T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM St. Clairsville-Richland City School District Treasurer Amy Porter, from left, swears in to office board members James Cook and Harry White during Wednesday’s morning meeting.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — There has been a “slight” increase in COVID-19 cases among students and staff in the St. Clairsville-Richland City School District following the holidays.

There are 12 students who have tested positive for the virus in the district, 22 student close contacts, two staff positives and two staff close contacts, Superintendent Walter Skaggs said during Wednesday’s board of education meeting.

“We anticipated over the holidays and coming back that we would see an increase in our cases, and we have seen a slight increase in our cases,” he said.

Out of the positive cases, only one was a result of contact at school. Skaggs said the remaining cases were all from exposure outside the schools.

Though the numbers have gone up, Skaggs said they are also quickly decreasing because those affected are able to come back after a five-day quarantine period. On Tuesday, there were 26 positive cases and 38 close contacts among students and staff.

Skaggs said masks are recommended but not required in the schools; however, they are still mandated on buses, which is a federal requirement for public transportation. He said cleaning protocols that were previously implemented remain in place.

In other matters, the board welcomed a new member. Retired Belmont County judge Harry White was sworn in during the meeting. Incumbent James Cook, who was re-elected in November, was also sworn in by Treasurer Amy Porter.

The board nominated Michael Jacob to act as board president and Michael Fador as vice president. The two previously held the same titles last year. Jacob was absent from the meeting due to being ill, so he was sworn in over the phone Tuesday, Porter said.

Also during the meeting, Cook brought up his disappointment in House Bill 126, which was modified by the Ohio Senate.

He said the modification prevents school boards from challenging property tax valuations.

“It needs to come back to the House, the House needs to not concur with the Senate and put it into a conference committee and come up with something much more reasonable than what they have now,” he said.

“What started out as a bill that’s going to require school boards to make a resolution to file a complaint on a property … It went to the Senate and the Senate totally rewrote it. The only person now, with the Senate’s version, the only person who can file a complaint on a property is the owner of the property.”

Cook said the legislation would affect the school district’s possible tax evaluations. He explained that before the BellStore’s multimillion-dollar renovations, the former BP property was valued at less than the abandoned gas station on the other side of Interstate 70. The board challenged the value.

With the pending HB 126, though, the board no longer would be able to do that.

“It basically takes away the watchdog, there is no watchdog if this happens,” he said.

Cook said that the typically does not challenge the value of residential properties, only focusing on commercial properties. If the value is fair, then they do not challenge the property tax valuation.

Skaggs added that district leaders are involved in attempting to convince legislators that the bill is not a good thing for the state’s schools.

The board will next meet at 7 a.m. Feb. 9 at its office, located at 108 Woodrow Avenue.