MINGO JUNCTION — Indian Creek Local Board of Education members were updated on pending state legislation and other district matters during the Thursday meeting at Indian Creek Middle School.

Like many area school districts, Superintendent T.C. Chappelear said he and district Treasurer Adam Lewis were keeping an eye on bills currently in the Statehouse. Among them is House Bill 186, which would place an inflationary cap on Class I property taxes, and Lewis said there was a push to pass the bill by late November. If passed, it could impact local revenue.

“This year and next year we’d lose $260,000 a year in property taxes,” he added. “It would later be $377,000 per year. It would be retroactive and (the state) would refund taxpayers or credit them.”

Lewis said the result would be a 3 percent decrease in property tax revenue annually, and Chappelear noted that officials have addressed the matter with state representatives.

On a high note, Chappelear touted Indian Creek High School’s unified sports program, which achieved honors that were celebrated during an assembly that day. ICHS was named as a National Banner School with Special Olympics North America and is being included on the ESPN Honor Roll, which is given to only one school in each participating U.S. state.

Jefferson County Unified Sports Director Tom Mort, an intervention specialist for the school district, began coordinating the program four years ago and students with individualized education plans have participated in sports activities with general education pupils on a blended team. So far, they have played in football, basketball and track events with teams from Buckeye Local, Edison and Steubenville high schools as well as the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and School of Bright Promise. Activities include the yearly Spooky Bowl, which will be held on Oct. 31 at Kettlewell Memorial Stadium against Edison, and the second-annual Turkey Bowl in November.

“We had Ohio Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, and representatives from Unified Sports, Special Olympics, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, and our people did a fantastic job,” Chappelear said. “It was a fun day and we were the only school in Ohio to be named an ESPN Honor Roll school. It was a really great honor.”

He praised Mort with leading the charge and said the athletes gained an incredible learning experience.

Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent John Belt informed the board of ongoing projects. Belt said air handlers were replaced at ICMS while a new oven was purchased after the 13-year-old appliance no longer worked. Other improvements include updated stairs at Kettlewell Stadium plus work was continuing at the Jefferson County Innovation Center near Hills Elementary. Belt said the foundation was completed and backfill is ongoing, while the interior concrete should be poured soon.

Public Relations Liaison Amy Colantoni informed the board of her work, which included meeting with staff, bolstering social media and building community outreach. She outlined efforts she has made by conducting a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis with administration and staff at ICHS, ICMS and Cross Creek and Hills Elementary schools and fostering collaboration and becoming acquainted with personnel; connecting with organizations, businesses, officials and families; working with the Indian Creek Advisory Council and IC Foundation regarding the upcoming renewal levy and Christmas concert promotions; fostering media relations; building upon general communications; and growing the online social media presence with “2-Minute Tuesday Talk with TC,” a weekly video featuring Chappelear, “The Heart of IC” staff spotlights, and other digital content.

“It’s been a fantastic month at the school district. I sat with the staff and did a SWOT analysis and established collaborations and got acquainted,” Colantoni said. “There was a visit on Oct. 1 with key stakeholders who toured Cross Creek Elementary and Indian Creek High School and I also connected with organizations, local businesses, and Donna Minor for alumni relations.”

She noted that the district’s Facebook page grew by 143 new followers during the past 30 days while she and district career-technical education head David Moffat meet each Friday to discuss the ParentSquare platform that connects parents, teachers and schools, as well as the ICHS brand.

Board President Dr. John Figel praised Colantoni for her efforts and said she was a welcome addition to the district.

“In the short amount of time you’ve been with us, it has been noticeable,” he added.

Colantoni said she works in tandem with Amy Gareis, public relations coordinator through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center. The board later approved a staffing agreement with JCESC to employ Colantoni on a 12-month contract.

In other matters, district Food Service Director Nicole Marshall reported activities in the school cafeterias, including summer seminars and professional development to budget items.

“We went to a summer seminar and are (incorporating ideas) into the cafeteria to improve communications with our customers, which are the students, and making a positive impact on their lives,” she said.

Marshall said the budget was a little shy, so she planned to try new recipes to build student participation. Other activities included a Nutrition for Life program for preschool and kindergarten students, having ICHS football players serving meals and homecoming court members on hand, and offering a variety of seasonal cuisine for autumn, including pumpkin pudding parfaits and cinnamon bites. She said an upcoming event was Creepy Foods, where students spin a wheel of various foods and get a chance to try something new.

In other matters, the board:

• Heard from Mingo resident Dale Poole, who voiced his opposition to the upcoming 7.9-mill renewal levy, saying there were people on fixed incomes who could not afford the amount. Officials have said the levy, which dates back to 1995, would not result in increased taxes because it was a renewal and the revenue would sustain operational expenses such as staffing, utilities and buses to curriculum and programming. District Treasurer Adam Lewis invited Poole to visit his office for more information;

• Heard from board members Dan Bove and James Speece, who praised fall sports teams as well as the band. Among those touted were the varsity football team, JV football team and soccer, in addition to the band and art students;

• Approved an athletic trainer services agreement with Trinity Medical Center West for the current school year;

• Approved students Kaleb Manion and Brayden Stewart for participation in the career-based intervention program at ICHS;

• Employed Darren Pinkerton as a full-time bus driver;

• Approved Mary Ann Dillard as a paraprofessional on the classified substitute list.