Vantage board approves personnel items

Van Wert independent/Vantage information

The Vantage Board of Education accepted the resignations of a number of retiring employees and also non-renewed the contract of Culinary Arts instructor Kristy Bidlack during the board’s April meeting last week. The board also approved a resolution establishing a Vantage Smoke Free Campus policy that bans smoking everywhere on the Vantage campus except in personal vehicles.

Vantage employees who will be retiring include Vern Fischer, Ag Diesel instructor; Dee Howell, GRADS instructor; Jean Minnig, math teacher; Patricia Winicker, Special Education coordinator; Jennifer Waltz, GRADS, Shirley Jarvis, Health Careers; Linda McKitterick, teacher on assignment; and Linda Bales, Medical Office Management.

Bidlack, who Culinary Arts students served the dinner for the All Boards Dinner that followed the board meeting, had her contract non-renewed at the request of Superintendent Staci Kaufman.

Other personnel action at the meeting included issuing a number of employment contracts for the coming year. Those include the following:

• One-year contracts – Adam Lee, attendance-discipline officer; Tony Unverferth, social studies teacher; Rose Krietemeyer, Paulding Family & Consumer Science (FCS); Kelly Schalk, Delphos FCS.
• Two-year contract – Susan Smith, Cosmetology.
• Four-year contract – Kevin Van Oss, Industrial Mechanics.
• Continuing contracts – Susan Farr, Special Education; Scott Elwer, Delphos Ag; Nancy Moore, Network Systems; and Marcia Osenga, Early Childhood Education.

A one-year contract was also issued to Mary Ann Hall, CTE supervisor, while Vantage Director Bob Vennekotter and Assistant Treasurer Lori Balliet and Annette Klinger, Media Center secretary; received two-year contracts. A three-year contract was approved for Adult Education Director Pete Prichard and continuing contracts were issued to Diane Becker, Adult Ed secretary; Jackie Gunsett, financial aid coordinator; and cook Vicki England.

Larry Longwell was also employed as a welding instructor for the Adult Education program.

In other action, the Vantage board:

• Approved discontinuation of the Delphos satellite and a reduction in force of Kelly Schalk, Delphos FCS teacher.
• Approved a rent-to-own agreement between Perry Corporation and Vantage for the district’s copier and printer needs.
• Authorized an overnight trip to Kansas City, Kan., for the national SkillsUSA Contest from June 19-24.
• Authorized an overnight trip to Washington, D.C., for the national Business Professionals Association contest from May 3-8.
• Authorized an overnight field trip to Anaheim, Calif., for the national FCCLA contest from July 8-14.
• Approved resolutions amending a Community Reinvestment Agreement with the Village of Kalida, Kalida Local School District Board of Education, Vantage and Remlinger Manufacturing Company, Inc. and one between Vantage and Remlinger, both entered into on August 2, 2010.
• Authorized submission of an equipment list to the Rothacker-Lampe Bequest administered by The Van Wert County Foundation.
• Approved using legal firm Peck Shaffer to provide a legal review of proposed solar power purchase and solar power licensure agreements.
• Accepted, with thanks, a donation of various supplies and tools from Nussbaum MacTools worth $220 to the Vantage Auto Body program.
• Rescinded the responsible model policy criteria approved at the January 6 board meeting at the request of the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
• Approved the Early Childhood Education policy book.
• Went into executive session at the superintendent’s request to prepare for negotiations and bargaining sessions with Vantage employees on the topic of compensations and to discuss the employment of personnel.

The next Vantage Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5, in the Cup and Saucer Restaurant.