L’view board reorganizes, holds tech talks

Van Wert independent

The Lincolnview Local Board of Education met for the first time in 2014, re-electing Eric Germann as board president and selecting Michelle Gorman as vice president during its reorganizational meeting.

Germann and first-time board member Lori Snyder were also sworn in during the meeting, but another first-time member, Scott Miller, was ill and could not attend. He will be sworn in during the February board meeting.

Board members were also honored as part of School Board Recognition Month, while Germann was chosen as the district’s representative to the Vantage Board of Education to replace Sally Snyder.

Technology and school trips were topics of discussion during Monday’s meeting, with board members hearing an update on the seniors’ trip to Washington, D.C., while more discussion was held on a sixth-grade trip to either Chicago or New York City. No final decision has been made on which city the students will visit, although that should come at the February meeting.

Superintendent Jeff Snyder also led a discussion on the state’s planned changeover from school days to hours spent in the classroom, and what the ramifications would be of the change. Work is continuing on a school calendar that would reflect the new emphasis on hours, rather than days, although the change to hours should be an improvement in the calamity day situation, since the number of hours required by the state amounts to nearly 25 fewer days than students are currently spending in the classroom.

Snyder also talked about the fact that state teacher licensing would be done online in the future, while the board also continued a discussion on planned technology purchases to be funded by $457,000 as Lincolnview’s portion of a Straight A Fund grant awarded recently.

The district Technology Committee will be meeting again to finalize a plan for technology purchases that would then be considered during the board’s February meeting, Snyder said.

The superintendent also noted that the district received a $10,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education that would reimburse the district for security purchases, including a new door buzzer system and security cameras at school entrances.

As district legislative liaison, Germann also talked about a number of pending measures the Ohio General Assembly is considering that would have an effect on local education efforts.

Important upcoming dates on the school calendar include homecoming on Friday, February 7, with a dance the next evening. A DARE dance will also be held at the school from 6-9 p.m. Friday, February 14.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted, with thanks, the following donations: An anonymous donation of $1,500 for the continuation of the Heritage Scholarship Fund; a donation of $500 from Richard and Joyce Schimmoeller to benefit the school Latchkey program; and $1,017.50 from the Klein Trust of the Van Wert County Foundation.
• Approved Scott Lloyd as a volunteer FFA basketball coach for the current school year.

The next board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, at the Marsh Foundation.