Mason board approves personnel slate and vendor contracts; residency verification, Google licenses and transportation incentives highlighted
Summary
The board approved a large personnel slate, multiple vendor agreements (including residency-verification software from Thomson Reuters), continuation of transportation and nutrition incentives, and a budgeted purchase of Google licenses after decommissioning protections ended.
The Mason City Schools Board of Education voted Monday to approve a broad slate of personnel items and multiple vendor agreements included in the superintendent’s recommendations.
Administrators summarized a lengthy personnel list that included new hires, certificated and classified supplementals, and booster-funded positions for athletics and marching band. Doctor Cooper said the district finished summer hiring with roughly 92 new staff members added before the school year began. The board then approved the personnel agenda by roll call.
On vendor agreements, administrators described several routine renewals and new contracts. Highlights and board discussion included:
- Thompson Reuters residence-verification system: Christine (registration) explained the product will help verify a registrant’s address by matching mail and other data points. She told the board the system reports whether the vendor’s data indicate a match but said the district still makes the final residency determination; families may supply notarized affidavits when needed.
- Google licensing and cloud storage: The district is purchasing expanded Google licenses to increase cloud storage after the previous practice of reallocating licenses from decommissioned Chromebooks was no longer supported. Administrators said the cost was budgeted and necessary because Chromebooks that can no longer be updated can no longer pass licenses to new devices.
- Maxim Healthcare (substitute nurses), Imagine Learning (special education curriculum support), PowerSchool/Decision Insight enrollment services, FordEdge Wi‑Fi support, Paradigm cybersecurity course expansion, McGraw Hill ELA materials, Hazel Health telehealth, contracts with area ESCs (Hamilton, Warren, Butler) and Cincinnati Center for Autism for placements and specialized services were all presented and approved.
Administrators also described a salary schedule for a new transportation lead-coach role and said the district will continue incentive pay for transportation and student nutrition staff to recruit and retain employees; the district said it currently has sufficient drivers and substitutes for routes. Sean Bevan clarified that an auxiliary-fund contract appearing with a blank amount will be listed at $153,000 in the final electronic agenda; auxiliary funds are state dollars that flow to private schools and for which Mason serves as fiscal agent.
The board approved the action-item package by roll call. No member recorded a dissenting vote on the items as presented.
Why it matters: The approvals address staffing and operational continuity for the new school year and include technology and verification systems that affect registration, student records and cloud storage capacity.
For now: Administrators will implement contracts; the district said it will retain final discretion on residency determinations and report back on implementation as needed.
