CLAYTON — The Northmont Board of Education welcomed new board member Nick Orrill during its Jan. 8 regular meeting. Orrill replaces longtime member Tom Walker, whose retirement was celebrated at the Dec. 11 board meeting.

“Before the start of the varsity boys’ basketball game versus Fairmont on Friday, Jan. 12, Tom and his wife Sharon will be recognized for their dedicated service to the Northmont community,” said Superintendent Tony Thomas.

Orrill is a Northmont parent and community member who was elected to the position in the November 2023 election. Orrill and Dr. Gerry Espeleta, who was re-elected in November, were sworn in during the Jan. 8 board meeting. Linda Blum will continue as board president and Jane Woodie will continue as vice president.

Another save-the-date event will be recognition of the retirement of Catering Manager Nancy Mercer at the high school’s Spanish Steps on March 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. for her contributions to the Northmont community. She is retiring effective April 20 of this year.

“Nancy will be missed immensely,” Thomas said.

Thomas also announced that Stillwater Church will host “Special Friends Prom” again this year.

“This is always a great event and it will be held on Friday, Feb. 2 from 7 to 10 p.m. The theme this year is ‘MVP Celebration.’ Dress in your favorite team’s attire,” Thomas said.

In another announcement, Thomas explained that Northmont’s Career Navigation program was highlighted in a recent “Dayton Business Journal” article.

“The work we are doing is with Angie Clifford, director at the Northmont Chamber of Commerce. Her role is to expose students to career opportunities through linkages with local businesses,” Thomas said.

“The school was a major focus. Former elementary principal, Katie Grothaus, was hired by the Montgomery County Education Service Center (MCESC) to replicate some of the work Angie does with other schools in Montgomery County and beyond. Katie is also featured in the article,” he said.

In a separate edition, Clifford’s work with the Northmont Chamber was highlighted. Notably, she has written a grant to bolster workforce development in the community with a project that would add a Marketplace, Event Space and Innovation Hub.

“We anxiously await the outcome of the work she has committed to this project,” Thomas said.

Thomas then touched on State Budget Bill 33, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in August, which included many items dealing with curricula.

“Implementation of these mandates is confusing. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) did not function well over the last few months as its power was stripped away and the new Department of Education and Workforce was birthed,” Thomas said.

“Some decisions need to be made by the new department to give school districts in the state of Ohio direction on how to implement the science of reading. How these changes will be funded is another major concern and is unclear as of now,” he said.

“We are also being told that math curricula will have similar mandates coming from the state, but again not enough substance to know what steps we should take,” Thomas said.

The latest edition of “On The Money,” a publication produced by an expert on school funding in the state of Ohio, was distributed to board members. It explained the history of the expansion of charter, and now parochial, school funding in the state of Ohio.

“These entities now receive more state pupil funding than Northmont and other suburban districts,” Thomas said.

The next Northmont School Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, at Northmont Middle School, 480 National Road, Clayton.