The Riverside Board of Education met in regular session Tuesday night and got some bad news from District Superintendent Dr. Scott Mann regarding the new track that is currently under construction.
According to Dr. Mann, the current contractor notified his office that they discovered several areas that were patched before the last resurfacing project. According to the contractor, the best solution would be to mill the entire surface and replace the asphalt, and then resurface the entire track. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Mann, the added work will add over $600,000 to the project.
Dr. Mann talks about the bad news:
In other board action, board member Mark Zumberger informed the board that Ohio Hi-Point is expecting 750 students next year, and the school is preparing for their arrival. He said that the first day for new students will be Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
The board approved several personnel issues:
- Accepted the resignation of Haley Meyer as Intervention Specialist at the end of the 2024-2025 contracted school year.
- Approved the employment of Triston Finch as an Intervention Specialist teacher for the 2025-2026 school year.
- Approved the employment of Jack (Hank) Harshbarger as an Intervention Specialist teacher for the 2025-
2026 school year.
They also approved several athletic supplemental contracts for next school year:
- Pam Fout – 8th Grade Volleyball Coach
- Rebecca Wheeler – 7th Grade Volleyball Coach
- Rod Yoder – Girls Varsity Golf Coach
- Rod Yoder – Varsity FB Game Manager
- Jayden Burchett – Varsity Boys Basketball Asst Coach
- Andrew Reinhard – Freshman Boys Basketball Coach
The following teachers were also approved for after school discipline monitoring for the 2025-2026 school year: Seth Bodenmiller, Kimberly Cotterman, Madison Taylor, Nancy Dunham, Stacey Fauley, Lucinda Fleming, Adam Huber, Darcie Jenkins, Becky Lentz, Alonzo Stotler, Tim McGill, Triston Finch, Emilee Perkins, Jack “Hank” Harshbarger, Jack Switzer, Danielle Turner, Kylee Purtee, and Taylor Wooten.
The board also approved the Student Handbook and Athletic Code of Conduct. According to Dr. Mann, one significant change was made to the Athletic Code of Conduct.
Currently, if a student athlete is caught with alcohol and/or tobacco, that student is immediately removed from his or her sports team for the first offense. Under the new proposal, the athlete would face a suspension of 10% of the season for the first offense. That, and the accompanying counseling sessions, will offer the student to get help and remain part of their team.
A second offense will result in a suspension from all athletic teams for the remainder of the current school year and until the start of the next school year’s corresponding sporting season in which the violation occurred.
In the final action, the board approved the Superintendent, Treasurer, and Board President to negotiate and execute a change to the track resurfacing project in an amount not to exceed $628,068, bringing the total contract from $1,207,494 to $1,835,562.
The next regular meeting of the Riverside Board of Education will be held on August 19th, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the school district library.
