Nordonia Hills School Board Eyes New Site, Approves Safety Tech and Financial Moves at June Meeting

From a potential new school site to a digital hall pass system, the board tackled a packed agenda at its June 23 regular meeting. The Nordonia Hills City School District Board of Education met June 23 at Northfield Elementary School for its regular monthly meeting, which doubled as the fiscal year-end session. Board President Liz McKinley presided over a lengthy agenda that included a landmark facilities vote, a strategic plan update, new safety technology, and a slate of financial actions to close out the 2025-26 school year and open 2026-27. All five board members were present: McKinley, Vice President Jason Tidmore, Chad Lahrmer, Sandra Caramela-Miller and Matt Ford. Education & Curriculum Year One of ‘Stronger Together’ Shows Progress Director of Curriculum and Instruction Carol Tonsing presented a detailed update on the “Achieve” component of the district’s “Stronger Together” strategic plan, wrapping up year one of implementation. Tonsing said the administrative team spent time early in the school year developing a shared leadership commitment statement and a fidelity rubric designed to help building leaders assess where they are and where they need to go. Professional development throughout the year focused on critical thinking, learning targets, evidence of learning, and what to do when students are not progressing. The district also worked on vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment, ensuring that what students learn in one grade connects meaningfully to the next. Tonsing described a K-12 intervention pyramid aligning programs for both ELA and math, designed so that students receiving intervention services encounter consistent language and approaches regardless of setting. Year one objectives, Tonsing reported, were largely complete or in progress, with several year-two goals already underway. Areas flagged for additional focus in year two include math performance in grades 3, 7, Algebra 1 and Geometry; multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) implementation; and improved assessment design. Tonsing said closer collaboration between general education and special education around intervention alignment is a priority going into next year. Superintendent Casey Wright praised the approach, noting the district is moving from individual schools that have systems toward functioning as a unified school system. “Kudos to you and your team,” Wright said. “The work that you guys have done collectively should be praised in this space.” Facilities Board Greenlights Due Diligence on Potential School Site The most closely watched item of the evening was the board’s unanimous approval of an agreement with ASHTIF LLC allowing the district to conduct due diligence on a potential future site as part of its long-range facilities planning. Wright was careful to frame what the vote does and does not mean. The agreement gives the district 150 days to conduct soil testing, environmental reviews and other studies on a parcel that has cleared a number of preliminary reviews. It does not commit the district to purchasing the land, does not place a bond on the ballot and does not authorize construction. “We will not go forward with a bond until we have all our ducks in a row,” Wright said. He explained that any bond issue would require separate board votes, and ultimately a community decision at the ballot. The superintendent noted the district has been searching for approximately 30 acres capable of supporting a 5-8 grade building, the first phase of the district’s 25-year master facility plan. Available land in the community has been scarce, and other parcels previously evaluated did not pass initial review. The vote came after a community member from Ward C in Northfield Village spoke during the open forum, asking for clarity on bond timing following rumors circulating in her area. Wright confirmed that a November 2026 bond issue is not planned. Board members emphasized that the process is just beginning. McKinley noted that even if due diligence goes well, a separate board vote would be needed before any land purchase, and the community would ultimately decide whether to fund construction. Safety & Technology Smart Pass System Expanding to Middle and High Schools The board approved an agreement with Raptor Technologies for Smart Pass, a digital student hall pass management system. The system was piloted at Lee Eaton Elementary last year and showed strong results, including significant reductions in bathroom-related behavioral incidents and vandalism. The system allows teachers to issue digital passes, tracks when students leave and return, and can flag situations where students with known conflicts are heading to the same location at the same time. QR codes in restroom areas allow students to check in and out. Wright noted the system has also become a communication tool for parents and could serve as an early indicator of aca