Jacob Hobbs holding a framed Resolution of Appreciation and photos presented to him in recognition of his service to the Northmont School Board as the Student Board Representative for the 2023-24 school year. Pictured from left are Dr. Gerry Espeleta, Treasurer Ann Ferraro, Hobbs, Board Vice President Jane Woodie, Superintendent Tony Thomas, Christopher Pulos and Nick Orrill.
Submitted photo
CLAYTON — At the regular meeting of the Northmont Board of Education at Northwood Elementary on May 13, the evening started with a Resolution of Appreciation for Jacob Hobbs.
Hobbs was elected by his peers to be the Student Board Representative for the 2023-24 school year. Northmont was one of the first districts to have a student on the Board of Education, beginning in 1990.
Members of the Board commented on Jacob’s contributions using words like “insightful,” “intelligent,” and “confident.” Dr. Gerry Espeleta said, “We’re old and Jacob is able to spin the words of his classmates so that we understand them.”
Chris Pulos commented that Jacob is headed for “big successes because of his ability to communicate.” Superintendent Tony Thomas shared that it had been “a pleasure to watch Jacob grow up, from Lego competitions to his 1st elected position.”
Hobbs expressed how humbled he was by the board’s words and said he was “proud to be the voice of the student body and saw the position as an opportunity to see things below the surface and to learn to be a good leader.”
Board Vice President Jane Woodie read the resolution marking Friday, May 17 as Jacob Hobbs Day in the Northmont Community.
The next item on the agenda was a special presentation with the Northmont High School Academic Challenge Team. With a current record of 200-21 for the year, the Academic Challenge Team continues to dominate competitions and set high standards for academic excellence.
Notably, the team’s B squad is also making waves with its national ranking and proving to be one of the highest-performing “B” teams nationally. In addition, Coach David Jones has made history by breaking the state record for most state championship wins by a coach in Ohio.
Superintendent Thomas told the group that they “have represented Northmont well and are the elite of the elite.” Mrs. Woodie commented that the amount of time this group spends is a great testament to their dedication. Coach Jones thanked the Board for their continued support.
The Treasurer’s report included the 5-Year Forecast. The unique thing about doing a 5-Year Forecast is that so much of the information is still unknown. This is a state requirement, but the state doesn’t share the information before the actual forecast is due.
Treasurer Ann Ferraro and Business Manager Brandon Knecht spend a lot of time working with the numbers and determining what will probably stay the same, what will probably increase, and what will probably decrease.
The property tax revenue is coming in lower than anticipated. There will be a decrease in state funding because the state formula uses the increased property tax values which causes a decrease in state funding.
However, due to the cuts that the district has made in the last two years, the anticipated deficit for 2024 will be less. According to Mrs. Ferraro, “As difficult as it was to close Englewood Elementary, we are seeing the benefit in the future numbers.”
Several positions have also been cut due to attrition.
“Each time someone retires, we will look carefully at the position and determine whether it needs to be filled or whether we can carry on without it,” stated Ferraro.
The meeting ended with the introduction of Nathan Dobles, the next student representative, who will be sworn in at the board meeting on Monday, June 24 at Northwood Elementary.
