VWCS board hears facility project update

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Board of Education approved personnel items, heard an update on the elementary school projects and listened to a presentation on a writing program being used at Jefferson Elementary School. Board members also approved creation of a memorial fund for a VWHS graduate who died recently in a traffic crash.

The board unanimously approved a number of teaching and non-teaching contracts, as well as a number of supplemental contracts.

Hired as a substitute bus driver was Greg Breese, effective the upcoming school year, while Myrna Hamrick, Michelle Stoller, Kathy Taylor and Keith Utendorf were given supplemental contracts as senior project teachers for the current school year.

The board also accepted the following supplemental contract resignations: Abbie Clifton, eighth grade girls’ basketball coach; Jerry Ramsay, high school head wrestling coach; and Shawn Deitemeyer, DLT (effective the end of the first semester in December 2011).

Superintendent Ken Amstutz reported on the new grades 1-5 elementary school project, noting that the building should be completed by August 14, in time for the start of the 2012-2013 school year.

“We’re on schedule to make that happen,” the superintendent said.

Ceramic tile and terrazzo flooring is being installed, as well as quarry tile in the kitchen, Amstutz said, while brickwork is about half done and should be completed sometime around the end of the month. “Everything is beginning to fall in place,” he noted.

The superintendent also noted that staff members are job shadowing in preparation for the transition to a New Tech High School curriculum in the upcoming school year, with two integrated classes currently being planned for the 2012-2013 school year: a language arts/social studies class and a math/science class.

Amstutz also touched on upcoming requirements that school districts develop standards-based teacher evaluation programs, noting that board members need to prepare for adoption of such a program within the next 15 months.

“It is nothing anywhere close to be adopted at this time,” the superintendent said, but did say the board needed to be prepared when the time comes.

Amstutz also noted that there are new requirements for school bullying policies, noting that state auditors would likely be looking at whether districts have an updated policy in place when doing audits.

Also during his report, the superintendent also raised a school bus safety issue, noting that several district school buses have been improperly passed in recent weeks or drivers have run red lights near school buses. Amstutz said a large number of recent incidents have occurred while buses are on U.S. 127 and Ohio 118.

“I want to caution the community to use caution when there are buses around, because there usually are kids (as well),” Amstutz said. “I hope that the wake-up call doesn’t come at the expense of some tragedy that happens.”

The board also approved creation of the Joel Ross Thatcher Memorial Track Fund, which would benefit the VWHS track and field program.

Board members also heard a presentation Wednesday on the 6+1 Traits of Writing program from teacher Kim Werling and seven students from Jane Jacob’s classes at Jefferson Elementary School. Those students included Ariana Ballard, Ethan Brown, Jadyn Bullinger, Nathan Evans, Colin Ireland, Corbin Pfau and Makayla Stutz.

Werling noted that the writing program, which incorporates seven traits: ideas, voice, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions and presentation, and uses those traits in developing writing projects through the planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing stages. Werling said the program also helps the district meet Common Core State Standards that will be required in the future.

In other action, the board:

• Awarded additional contracts for the Jefferson Pre-Kindergarten-Kindergarten School renovation project.
• Approved a resolution allowing for the issuance of not more than $2.39 million in school improvement refunding bonds, which Treasurer Mike Ruen said would benefit district taxpayers.
• Accepted, with thanks, a donation of $800 from The Van Wert County Foundation to the Van Wert City Endowment for Educators.
• Recognized Jeremy Kitson for participating in a groundbreaking energy efficiency education program sponsored by AEP of Ohio.
• Approved an agreement between Van Wert City Schools and Van Wert County Family and Children First Council for a program administered by the school district.
• Adopted an amended special education board policy to place the district in line with state regulations.
• Went into executive session with no action taken following the session.
• Approved the district’s amended official certificate of estimated resources and amended Fiscal Year permanent appropriations, as presented.
• Approved a number of change orders related to the grades 1-5 elementary building project.

The next meeting of the Van Wert City Board of Education will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.