Local News

Salem school board approves new contract with CCBDD

K-8 campus project update to be provided at September board meeting

SALEM -- The school board approved a new contract with the Columbiana County Board of Developmental Disability in its meeting Monday.

Treasurer Mike Douglas said that the agreement concerns the costs of having students attend the Robert Bycroft School in Lisbon, which was previously discussed in the board's June 6 meeting.

Douglas said that the agreement will see the board pay 50% of the costs associated with students attending the school for the 2026-2027 school year. He reiterated that while the CCBDD previously paid 100% of that expense, in May it notified county school districts that they would have to cover 50% of the cost per student moving forward which will amount to an additional expense to the district of approximately $200,000 per year which it had not anticipated when compiling its annual budget.

"They do take some tax dollars when it comes to operating facilities and some of the things they do, but their statement is that they require a service, that they are spending more than they're receiving in funding to educate these kids, and that it's not necessarily a requirement on their part to do so and they're doing it in good faith," Douglas said.

Douglas said that the agreement was necessary as the district has students that attend the Robert Bycroft School, but would be revisited ahead of the next school year.

"This is something we're going to review going forward and also continue to work with the board of disability. I know myself as well as at the time, [Superintendent] Jamie [Kemats] and the county superintendents, and the treasurers were not completely thrilled about the approach that was taken, and the lack of notice that was given for planning purposes on our part," Douglas said. "It is something that we need to do because we do have students that need their services or need services of those types so that is on here for this year for this year, it'll be reviewed again at the start of next school year."

During her report, Kemats said that the district would be hosting an update on the construction of the district's new K-8 school in the high school auditorium at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 prior to the board's next meeting, and that the construction team would be at the board's meeting. Kemats also said that the district would be hosting tours of the new building for the public in October. She said that the district would share additional information about the tours as October approaches.

"We'll be there to show some drone photographs, some renderings, some comparisons of where we started, where we're going and what things are looking like now," Kemats said.

Kemats also said that the district would be hosting its annual open house events on Monday. Kemats said that the open houses for each building would have "rolling times" to allow families to visit multiple buildings. The open house hours for Buckeye Elementary will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Reilly Elementary will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m., Southeast Elementary will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and the Junior High and High School will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The board also approved several administrative and personnel items.

Administrative items approved included: an agreement with Emergency Medical Transport to provide medical services for Salem High School to cover varsity football; a service agreement between the Columbiana County Educational Service Center Governing Board and the Salem City School District Board of Education for participation in Project Inspire; contract with the State Auditor's Office for GAAP Conversion services up to $16,200 per fiscal year; participation in all available federal funding programs; transportation routes to the 2026-2027 school year; and in lieu of transportation payments for the 2026-2027 school year.

Personnel items approved included: athletic supplementals for the 2026-2027 school year; workers for the junior high orientation camp on Aug. 19-20; the resignation of English teacher Hannah James at the end of their contract for 2026-2027 school year; staff for the kindergarten summer camp on Aug. 13; the hire of Auxiliary Clerk Nicole Stryffeler; the award of an Ohio Association of Public School Employees bid to Larissa Burgess as a Southeast Elementary Cafeteria worker; fall game worker positions and volunteers for the 2026 Fall athletic season; cafeteria workers for an Inservice for the FDA retroactive to Aug. 3; and unpaid leaves of absence for Shawnae Carlisle from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, and on April 22, and 28.

The board of education will meet next at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21.