Documenters: Kent City School District Board of Education meeting for Nov. 19, 2025

The Kent City School District Board of Education meeting was held on Nov. 19 in the third grade classroom at Holden Elementary. 

In attendance were board members Alicia Crowe, Colin Boyle, David Myers and Rebekah Wright Kulis. Also at the meeting were Superintendent Tom Larkin, Assistant Superintendent Justin Gates, Treasurer Erin VanMeter, Director of Personnel Anthony Horton, Director of Data Analysis Linda Paulus and Director of Business Services Jim Soyars.

The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Crowe, who then led those in attendance in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first order of business was to allow residents to address the board. There was only one who rose to speak and that was board member-elect John Avouris. He offered his thanks for those who supported his campaign and stated that he was looking forward to working with the board.

Gates then took a moment to introduce the board and school staff members who were in attendance before the board approved the minutes of the previous meeting.

For his report, Larkin thanked Holden for hosting the night’s meeting and then invited Holden Principal Dave Ravida to share an update on the school. The first-year principal said that “this is a special place where students, staff and families all come together for one shared purpose, and that purpose is to help each child grow, learn and thrive.” He then called attention to the classroom and said “it’s not a typical classroom that you’re in today, and I think that’s why we’re highlighting it, because we do so many wonderful things in this room.” Ravida invited third grade teachers Ryleigh Bever and Denise Lopez to share more details about their “unique to the school co-teaching model.”

“This room is a big idea,” Bever said. 

Lopez explained that this is the second year the pair have acted as co-teachers and it has “helped students learn a lot more skills than just their academics.” 

The teachers were joined by three third grade students – Julia, Nico and Cairo – who each shared what they saw as a benefit to the classroom structure. Ravida then invited everyone to explore the space. To assist with that, there were seven QR codes strategically placed throughout. Each code unlocked a video featuring students talking about the specific learning opportunities related to that area.

After the tour of the space, Larkin asked the teachers for the rationale behind the co-teaching model. Lopez said it allowed for a more collaborative effort and that it “helps us assess student needs and react to them in real time.”

Next, Paulus provided an update on the district’s push to reverse the absenteeism issue that she said started during the pandemic. Paulus said that any student who misses 10% or more of school is considered to be chronically absent. One of the steps the district is taking to reverse this is educating parents on the importance of attendance. The district also has partnered with Kent State University. Among other initiatives, KSU will be providing a men’s basketball ticket to students who reach attendance markers. 

Paulus then shared some statistics, saying there were 2,985 students reported to the state as being in the district in 2024. Of that, 1,781 of them had some absence issues. Of those students, 1,353 are still enrolled in the district in 2025. And 713 have improved their attendance by one level, with 493 of that group having no attendance concerns. Larkin interjected to give credit to the teachers for this drop. Crowe thanked Paulus for the information and asked Larkin if this, and similar details, could be shared more regularly in 2026. 

Next on the agenda was a report from VanMeter. She reported that the district has received the remainder of its property tax revenue for this fiscal year. The next disbursement will happen in February. VanMeter said that the debt service payment is due on Dec. 1. That $1.7 million payment covers the debt the district holds for the Kent Free Library and the No New Bond tax payment. The district also has $166,700 remaining in permanent improvement dollars for the year. 

VanMeter also said that while property tax receipts are running as projected, the district’s investments are “a little bit low.”

Following her report, the board unanimously approved the financial report and the payment of all bills.

Horton next presented the board with a personnel update. The board approved the resignation, retirement, appointment and transfer of employees, as well as the hiring of substitutes. Larkin offered special thanks to the retiring employees: Jessica Shannon, Kevin Hockett, Mark Reer and Brenda Fohner.

The board then took up several action items. First, they unanimously approved the purchase of two 77-seat continental buses. They also approved a proposal from Trimco to do roof work over the auditorium of the high school. Next, Soyars asked for approval to sell an item the district no longer needed. All members approved the request unanimously. After the vote was taken, Kulis asked what the item to be sold was. Soyars said there was a laptop and a “toolkit to evaluate gross fine motor skills on someone.”

The board also approved a contract for ParentSquare that will result in a new district website; a contract with Maxim Healthcare Services to address the needs of an incoming student; an agreement with the Ravenna schools to pool Title I services; and the placement of a student teacher from Grand Canyon University. The board also considered an approval to enter into a contract with ThenDesign Architecture to address what Larkin called “underperforming HVAC systems.” Boyle, Myers and Crowe voted yes while Kulis abstained.

The board then turned its attention to internal matters. They first proceeded with electing a president for the remainder of 2025. Kulis nominated current Acting President Crowe, which was unanimously confirmed. Crowe then nominated Kulis to fulfill the role of vice president to the end of 2025. The full board approved that nomination, as well.

The board then moved to fill a vacant seat with the early installation of PJ Errera who, Crowe noted, “received the most votes in the last election.” Errera was unanimously elected and immediately sworn in. Errera thanked those in attendance and quickly cast his first vote, which was an approval to move the board into executive session.