Lincolnview board welcomes new staff

KELSEY CLEMONS/independent correspondent

The Lincolnview Local Board of Education welcomed new staff members to the district and discussed a new approach to school safety.

Elementary Principal Nita McKinney also noted summer school changes, including summer school now being held right before the start of the 2015-16 school year, instead of early in the summer. Dates for summer school will be August 3-14.

High School Principal Brad Mendenhall and Superintendent Jeffrey Snyder both reported on the Crisis Management school safety course they took. The workshop offered training to the district and covered several new angles for handling a crisis.

According to Snyder and Mendenhall, the course focuses less on following instructions verbatim and relies on more on staff members thinking on their feet and doing whatever it takes to keep kids safe.

New protocols were discussed for the Lincolnview district, including the potential for barricades on doors and windows that could open.

According to Snyder, the new ideas are somewhat controversial, but, more importantly, improve the levels of safety for students.

The board welcomed Gregory Leeth back to the school district as the new athletic director and dean of students. Leeth was granted a three-year limited administrative contract.

The board also thanked Lincolnview Curriculum Coordinator Becky Diglia for her two years of dedication to the district. Diglia has accepted an offer with Waynesfield-Goshen Local Schools. Diglia helped with the Straight A Grant proposal for Lincolnview School District, as well as many other initiatives.

The board also welcomed new non-teaching staff members to the district. They include Lucy Rice, bus runner; Craig Staley, minor bus maintenance; and Rebecca Matthews, student aide. Katrina Beining was also granted a one-year classified contract as a cook, while a classified contract for the 2015-2016 school year was granted to James Barnhart as a part-time custodian.

The board also approved the following summer intervention contracts: Kirstie Schroeder, summer intervention service; Rachel Rohrs, OGT math intervention; and Adam Owens, OGT science intervention.

Several service contracts were extended as follows: Krista Seibert, career tech vocational agriculture, 30 days; Anna Baker, instrumental music, 20 days; Jay Hoersten, industrial tech, five days; Brenda Leeth, junior high-high school guidance counselor, 20 days; Deb Stetler, high school librarian, 10 days.

Superintendent Jeffrey Snyder thanked the Hoaglin Farmers 4-H group for its group project of pulling weeds around the schoolyard.

Two donations were accepted by the board. The Van Wert County Foundation donated $2,000 to benefit the Lincolnview Music Department, while Terry Longstreth donated $250 to benefit the Lincolnview Latchkey program. The board thanked both donors for their generous donations.

In other action, the board also:

• Approved Scott Equity Exchange to supply gas and diesel fuel for the 2015-2016 school year.
• Approved 4-K Tire Inc. to supply tires for buses, vans, band trucks and a trailer for the 2015-2016 school year.
• Approved a bid for bakery products for the 2015-2016 school year for Perfection Bakery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Approved a computer service agreement with Northwest Ohio Area Computer Services Cooperative for the 2015-2016 school year.
• Renewed membership in the Northwest Ohio Educational Technology Foundation for the 2015-2016 school year.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Board of Education will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.