LEP), Title IV and preschool early childhood funds. Chief financial officer Mr. Wade presented the budgets and invited stakeholder comment; no members of the public offered remarks during the allotted hearing period.

The hearing was presented to satisfy Ohio Revised Code requirements for public notice and comment on the district’s use of federal grant funds. After the presentation and a brief opportunity for comments, a board member moved approval; the motion was seconded and the board approved the item by roll call (five votes in favor, none opposed). The board did not record additional conditions or amendments at the vote.

Why it matters: federal grant awards and IDEA allocations fund programs and services that directly affect special-education staffing, intervention services and supplementary programming in district schools. The hearing is a required step before the district finalizes how it will allocate those federal funds for the coming fiscal year.

Details from the presentation: Mr. Wade said the purpose of the hearing was to “elicit input feedback from our stakeholders for the use of these federal funds.” No changes to the budget allocations were proposed at the meeting and no public comments were offered before the board moved to approve.

Next steps: The district will proceed with the planned use of the grants as presented; any further adjustments would come through future board agenda items or required amendment processes.

","The Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education held a regulatory hearing on proposed 2025–26 budgets for IDEA, Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV and preschool federal funds, received no public comments, and approved the item by roll call.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Board approves multiple contracts, renewals and personnel items; Nearpod renewal passes 3–2

Board hears extended discussion on elementary class sizes; district outlines hotspots and short-term options

Board holds required hearing on 2025–26 special-education and federal program budgets; board approves by roll call