BELOIT — School start and end times for West Branch will change this school year.

Superintendent Micki Egli announced that the West Branch Middle and High School and Early Learning Center will be adjusting their start and end times for the 2024-2025 school year at the board of education meeting Thursday. Egli explained that the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center had delayed its start and end times by 10 minutes, and that the district’s busing schedule was contingent upon when district students needed to be at the career center and as a result the middle and high school would be starting its day at 7:40 a.m. and dismissing at 2:50 p.m. and the early learning center would begin at 9:05 a.m. and dismissing at 3:30 p.m.

“I worked with the career center as much as I could to get it changed. They did scale back a little bit for us, but not as much as we were hoping,” said Egli.

The district’s lunch prices will also be increasing by 15 cents for the 2024-2025 school year for a new price of $3 at the middle and high school, $2.75 for grades K-5, $3 for grades 6-12, and $4 for adults, and milk will cost 50 cents. Breakfast prices will remain the same at $1.50 for all grades K-12, and $1.75 for adult breakfast.

Egli also announced that the district had received a $40,000 Grow Ohio Grant to be used to contribute to the construction of a live animal barn on campus and would be used for the purchase of materials like fencing and pavers rather than the cost of the building itself. The district also received $875,000 in the Bi-Annual Ohio Capital Budget toward the construction of an on-site wellness center.

The board also accepted several donations totaling $138,950 including donations of $10,000, and $5,000 from the Sebring-West branch Area Community Foundation for the ongoing woodshop expansion, and for a scoreboard for the fieldhouse respectively, and a $120,000 donation from an anonymous donor to buy new Chromebooks for the district.

The board also approved several personnel and administrative items.

Administrative items included: the purchase of four Gas Combi Ovens and four InSinkerator Disposers from Hubert Company LLC through the Ohio Schools Council cooperative purchasing program for the high school cafeteria at a total cost of $88,000; authorization for the West Branch Little Warrior Football to utilize the fields at the middle school beginning Aug. 1 in coordination with the athletic director or building principal; authorization for the West Branch Band and Athletic Booster clubs to operate concession stands at home football games and athletic events for the 2024-2025 school year; the district fee schedule for the 2024-2025 school year; authorization for the superintendent to purchase flowers on behalf of the school board for the purpose of granting condolences on an as needed basis for the 2024-2025 school year; the confidential pay scale for the 2024-2025 school year; cafeteria prices for the 2024-2025 school year; tuition student applications for the 2024-2025 school year; a three-year service agreement with Trane Technologies beginning July 1, 2024; a change order for Trane to relocate the chiller plant to allow space for the woodshop expansion; an agreement with the East Central Ohio Education Service Denter to facilitate Title One D programming.

Personnel items approved included: athletic supplementals and ticket takers for the 2024-2025 school year; the appointment of John Ault as building administrator at West Branch Preschool from Aug 1, 2024 through July 31, 2025; up to 10 additional extended days for Angeline Theis for the 2024-2025 school year; the list of title tutors; the hire of Jennifer Woods as a tutor for the 2024-2025 school year at a rate of $30 per hour; the list of van drivers for the 2024-2025 school year; non-athletic supplementals for the 2024-2025 school year; an addendum to the contract of Treasurer Adam Fisher; and the appointment of Adam Fisher as Treasurer for the five-year period beginning August 1, 2025, and ending on July 31, 2030.

The board of education will meet next at 6 p.m. Aug 15.

mahart@mojonews.com