By Eamon Baird
TROY — The Troy Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar and commemorated American Education Week at its monthly board meeting on Monday, Oct. 14.
Superintendent Chris Piper thanked the Troy City Education Association (TCEA) and Troy City Support Staff Association (TCSSA) for their work on negotiating the new calendar.
“I appreciate the cooperation of both associations,” Piper said. “There wasn’t a lot of feedback this year and sometimes the calendar just kind of works out itself.”
Board member Levi Fox inquired why this year’s calendar features a whole week off for Thanksgiving, but the next year will switch back to attending school on Monday and Tuesday.
“I’d like to get some feedback from parents, how does taking a whole week off in November?” Fox said. “I’d like to see if it is something we can consider in the future too.”
Piper said any approval to change the calendar needs to be done 18 months in advance.
The board also read a proclamation commemorating Nov 18-22 as American Education Week. The annual celebration is co-sponsored by the United States Department of Education and 12 national organizations.
“American Schools are the backbone of our democracy, providing young people with the tools they’ll need to maintain our nation’s precious values of freedom, civility, and equality.
Be it resolved by the Board of Education of the Troy City School District, a majority of its full membership therein concurring, that it hereby proclaims the week of Nov. 18-22 as American Education Week,” the proclamation stated.
Next, the board heard a brief update on the progress of the new school building designs.
“This is phase one for the high school,” Piper said. “Part of our project is an HVAC system replacement for the High School, which is a large undertaking. For the summer of 26 through the summer of 27 is when work will happen there, but there’s a lot of things to do before that.”
Piper said that in the summer of 2025, the High School will be closed for the removal of any hazardous materials.
“This past summer we took all of the ceiling tiles off all the corridors so the engineers and architects could get in, scan those spaces with digital scans, so they could design the HVAC system before they started installing it. So those ceiling tiles will stay out until that building is complete which is the 2027 to 2028 school year,” Piper said.
Piper thanked local businesses for contributions and gifts to Troy City Schools which included a $2,500 donation from the Troy Foundation to the Troy High School Orchestra.
“Once again our favorite item on the agenda,” said Piper. “We get to say thanks to our programs and our staff. The October total was $5,540, and our fiscal year to date is $101,585.39.”
In the personnel agenda, the board approved the following resignations and retirements: Nathan Hoffman, STEAM at Hook; Debra Neff, junior high science teacher; Sharon Norris, junior high educational aide; Gracie Perkins, substitute teacher; Candis Swartz food service assistant at Heywood; and Karen Warnecke, STEAM at Hook.
The board also approved the following certified substitutes for the 2024-2025 school year: Dakota Birdsong; Morgan Buschur; Hunter Grone; Sara Hufford; Debra Ihle; Karmen Katwyk; Zach Kendall; Ashley Kloeker; Courtney Mulford; Jillian Rathmann; Darian Watson; and Evelyn Rawcliffe-Kimbrell.
In other business, the board unanimously approved or authorized the following resolutions:
• The reimbursement in lieu of transportation for students who reside in the school district and attend chartered, non-public schools outside of the district.
• The treasurer’s financial report.
• Then and now certificates.
• The Superintendent’s report.
The next Troy Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14.
