SIDNEY — Another step was taken Monday night by the Sidney City Board of Education to place a permanent improvement levy on the Aug. 2 ballot.

The board approved a resolution declaring it necessary that an additional permanent improvement tax be levied for the district. The 3-mill levy would be for five years. If approved, the levy would begin with tax year 2016 and collections would start in 2017.

“The 3-mill is the right number based on our needs,” said Treasurer Mike Watkins.

The resolution approved Monday night will be filed with the Shelby County Auditor’s Office. At the April 18 board meeting, the BOE will vote on a resolution determining to proceed with the levy. If approved, all final documents will be then given to the Shelby County Board of Elections.

The board had placed the levy on the March 15 ballot and it was defeated by a 3,805 to 2,678 vote total.

The Whittier Elementary School’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Team (PBIS) told the board how they are trying to change the “negative” behaviors of students with “positive” reinforcements.

The team meets monthly, said Principal Keith Helmlinger. Members of the team who were part of the presentation were Matt Norviel, amy Martin, Stacy Hahn, Erica Turner, Brenda Thompson and Ashley Swiger. All are staff members at the school except Swiger who is a parent member of the team.

“We developed a school behavior matrix,” said Norviel, who is the school counselor. “We have three expectations of the students.”

Those expectations are “Bee Respectful,” “Bee Responsible” and “Bee a Problem Solver.” Students are shown how they should act in certain settings at the school, which include hallway, restroom, cafeteria, recess, classroom and arrival/dismissal.

Each school setting has its own lesson plan for the teachers to share with the students.

Swiger told the board that her goal on the team is to help with the home to school transition of the program. The team wants to help parents see how problem behaviors transfer from one setting to the other and help the parent at home respond to the behaviors.

Superintendent John Scheu said all the schools in the district will be implementing the PBSI plan into their classrooms.

Shelby County Deputy Anthony Cipollone discussed his role as school resource officer at Sidney High School during the meeting.

“I was hesitant about coming to the high school,” said Cipollone. “Cut now I can’t imagine doing anything else with my career.”

He told the board there should be a school resource officer at every school building. He helps provide a positive male role model to many students who don’t have one in their personal life.

“I had a situation this year where we had a fight at the school and I had to do a death notification,” said Cipollone.

He returned to his office to find a letter from a student thanking him for being at the school.

“Security is a small part of it (SRO),” said Cipollone. “My door is always open for the kids to talk to me.”

Cipollone said one student approached him about a rumor that another student was sexually molesting his sister. Cipollone tracked down the rumor and found it was true. The girl was taken out of the situation, he said.

The SRO program has benefits of security for the school’s students and it also benefits the community, he said.

Senior Connor Armstrong, who will majoring in criminal justice this fall at Bowling Green State University, said Cipollone has helped him pursue his career goals.

“He’s an example and a mentor to the students at the high school,” said Armstrong. “He’s taught me how to conduct myself as a member of law enforcement and as a person. His door is always open.”

Cipollone, said Armstrong, “always conducts himself with honor and integrity.”

“This (SRO) is one of our well kept secrets,” said Scheu.

Board President Bill Ankney thanks Cipollone for all he does at the high school.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the transfer of remaining funds after deduction of the employee rollover amount — both in health flexible spending and dependent daycare — from the employee benefits agency fund to the general fund. Watkins said approximately $62,000 was forfeited by employees who didn’t use the money in their accounts.

• Approved Pershing LLC as a depository institution and establishing a cash/trading account with Multi-Bank Securities.

• Approved the resignations of Broaddus Shamblin, SHS Spanish teacher, effective at the end of the school year; Lynette Newton, Workforce Academy teacher, effective May 31; Evan Jackson, SHS guidance counselor, effective May 27; Scottie Moore, orchestra director, effective May 31; Jordan Ruppert, SHS social studies teacher, effective May 31; and Megan Mummey, junior varsity girls soccer coach.

• Awarded supplemental contracts to teachers Bill Rippey, Tracy Nuss, Joe Moniaci, Michael Roby, Ann Huffman, Laurie Jordan and Ken Kellner for the Sidney Middle School T3 after school tutoring program. They will be paid $26 per hour.

• Employed Greg Snyder as summer school director at $3,515.

• Employed Melissa Kinnison as a substitute bus driver for the 2015-16 school year at $14.62 per hour.

• Hired Kevin Veronau as SHS social studies teacher on a one-year contract. He will be paid $70,393.

• Approved a certified staff position for vocational agriculture for the district. The staff position will be transferred from Upper Valley Career Center to Sidney City Schools. The current teacher has resigned and Michael Ward will be transferred into the vo-ag program. Ward is currently a Workforce Academy instructor.

• Adopted new/revised policies for the district.

The board’s next meeting will be Monday, April 18, at 6 p.m. at the board of education building.