Crestview Bd. holds final meeting of 2020

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

CONVOY — A new school funding plan has passed the Ohio House, but Crestview Superintendent Kathy Mollenkopf is among those who doubts it will pass the Ohio Senate by the end of this month.

During Monday night’s Crestview Local Board of Education meeting, Mollenkopf said the Senate believes the Fair School Funding Plan, formerly known as the Cupp-Patterson Plan, has too many unknown costs.

“I think it’s a solid plan and it’s better than what we have now, so we’ll see what happens,” Mollenkopf said. “I don’t think it has legs to pass in this calendar year, but we need an overhaul in the funding system for public education.”

Board members heard a brief presentation from Crestview Elementary Principal Jessica Schuette, Curriculum/Instruction Director Lindsay Breese, and first grade teachers Courtney Barna and Alicia Perrott about PBIS, or Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, which has been implemented at the elementary level.

“It’s really a framework in which you start by looking at different settings within the school in which you exhibit where there are problem behaviors,” Schuette explained. “You then set some clear expectations for each of those settings and they’re stated in positive terms. After that you’re going to explicitly teach those behaviors to your staff first and then to students.”

“Then you acknowledge those positive behaviors in hopes that you’ll start to see those negative behaviors or unwanted behaviors subside a little bit,” she added.

The group noted instances of elementary students being sent to the office are down 80 percent.

In other business, board members shared various reports from last month’s Ohio School Boards Association Capital Conference, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board named John Auld as president pro-tem for the January organizational meeting, and board members agreed to re-appoint Lonnie Nedderman as Crestview’s representative to the Vantage Career Center Board of Education. He’ll serve a three-year term, beginning January 1, 2021. The board also accepted the resignation of middle school baseball coach Doyle Sheets.

A donation of $3,500 was accepted from Van Wert Federal Savings Bank for Crestview Middle School and High School athletics. The board also accepted the transfer of $5,885.95 in Coronavirus Relief Funds from Tully Township, and approved the purchase of a handicap-accessible bus from Cardinal Bus Sales and Service for $105,570.

A brief discussion was held about meeting dates for 2021. The preliminary calendar calls for meetings to be held at 6 p.m. on the third Monday of each month, except for January and December, when meetings will be held the second Monday, and March, when the meeting will be held the fourth Monday.

Crestview’s annual organizational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, January 11, 2021, followed by a budget hearing and regular January meeting.