Vantage Board of Education

Vantage bd. hears staff concerns

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Board of Education was ready to share some Christmas cheer, but instead got a dose of fear and concern from a large group of staff members who came to support welding instructor Brent Wright and to air their own concerns that there is a lack of communication and mixed priorities by and from Vantage administrators.

Wright was also at the meeting and spoke emotionally about his experience in a raspy whisper because of damage done to his vocal chords by a student he says purposely injected charcoal lighter fluid into a hamburger and then personally handed it to him.

The welding instructor, who noted he was a Vantage student himself and loves the school, was upset over how the incident was handled, noting that he felt the student’s 10-day suspension was inadequate, considering the fact that Wright suffered serious damage to his vocal chords and could have been even more seriously hurt.

“I love my job, that’s why I do it all day long,” Wright told Vantage board members, while also noting that he has lost respect for the school administration, which he feels has not supported him.

“When I was told the student in question got 10 days out, I took that personal,” Wright said. “I was this close to being dead.”

The welding instructor added that, had the lighter fluid reached his lungs, he would have been killed. As it is, he must see a specialist Monday to see whether some of the damage done can be reversed, and to learn how much of his voice can be restored.

Several other staff members also spoke, including cosmetology instructor Amy Grothouse, who is also vice president of the Vantage Teachers Organization, and Mary Ann Falk, former VTO president. Current teachers union president Larry Mengerink could not attend the meeting because of illness.

Grothouse, who is also a former Vantage student, said she feels the incident with Wright is just the latest in a series of issues that have concerned staff members.

“Things that are going on in this building are not good right now,” she noted and invited board members to an advisory council meeting on December 13 to get a more complete picture of staff members’ concerns.

Falk agreed with Grothouse that there were problems at Vantage.

“I believe you, the board, are not being shown the true essence of what is going on in this building on a daily basis,” Falk said. “Morale is down, fear abounds and the staff is unclear of its priorities.

“Vantage is in a crisis mode, and I don’t use the word ‘crisis’ lightly,” Falk added.

One concern related to the Wright issue was the fact that the student in question attended class for several days after the incident before receiving a 10-day suspension.

Falk and Grothouse said the student’s treatment was far different from that of a staff member who was accused of a lesser offense that was later determined to be unfounded. That teacher was immediately removed from the classroom until an investigation into the incident was completed.

Vantage officials note that the Van Wert Police Department is continuing its investigation into the incident, they feel the building is safe and that the incident has been handled appropriately.

An executive session was also held later in Thursday’s board meeting to discuss the issue, although no staff member was invited to attend that meeting.

Also during the meeting, supplemental contracts were offered to the following staff members: Jo Mohr, fruit coordinator; MaryJo Wilhelm, Annette Klinger, Jerry Robinson, Lisa Hatcher, Nancy Keith, Brent Wright, Stacie Leiter, Kent Taylor, Linda McCann, Christi Klinger Bok, Tyler Miller, Miranda Brinkman-Leatherman and Nathan Carnahan, all Step into Your Future.

The following Adult Education instructors were also hired on an as-needed, as-scheduled basis: Craig King, Fire Protection; Jim Grant, Life Skills instructor; and Cary Hengstler, Health Careers.

The board also approved a resolution for a Community Reinvestment Area tax abatement of 100 percent for five years and waiver of the 45-day notice requirement requested by the Village of Kalida for Triple D Enterprises and also authorized Superintendent Staci Kaufman to develop alternative energy educational partnerships with Horizon Wind Energy, which had a representative, Erin Bowsher, at the meeting, and Iberdrola Renewables.

The next meeting of the Vantage board will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 6, in the Vantage Cup and Saucer dining area.