Lincolnview Board hears presentations

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

Various presentations made up a sizable portion of Tuesday night’s Lincolnview Local Board of Education meeting.

One was from elementary students about the recent Student Family Night, which featured student projects ranging from math Jenga to robots to electricity. Several students briefly shared their projects with the board.

Fifth grade teacher Tasha Breese updated the board on a recent reading summit held in Columbus, and board members heard from Joe Sadowski, who attended Buckeye Boys State, and Maddie Dunn, Alexis Miller and Victoria Snyder, who attended Buckeye Girls State. The attendees learned how government works and were able to meet Governor Mike DeWine.

Superintendent Jeff Snyder shared the results of Ohio public school district rankings done by cleveland.com, which were based on median income and performance index. Out of 608 districts, Lincolnview was ranked 133rd.

Snyder also talked about last Friday’s two-hour teacher in-service, which dealt with school security, and showed an example of an emergency bucket that is now in classrooms. Items inside include food rations, water, window clings, and more.

The superintendent also noted that Westwood Behavioral Health Center has expressed an interest in bringing mental health services to Lincolnview students.

“They see students at their offices or at their homes, and they brought a proposal about how they could be in our district a certain number of hours of the day and start developing relationships where they can work with the students here,” Snyder said. “We’re still going through the steps to make sure we have it right. I think we’re getting closer to a proposal that makes sense.”

During his report, Lincolnview Junior High-High School Principal Brad Mendenhall reminded the board about the annual Veterans Day Service, which will begin at 1:45 p.m. Friday, November 8, noting he was pleased with last week’s Teen Safety Week event, which focused on driving safety.

“I was really impressed with it,” Mendenhall said. “It flowed really well, it was smooth and the kids got something out of it. It was just a good reminder to students to be a safe driver.”

Mendenhall also talked about past and upcoming field trips, including one to the Ohio Statehouse.

Treasurer Troy Bowersock informed the board that the five-year financial forecast is due next month, and noted free and reduced lunches are up slightly in the district.

Bowersock also said the state has started pension fund and bi-annual audits.

The board honored Lincolnview High School students recently inducted into the National Honor Society and the Vantage Career Center National Technical Honor Society.

In other business, board members approved a contract with Gattshall Excavating and Trucking of Van Wert for snow removal for the current school year, and approved Neil Korte as head bowling coach, Eddie Dreyer as a high school boys’ basketball assistant volunteer coach and Justis Dowdy as a volunteer junior high boys’ basketball coach.

The board also accepted $1,000 softball scoreboard donation payments from First Federal Savings and Loan and Lee Kinstle GM Sales and Service, and a $3,500 annual gym floor advertising payment from Van Wert Federal Savings Bank.

Van Wert Area Schools Insurance Group premium increases were approved. Health insurance rates will go up three percent and dental insurance one percent effective January 1, 2020.

In a related move, a motion to make the Lincolnview Local Schools the fiscal agent of VWASIG was approved by the board.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 21, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.