Arlington school board talks new building

ARLINGTON — The Arlington Local Board of Education discussed a new building project at a meeting this week that school superintendent Kevin Haught says has been in the works for the last 15 years. The project is estimated to cost an estimated $53 million and will replace a large majority of the current Arlington school district building, including new athletic areas and new educational areas. The parts of the building that had been built in 1992 would remain. During the meeting, board president Craig Durliat gave the board an updated budget. "I put this together so we could basically get our arms around the whole project and then manage it through the rest of the way," he said. Durliat also informed the board that some choices would have to be made to stay within the intended budget. The board later chose to install air-conditioning in a portion of the building at a later time to save money. Board member Rachel Gerber said she had been thinking about fundraising opportunities for the project and had considered offering naming rights to those who gave donations at a certain level. The board decided to make a list of things that could be "sponsored" and write a policy concerning naming rights. Also at the meeting the board discussed final details on an artist's rendition of what the building would look like, saying the images would be released to the public in time for the upcoming Homecoming Festival. In other news Mark Russell was honored by Heather Franks of the Ohio School Boards Association and Liberty-Benton Board of Education for 20 years as an Arlington board member. A 1988 Arlington graduate, Russell said he joined the board in 2001, serving until 2017 when he took a short hiatus before recently returning to the role, serving 20 years in total. "Thank you for all your hard work with the schools," Franks said. Russell was provided with a certificate to recognize his achievement during the meeting. Also at the meeting the board passed the following action items: • Declaring transportation impractical for 20 students who attend Trinity Lutheran School, five students who attend Heritage Christian School and nine students who attend St. Michael School. • Approving an elementary student handbook, with the addition of a cell-phone policy. • Approving a student handbook for grades 6-12. • Approving a one year contract for elementary teacher Julia Smith. • Approving a one year contract for special education teacher Ashley Mohr. • Approving Lisa Crates as the Stitt Grant Reading Mentor for the 2025-26 school year. • Approving Stephanie Bame as one-to-one kindergarten aide until Dec. 2025. The next board of education meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at 336 S. Main St. in Arlington.