L’view OKs bleacher/pressbox project

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Lincolnview Local Board of Education moved forward with a project to build bleachers and a press box at the school’s track/soccer field, approving a contractor recommended by Garmann/Miller Associates, which did the design work for the project.

Of the five companies that bid on the project, the board chose Dave York Sports Inc., which had the lowest bid at $104,500, to be the contractor for the project. Other companies bidding included Muhlenkamp Building, $109,499; Miller Contracting, $106,900; Heyne Construction, $108,300; and Armcorp Construction, $117,000.

Superintendent Doug Fries said work on the project would start soon after the soccer season ends on October 13.

The board also received an update on district enrollment figures from Fries, who said the district had a net open enrollment increase of 134 students, with 250 new open enrollment students coming into the district and 116 students leaving the district for another school district. Enrollment in the district was set at 908 students, an increase of 26 students over the 2010-2011 school year.

“That’s good news,” Fries said, noting that many school districts had declining student populations.

During his report, Treasurer Troy Bowersock had some good, and not so good, things to say about the district’s financial health, first noting that funding for federal programs was down $288,000 for this school year.

Bowersock also detailed some of the cost-saving initiatives put into place this summer to help keep expenses down. One such measure was turning off climate control systems in areas that were uninhabited during the summer – an initiative Bowersock said cut electric usage from 154,000 kilowatt hours last summer to 125,000 for the summer months this year.

The district treasurer also praised Lincolnview employees who signed up for the new Health Savings Account insurance plan, thus saving the district approximately $86,000 a year.

“We anticipate that, by implementing the Health Savings part of the plan, it is going to cut, or at least maintain, insurance costs,” Bowersock noted.

Board member Eric Germann, who is the district legislative liaison, led a discussion on House Bill 136, the state voucher measure, noting that a number of schools are not happy with the way funding is allocated under the program. Particularly, Germann noted, was the provision to provide $5,783 a year per student, even though it may only cost $4,500 to actually educate the student.

That means some public schools could actually lose money to private schools, since the $5,783 figure goes with students if they decide to attend a private school.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted the state tuition rate for the 2011-2012 school year at $3,334.60 per student.
• Approved athletic ticket prices, updated cafeteria prices and the athletic pay scale and professional leave reimbursement.
• Authorized student Samantha Shaffer to attend Lincolnview tuition-free this school year per an agreement with Paulding Exempted Village Schools.
• Accepted the following donations: $5,000 from Van Wert Federal Savings Bank to benefit the school athletic department and facility; $1,750 from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, through applications sent in by teachers Kathy Thompson and Nicole Early; $400 from the Lincolnview Class of 1961 for the needy student fund; and $7,000 from Pepsi Cola Bottling Group to be used for the all-weather track project.
• Approved the following supplemental contracts: Larry Clark as boys’ basketball varsity assistant coach; Steve Pardon as varsity assistant wrestling coach; Mike Metcalf as junior high wrestling coach; Deb Stetler, senior class advisor; Kay Wilusz as sophomore class advisor; and Brenda Leeth as junior class advisor.
• Approved Benji Byrne as an unpaid volunteer volleyball coaching assistant.
• Hired Jolene (Taylor) Neiford as a substitute cook, secretary and custodian for the remainder of the year.
• Approved a contract addendum for Cafeteria Food Service Supervisor Carol Williams because she does not take the district health care plan.
• Authorized Choir Director Stacie Korte, her choir and three parent chaperones to stay overnight at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in King’s Island in Mason.

The next board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 18, in the library at the Marsh Foundation School.