Vantage Board debates CRA abatement

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Career Center Board of Education approved a Community Reinvestment Area tax abatement for a local law firm on Thursday, but not without some debate on the appropriateness of the action. The board also approved additional funds to the school’s GOALS program.

Board member Eric Germann questioned whether a resolution granting law firm Aaron M. Baker LLC a CRA tax abatement at 95 percent for 10 years to renovate the old Municipal Court (former U.S. Post Office) building at 124 S. Market St.

“Are we really gaining jobs, and how much revenue are we giving up to, in essence, generate one job?” Germann said, adding that he felt losing 95 percent abatement for 10 years for a business that is tied to the area because its clients all live here “seems a little excessive.”

In the end, board members apparently felt that providing tax incentives to renovate the former court building was appropriate, with Germann’s the only dissenting vote.

Treasurer Laura Peters reported that Vantage would see a carryover of more than $850,000 for fiscal year 2017, although expenditures from the school’s permanent improvement fund would exceed revenues by $215,000 this year, mostly because the Chromebook laptop computers will be paid for this year, not last year as expected.

With Superintendent Staci Kaufmann out of town, Vantage High School Director Tony Unverferth noted that the school year has gotten off to a good start.

“The first day of school went really, really well,” Unverferth said. He also talked about having Van Wert DARE Officer Greg Blackmore in to talk to students about the new drug paraphernalia policy, as well as use of cell phones, and safe driving procedures in and out of the school parking lot.

He also talked about the addition of $1,200 to Vantage’s GOALS program funding, which is being revamped this year. The program allows Vantage students to earn cash rewards for meeting educational goals they choose.

Unverferth also reported that he has been working with home school principals to ensure that students have meningitis vaccinations, as required by state law, by September 14. Students who do not have the vaccination by then cannot attend school.

Ohio Technical Center Director Pete Prichard noted that he was working on getting Pell Grant certification for the OTC truck driving program, noting that the program, which is expensive, doesn’t qualify for Title IV funding.

Prichard also noted that he is seeing positive things with some Northwest State Community College classes being offered at Vantage, while the Police Academy has also started off well this school year.

“It’s a really neat program,” he said of the Police Academy coursework.

Prichard also noted that the OTC has purchased a trailer that it will use to store food donations in until January, to assist The Salvation Army, which is currently constructing a new food pantry facility at its headquarters on North Cherry Street.

The board also took several personnel actions during the meeting.

High school employees hired for the new school year include the following: Reesa Rohrs, high school secondary program STNA coordinator; Patti Rodman, STNA check-off/clinical supervisor for Health Technology; and Theresa Mengerink, Laura Stocksdale, Katie Drerup, Kelly Horstman, Ashley Cline, and Angie Shellabarger as virtual learning graders.

The following OTC (Adult Education) instructors were also hired on Thursday: Austin Wisner and Thomas Bowersox, welding assistants; Chuck Peters, Truck Academy; Mark Ernst, instructor assistant; Shirley Jarvis, medical assistant and nurse’s aide program coordinator; Patti Rodman and Amelia Miller, medical assistants; Kristie Jones, OTC lead coordinator; Jaclyn Gunsett, financial aid coordinator; Diane Jones, OTC Transitions program coordinator-counselor; Cynthia Krizan, OTC Transitions coordinator; Diane Meringleo-Dirksen, enrollment coordinator; Ron Schumm, FBPA coordinator-instructor; Bruce Showalter, Police Academy coordinator; and Wendy Baumle, medical assistance-clinicals.

In other action, the board:

Hired Reesa Rohrs as a primary instructor for nursing clinicals from September 1 to August 21, 2017.

Appointed Prichard as Title IX coordinator for the OTC postsecondary students, as required by federal law.

Approved the following Ohio Teacher Evaluation System certified evaluators for the current fiscal year: Unverferth, Dave Froelich, and Robert Priest.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 6, in the district conference room.