Crestview supt. won’t seek new contract

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

CONVOY The Crestview Local Board of Education said “good-bye” to two veteran board members during its December meeting and will say farewell to Superintendent Mike Estes when his contract is up July 31, 2018.

Estes made the official announcement that will not be asking the board to renew his contract and will leave the district, effective July 31, 2018. The superintendent said he had thoroughly enjoyed his 10 years in the district, but felt it was time to do something new.

“I’ve spent 43 years in education,” Estes said. “It might be time to move on to other aspects of my life.”

Putnam County Educational Service Center Superintendent Dr. Jan Osborn is leading a search for a new superintendent, with the deadline for applications set for Friday, January 5, 2018.

The board also recognized outgoing board members Lonnie Nedderman and Wes Skelton for their years of service. Nedderman, who was ill and couldn’t attend the meeting, has been a Crestview board member for 16 years, while Skelton has served eight years on the board.

The board voted to retain Nedderman as its representative to the Vantage Career Center Board of Education. Nedderman is currently the Vantage board president.

The board also honored Head Football Coach Jared Owens and members of this year’s Knight football team for their accomplishments.

Also on Monday, the board selected one of three construction options for its Master Plan facilities project, so that the project can now move forward.

Board members voted 3-1 to choose Option C, which would provide three spare classrooms, in addition to those the administration said were needed to house the school’s current enrollment, as well as a new music room and a library classroom.

The proposal was amended prior to adoption to delete construction of a new parking lot on the north side of the school. Incoming school board members Jake Sawmiller and Nan Grace also attended the meeting and were asked their opinions on the facilities project prior to a decision being made. Grace said she appreciated the board asking her opinion on the project.

The cost of Option C is approximately $3.5 million, with the deletion of the parking lot portion.

Skelton, who voted against Option C, said he felt Option A was better, since it was less expensive and provided much of what Option C did. Prior to the vote, Skelton made a motion to go with Option A over Option C, but the motion died for lack of a second. Option A would have cost approximately $2.7 million with a similar deletion of the parking lot project.

“I thought Option A met our educational needs,” Skelton said following the meeting. “Option C, that’s an extra classroom for $800,000, and, to me, that’s not worth it when our district would already have two excess classrooms (under Option A).”

In addition to a third classroom, Option C also provides a new music room, although the board rejected a third option, Option B, that provided two excess classrooms and two new music rooms. However, Principals Mike Biro and Dave Bowen had recommended either Option C or Option A as the best for the school, educationally.

Estes said the first floor of the two-story addition is expected to be completed by August 2019, with the second floor completed a year later.

In personnel action, the board accepted the resignation of elementary computer teacher John Mathews, due to retirement, effective the end of the school year, and approved a one-year contract for Hillary Straw as a custodian, effective January 1.

In other news, the board:

• Accepted, with thanks, $500 donations each for the Crestview High School Band, Knight Vision show choir, and Crestview High School girls’ soccer team, all from the Convoy Community Days Committee.
• Learned that custodian Robin Miller’s hours would increase from 35 to 40 per week, starting January 1.
• Approved an overnight stay for the seventh grade class trip to Columbus May 9-10, 2018. Bowen said seventh-graders would visit COSI, the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Statehouse while in the state capital.
• Appointed Board President John Auld as president pro tempore for the board’s organizational meeting, which was scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, January 10.