VWCS bd. offers Stemen LifeLinks job

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Schools may have found its next LifeLinks Community School director, but board members also heard some not-so-positive news from Treasurer Mike Ruen concerning the district’s five-year forecast.

The board approved issuing a five-year administrative contract to current Lincolnview Elementary Principal Gordon Stemen to replace Shawn Deitemeyer as LifeLinks director. When contacted prior to the Lincolnview Local Board of Education meeting later Wednesday, Stemen stressed that he has not signed a contract for the new position at this time, nor has he tendered his resignation yet to the Lincolnview board.

That said, Stemen did note he feels the new position is a good fit for him, especially because of his experience in education at the former Starr Commonwealth’s Van Wert campus.

“LifeLinks has, I believe, a great mission and a great vision in their wanting to serve a group of children that are diverse in their learning styles,” Stemen said Wednesday, adding, “I think it’s a great opportunity to maybe use a skillset that I have had an opportunity be involved with at Starr … it sort of fits with a lot of my background and training.”

Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Ken Amstutz said he also felt Stemen would be a great asset to the LifeLinks program. “I just think it is a great, positive move for us,” Amstutz said, adding that he feels the school will “take it to the next level” with Stemen as director.

In addition to approving a contract for Stemen, the VWCS board also approved the following LifeLinks staff members: Doug Adams, Kyle Hammons, Patrice Lautzenheiser, Aimee Rosendahl, Tim Wertenberger and Ashley Wharton.

Prior to becoming Lincolnview Elementary principal, Stemen was a teacher at the former Langley School on the now-closed Van Wert campus of Starr Commonwealth for six years, before his selection as principal of that school, a position he held for 12 years until the school and campus were closed.

Ruen had less positive news during his five-year report, noting that the district faces a possible shortfall of more than $4 million by the final year of the district’s five-year forecast in 2017.

The treasurer said a majority of the deficit could be blamed on the state’s phase-out of the tangible personal property tax, which Ruen said generated revenues of between $1.5 and $2 million annually for the district. The loss of those revenues is tempered somewhat, though, by what appears to be an increase in state foundation dollars for Van Wert in each of the three budget plans being proposed in the Ohio General Assembly.

“…It looks as through Van Wert City Schools should come out better than what we typically do,” Amstutz told the board.

Another positive is the large number of teachers who have retired and have either not been replaced, or have been replaced with younger, lower-paid teachers.

Also on Wednesday, the board heard the high school guidance office’s annual presentation on the most recent class of graduating seniors. Guidance counselor Connie Ainsworth and academic advisor Kerry Koontz provided information on the high school office’s activities, as well as a profile of the Class of 2013. Koontz noted that the percentage of VWHS seniors going on to a two- or four-year college or technical school was down somewhat, and he blamed the still-struggling economy for some of that decrease. The greatest number of those going to college or technical school (27) will seeking degrees in the medical/health-related fields, followed by education (16) and business-related (15) majors. There was a four-way tie for the college or technical school with the largest Van Wert enrollees, with the University of Toledo, Ohio State University, the University of Northwestern Ohio and Ohio Northern University each having nine students who will be attending this fall.

In a trend that seems to buck the idea that the economy is a factor, though, more VWHS grads will also be attending private colleges and universities (48 percent) than private colleges (37 percent) and community colleges (14 percent). Private colleges/universities have significantly higher tuition and housing costs than public schools, although they also typically provide more money in scholarships and grants.

In his report, Amstutz talked about the possible donation of the former Washington and Franklin elementary sites for community use, noting that the city of Van Wert does have a need for more play spaces and related areas for children.

The board also accepted the resignation of Van Wert Middle School special education teacher Melissa Utrup.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the following supplemental contracts: Kristi Bell, high school basketball cheerleading coach; Drew Golden, freshman football coach; Jamie Crippen, middle school football cheerleading coach.
• Accepted the resignation of Ben Laudick as freshman football coach, while also approving Alex Clay and Mitch Neal as volunteer boys’ soccer coaches.
• Employed Nancy Brown as summer school staff at Van Wert High School.
• Appointed Doug Grooms to replace Jerry Hoffman on the Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation, the entity that operates the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.
• Scheduled a public hearing for 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, to hear comments on a retire/rehire request from former teachers Ed Clark, Christine Heizman and Dave Kleman.

The next meeting of the Van Wert City Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the NPAC.