Vantage Bd. employs 2021-22 personnel

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Career Center Board of Education took care of a number of personnel items, while school officials officially closed out the challenging 2020-21 school year and looked towards a new, more normal, year in August during Thursday’s June board meeting.

The board accepted $79,702 in additional CARES Act funding for the school’s Adult Education Department, while Treasurer Laura Peters talked briefly about Vantage’s property, fleet, and liability insurance through the Ohio Schools Risk Sharing Authority for the coming fiscal year. The board later approved the policy renewal at a cost of $59,854.

Peters also noted that revenues were up a little bit over the last fiscal year during her financial report. The board will approve permanent appropriations for the next fiscal year during its July meeting.

During his report, Superintendent Rick Turner talked the pending state education funding legislation, noting that the measure included reductions in per-student funding for public schools. He noted that the House bill was more education-friendly, with career tech “in a really good spot” related to education-related measures before the General Assembly.

Turner also reported on the Carpentry Class’s spec house on Keplar Street, noting that the interior was coming along well, with open houses coming up in late June and early July, with the auction also in July.

High School Director Mike Knott thanked staff members for an excel

“Going into the year, we had no idea what to expect, and so the conversations obviously were how far can we make it, and we’re sitting her today knowing that we made it through the entire school year without having to take a day to go remote because of COVID,” Knott said. “That couldn’t have been done without our staff and all the things we asked them to do, and I’m so thankful for them.”

Knott also was pleased that Vantage was able to have a senior awards ceremony this year, and thanked Bob Priest and Mark Bagley at Van Wert City Schools

He also recognized several students for Brendan Olsen and Dylan Schimmoeller, who are competing in the state track meet this weekend, while also noting that Schimmoeller was also a state champion in the Heavy Equipment portion of the SkillsUSA competition. Knott also honored five other students who placed in the top three in the state SkillsUSA competitions.

He also noted Vantage had its first four students receive their phlebotomy certification, and that seven of the 18 students in the CDL program will finish up their driving and take their CDL test this summer.

As far as next school year, Knott said June 15-17 will be uniform fittings for incoming students, while also noting that enrollment should be over 500 for the first time since he has been at the school over the past 14 years.

The board prices and handbooks for the preschool, salon and spa areas, while also approving the Vantage Parent Handbook for the 2021-22 school year. The board also approved a price increase for the previously approved Vantage digital sign, which cost $26,450 when approved in March, but is now being estimated at $32,100.

Among personnel items, Reese Rohrs was approved as a primary instructor for nursing clinicals for the coming school year. A list of those employed in the high school area are as follows:

Peg Bollenbacher, floating substitute; Kye Hammons, maintenance/custodial supervisor; Shawn Jones, cook; Ashley Kindle and Michelle Porter, STNA check-off/clinical supervisors for Health Technologies; Darrell Miller, attendance and discipline officer; Rohrs, STNA coordinator and phlebotomy check-off/clinical supervisor for Health Technologies; and Angie Fahy, Transition program director.

Adult Education’s employment list includes the following:

Brian Ankney, Fire Fighting Program coordinator/emergency instructor; Barrett Dormer, Douglas Edelbrock, Richard Fruit, Gary Gasser, Robert Herber, Jon Jones, Austin Miller, Russell Moorman, and Brian Sheets, Fire Fighting instructors; Erin Askins, Practical Nursing instructor; Robert Black, Steven Boroff, Shawn Cook, Chad Cupples, Michael Dirr, Mark Ernst, Virginia Hammons, Karl Lengerich, Austin McIntosh, Michael McClain, Jill Straley, and Kevin Taylor, Police Academy instructors; Ruth Brickner, assessment proctor; Hartsel Bryant, CDL coordinator/instructor; Gary Cearns, customized training instructor and welding instructor; Robert Gubbins, customized training instructor; Brian Heitkamp, CDL instructor; Jessica Hoyng, LPN coordinator/instructor; Shirley Jarvis, Nurse’s Aide Program coordinator/emergency instructor; Marty Katterheinrich, Diversified IT coordinator and customized training instructor; Annette Klinger, assessment proctor and substitute secretary; Diane Laing, Medical Assisting coordinator/instructor and CPR instructor; Michael Miller, Trade and Industry instructor/CDL instructor; Zach Miller, CPR instructor; Larry Ray, Manufacturing customized training coordinator/instructor; Terri Schmenk, customized training-robotics and engineering instructor; Ron Schumm, FBPA coordinator/instructor; Sarah Simms, EMT program coordinator/instructor; Jean Sullivan, LPN administrator/instructor; and Kevin Van Oss, customized training instructor.

In other news, the board:

• Accepted the building directors’ annual wellness reports
• Approved the Local Professional Development Committee’s list of meetings for 2021-22.
• Approved the Preschool Policy Manual.
• Approved the 2020-21 Bullying and Harassment report.
• Accepted the donation of a water heater valued at $350 for the Keplar Street spec house.
• Approved payment to Bollenbacher for two additional days over her contract period.
• Went into executive session to consider matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or state statutes, with no action taken after the session.

The next meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 24, in the District Conference Room.