Documenters: Field Board of Education meeting for March 9, 2026

The Field Board of Education met in the high school cafeteria at 7 p.m. on March 9 for the regularly scheduled March meeting. In attendance were Superintendent David Heflinger, Treasurer Todd Carpenter, Board President Randy Porter, Board Vice President William Evans and board members Steve Calcei, Larry Stewart and Matt Slaven. They were joined by student representative Haley Allshouse.

After calling the meeting to order, Porter led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silent contemplation. Carpenter next called the roll.

The first item on the agenda was the requested approval of the minutes from the regular meeting on Feb. 9. All board members voted affirmatively to approve except for Porter. He abstained from the vote due to his absence from that meeting. All members next voted to approve the agenda for the meeting that had just started. 

With that, Allshouse provided an update. She said that the NHS was planning a blood drive on April 14 and that there would be the annual Easter egg hunt on March 14. The theme for the 2026 prom was announced. It will be masquerade. Allshouse also said that Career Day will take place on April 1. She shared a brief sports round-up, as well, punctuated by the first ever scrimmage of the all-new girls flag football team. They played Streetsboro but no scores were shared.

Heflinger focused his report on the fate of the central building. He told the board that no action was needed, but he invited them to “ponder the possibilities.” According to Heflinger, two architectural firms provided quotes on what it would cost to renovate the building. One estimate was $8.5 million, while the other was $7.7 million. He also got an estimate for what it would cost to build a new building at the same size. That was $8.8 million to $8.9 million.

“We’re in an interesting place in terms of enrollment,” Heflinger said. 

He said that the district doesn’t have room in Brimfield to grow, adding that “if kindergarten enrollment goes up, we will be scrambling.”

In addition to enrollment needs, the other factor driving this discussion was the gift of $500,000 last fall for building tennis courts. Heflinger wants to figure out a general direction for the buildings, so they know where to build the courts.

There was discussion on build versus remodel, re-populating buildings with different grades and even purchasing a vacant Cleveland Clinic building that is adjacent to the central building. 

Slaven offered a brief legislative report next. The only bills of note currently in Columbus he said were HB 661, which dealt with NIL rules, and HB 114, which would affect kindergarten timing.

The board then took up a lengthy consent agenda from the superintendent. It covered a number of personnel matters, contracts, agreements for purchasing electricity, the 2027-2028 school calendar and board policies. Policy 6.61 regarding Artificial Intelligence was the only one that garnered any discussion. Slaven questioned what it meant for the classroom and asked what AI tools were currently being used. Heflinger said that students could use Gemini as part of the district's Google package. 

“Good. I just want to make sure that we’re not burying our head in the sand when it comes to AI,” Slaven said. 

With no further discussion, the agenda was passed unanimously.

Attention was then given to the treasurer’s consent agenda. It consisted of financial reports, rate approvals and the issuance of three complaints. Carpenter said three real estate sales in the district were for more than the auditor had appraised them for. These complaints were for the district to collect taxes on the sale price, not the auditor’s listing amount. With no questions, the board accepted the items on the agenda unanimously.

And then with no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:37 p.m.