Documenters: Streetsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting for Oct. 13, 2025

Streetsboro City Schools Board of Education Regular Meeting 

Oct. 13, 2025

5:45 p.m.

Streetsboro High School Auditorium

8585 state Route 14

Streetsboro, OH 44241

Attendance 

Superintendent Cynthia Deevers, Treasurer Brian Haines, Athletic Director Randy Tevepaugh, Business Manager C.J. Scarcipino

Board members: President Kristin Bedford, Sara Scott, Tonia Epple, Vice President Tracy Campbell

Summary

Streetsboro High School is in the final stages of creating a brand new girls flag football team. The season would begin in the spring of 2026, and all expenses except transportation would be paid by the Cleveland Browns. 

Director of Teaching and Learning Brett McCann presented on the district report card for the 2024-2025 school year. Streetsboro City School District received four stars, down from their score of four and a half stars the previous year. Several areas like math and English language arts proficiency improved, and the district is implementing strategies to address problem areas like early literacy and career readiness. McCann said that he is confident Streetsboro City School District will receive a five-star rating by the end of the district’s strategic plan. 

Treasurer Brian Haines gave two presentations, one on pending legislation regarding tax reforms that could result in a loss of funding for Streetsboro and other districts, and a second presentation on the financial forecast. If the upcoming levy does not pass in November, he said the district will lose a minimum of $1 million a year. The district would have to begin discussing immediately which staff positions and programs would need to be cut in 2026. The district would also have a negative cash balance by 2028. If the levy passes, the district is still projected to have a negative cash balance starting in 2031. Haines explained in detail that costs are increasing, but the state has not been providing additional funding to keep up with costs or inflation. The full presentations from the treasurer are available on the board’s website: Agenda – 9000 Kirby Lane | Streetsboro, OH 44241 | P 330-626-4900 | F 330-626-8102 BoardDocs® LT

Business Manager C.J. Scarcipino gave an update on facility rental agreements and performances being scheduled at the high school auditorium to generate additional income for the district. He said this will bring in over $100,000, which is significant but not enough to close the future gaps in funding projected.

Documenter’s Notes

The September meeting minutes were approved by the board.

Superintendent’s Report:

Athletic Director Randy Tevepaugh took the podium to give recognition to football player Arthur Scott and soccer player McKenzie Montgomery, who were awarded Metro Athletic Conference Player of the Week, an award given to two students per school each week. 

Boys Golf Coach Bruce Thomas recognized the players in the golf program for a great season. They won the championship for the second time in a row, and for the second time in school history. The team had a record of 43-6 in the MAC.

Coach Ryan Willard also attended to discuss the quality of the girls soccer team. Over the last seven years, they have won nine titles, and this year, they won all 10 of their conference matches. 

The school is in the final stages of creating a girls flag football team through a program sponsored by the Cleveland Browns. The NFL team would be paying for all expenses except transportation. The season would begin in spring 2026, and the team would play two one-hour long games on Sundays that would not interfere with other sports’ schedules. Each team can only have a roster of 25 players. Since around 40 students were interested in playing, juniors and seniors will have priority for roster spots. The school recently mailed a letter to the Browns to commit to the flag football onboarding process, and the schedule of games will be set by January. Volunteer head and assistant coaches will also be appointed in the coming months.

Streetsboro High School Principal Patrick Griffis gave an update on the Student Advisory Committee, which was created this year to give students a voice in the operation of the school. So far, they have helped organize the “New Student Breakfast Program,” which also began this year. The breakfast gives students new to the district a friendly environment to get settled in. In the future, the committee will also be reviewing data from surveys taken by students, staff and parents to identify and provide input on areas for improvement.

Director of Teaching and Learning Brett McCann presented on the district report card for the 2024-2025 school year. Streetsboro City School District received four stars, down from their score of four and a half stars the previous year. While the overall score was lower, McCann explained that there was a mix of positive and negative takeaways from the report card.

Henry Defer Intermediate School received a score of five stars, becoming the first school in the history of the district to do so. McCann later added that every building in the district is seeing growth in several categories.

The district’s Achievement component score went up to four stars this year, which is the highest in district history. English language arts and math scores across the district both showed significant improvement over the past two years. 

Like last year, the district received five stars for Progress. They were also given the 16th highest composite score in this category out of over 600 schools in the state of Ohio. This means that the students are performing much better academically than the state’s expectations.

Gap Closure was again rated five stars. This component includes graduation, chronic absenteeism and gifted data. 

Graduation improved from three to four stars. This section is graded based on the last two graduating classes before the most recent one, meaning the class of 2025 will be included in the 2025-2026 report card. Because of the higher graduation rate for the class of 2025, the district is already aware that they will receive five stars in this category next year.

Early Literacy went down to three from two stars. This category is scored based on data from fall testing, so it does not account for growth that occurred over the course of the school year. McCann explained that the elementary school is focusing on the science of reading, and he expected to see this grade improve over the next several years. Test scores for reading proficiency in 3rd grade students remained the same as last year. However, proficiency in students across the whole state dropped 3.5%, and Portage County averaged a drop of 6.1%. McCann said that it is a good sign that Streetsboro did not see a decrease like other surrounding schools. He added that last year, there was a higher rate of growth in reading proficiency when comparing Streetsboro students’ fall and spring test scores than there has been in several years.

The 2025-2026 report card added a brand new category, College, Career, Workforce, Military Readiness. Streetsboro City School District received two stars, but it was discovered that this rating was due to errors in reporting. Many other districts across the state also voiced that they had issues reporting data for this new category as well, so the issue is not unique to Streetsboro. The rating should have been higher in reality, but the score cannot be changed after it is released. The district expects to receive three stars next year and they are also looking into ideas to further improve this score.

The district’s goals for future report cards are to reach five stars, improve the performance index score in English language arts and math for students with disabilities and receive the Momentum Award next year. McCann believes they will be awarded five stars by the final year of the district’s strategic plan.

Board Vice President Tracy Campbell commented that the academic issues the district faces are not unique. She said most schools are still feeling negative impacts to test scores and performance as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns. She was impressed with the progress that has been made despite those challenges.

Treasurer’s Report

Brian Haines presented a flyer for board approval later in the meeting. The two-sided document explained the district’s financial situation and what the district will have to do if the upcoming levy does not pass in November. The document will be available on the Streetsboro City Schools website.

If the levy does not pass, the district will need to make a minimum of $1 million in budget cuts. The following could be cut, as well as other programs or positions not mentioned in the meeting: middle and high school sports programs (or increased pay-to-play fees), field trips, elective classes in middle and high school, full-day kindergarten, arts programs and gifted programs. Many staff positions would also be eliminated, and others would see a pay cut. If the levy does not pass, these changes would begin in the 2026-2027 school year, but discussions of cuts will begin in November of this year.

Haines then gave a presentation on state legislation relating to tax reforms that put schools at risk of losing money. He reminded the board that Congress overturned the veto of item 66 of HB 96. All other items vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine have until Dec. 31 of this year to be overturned, but some of them are being worked into other bills. Haines added that many bills about taxes and levies are being pushed through the house very quickly and explained several that are relevant to schools.

Item 66 eliminates emergency levies and prohibits a renewal with an increase on an existing levy. It also prohibits a district from submitting a new money current expense levy to voters if the general fund carry-over balance was more than 100% of general fund expenditures in the preceding fiscal year. Neither of these changes would impact Streetsboro, but Haines said this would take funding away from other schools in the state.

Campbell commented that Streetsboro City Schools already operate on a lean budget and that pending legislation could force them to end programs that help their students be successful.

Another item in the HB 96 budget bill that was vetoed but could be overturned by Congress is the County Commissioners’ “Piggyback Exemption.” This would allow commissioners to vote annually to approve the doubling of the 2.5% property tax rollback or the homestead exemption, which would result in less funding for schools, as well as other taxing authorities like fire departments. This section would also require county budget commissions to have a public meeting each year where taxing authorities justify their inside millage. It would also require districts to obtain approval from the county budget commissions of the county in which the district has territory before adjusting inside millage in a manner that increases tax rates. 

Haines also explained part of HB 129, which has passed the House and is pending committee in the Senate. It would only allow all emergency and substitute levies passed before 2026 to be renewed as fixed sum-levies. Emergency levies would be replaced by non-renewable fiscal distress or disaster levies. Existing emergency or substitute levies would also be added to the 20-mill floor at the next appraisal or triennial update. Haines said this bill would also not impact Streetsboro, but other schools will be affected.

HB 309 would grant county budget commissions the authority to reduce the amount or rate of a tax levy after it is passed by voters if the commission determines the reduction is necessary to avoid unnecessary or excessive collections. Haines said that the bill has vague definitions of unnecessary and excessive, giving them significant discretion over which levies they can reduce. Levies in their first five years would not be able to be changed and the commissioners would have to allow taxing authorities to hold public hearings to justify their levies. Haines added that the district has several renewal levies that could be lowered by the commissioners if this bill becomes law. HB 309 has passed the house and is waiting on a decision in the senate.

HB 186 would cap growth at 20-mill floor to inflation and would retroactively apply to the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This bill has not yet passed the House. 

Haines also briefly described three more bills that have not passed the House that he said would take funding away from schools and other taxing authorities. HB 420 would eliminate continuing levies. HB 421 would allow voters to place issues on the ballot to reduce inside millage. HB 422 would raise the voter approval threshold for levies above 1 mill to 60% for 1 to 2 mills and 66% for over 2 mills.

Haines also explained SB 22, which would provide property tax relief for property owners with a household income of less than $60,000 whose property tax is more than 5% of their income. He said the district is in favor of this type of tax reform because it would help those who need financial help the most without taking away significant amounts of tax funding. He also said the district supports SB 275, which would provide relief to low-income and disabled property owners and HB 483, which would create a 3-year relief program for those who are struggling with a significant increase in property taxes.

Haines concluded his report by stating that Ohio legislators seem to be attempting to replicate Florida’s tax policies, which he believes would have a negative impact on schools and other agencies that rely on taxes for funding.

Business Manager C.J. Scarcipino read a statement of statistics to explain the district’s concerns with the pending legislation. Out of all U.S. states, Ohio ranks 45th in the amount of state funding they provide to public schools. In 1991, homeowners paid 41% of the cost for public schools, but they now pay nearly 70%. The cost of running a school increases each year but funding districts receive from the state of Ohio has grown by less than 1% annually when adjusted for inflation. Scarpicino said that the state has shifted the cost of education onto homeowners.

Haines then continued his report with the financial forecast presentation. 

The district is projected to have a loss of $2.7 million this year. However, $1 million of that is from a transfer of funds used to pay for an early retirement incentive last school year. Several staff took the incentive and this will save the district money on payroll in the coming years. The amount spent on purchased services has increased because of several staff members resigning late in the summer and the district needing to hire contractors. The daily cost per pupil is $99 and increasing by 2-3% each year. 

Haines explained that the district’s revenue is projected to stay around $30 million, while the expenses continue to increase. 

If the upcoming levy in November fails, the district will have negative days cash on hand starting in 2029. In 2026, they are projected to have only 83 days cash on hand. Haines said that ideally, districts should have at least 100, because otherwise it becomes increasingly likely that payroll will not be able to be processed in time due to gaps in funding coming in. 2028 is projected to end with a negative cash balance despite the savings from several staff members retiring.

If the levy passes, the district is projected to have a positive cash balance through 2030 and would not have deficit spending in the fiscal year 2027. More cost saving measures would still need to be implemented in this scenario, as well.

Haines reiterated that if the levy fails, the district loses a minimum of $1 million a year and would need to start looking for new sources of income.

Kristin Bedford commented that the levy is not asking for the full amount of money the district needs. She added that if it fails, cuts will be discussed this November and begin next August.

Business Manager’s Report

Scarpicino said he had many positive updates to provide the board. He said that the district has begun renting out facilities to other organizations to generate additional income. It will not be enough to meet their needs, but over $100,000 is being brought in. Entertainers are also being booked in the high school auditorium to generate income. This includes PG comedian Dan Brown on Jan. 10, possibly the Eric Clapton Experience tribute band on Jan. 24, and a deal is currently being negotiated with Fleetwood Gold, as well. This may allow the school’s band and choir to perform with them. The district is also working to bring a national act of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour to the high school auditorium. Turn to Stone ELO tribute band will perform on April 18, and a deal is also pending with Puppy Pals Live, an act that was featured on the show America’s Got Talent. 

Scarpicino also announced a collaboration with the city to install a wayfinding sign at the Kirby intersection that will point to parks and rec and the schools. This was paid for by the city of Streetsboro and will be installed this week.

Board Reports

Tonia Epple said the football team has a 6-2 overall record, and boys soccer has a 11-5-1 record and is second overall in their conference. The girls soccer team has their next game at home on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. Girls golf is 11-4 overall.

Sara Scott said she is keeping an eye on legislation in Ohio that could impact schools and she reminded seniors to apply for scholarships when they open because many will be available to them.

Kelly Rich talked about ongoing and completed school fundraisers. The band has a fruit fundraiser and orders are due by Nov. 5. 

Campbell said that Maplewood had a 50-year celebration last week.

Consent Agenda Items

Items B-J were approved unanimously. 

All board members, except Bedford who abstained, voted to approve the superintendent’s hiring recommendations. 

The financial forecast was also approved to be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education. Haines commented that he will be asking board members to contact legislators to share their thoughts and concerns. 

All pending facility rental agreements were approved.

The policy and school safety proclamation was approved, as well as the informational flyer about the upcoming levy.