Vantage board OKs raises; masks optional

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

Vantage Career Center teachers and various staff members are getting pay raises.

During Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting, board members unanimously approved a three-year contract with the Vantage Teachers Organization, as well as increased salaries for non-certified staff members and those not on the current salary schedule.

The deal calls for a 3 percent raise in the first year, followed by pay increases of 2.5 and 2 percent, respectively, in the second and third year of the contract.

“I’d like to thank the Vantage Teachers Organization for working with us to complete the contract negotiations,” Superintendent Rick Turner said. “We have an excellent staff at Vantage that works very hard to ensure our students are successful and the workforce needs of area businesses are met, so we really appreciate them and their cooperation in that process.”

Turner also informed the board that, for now, masks will be optional for students and staff when the school year begins.

“I did talk to the health department yesterday and the numbers are going in the wrong direction, so we will continually be monitoring that,” Turner stated. “Our two goals will be the safety of students and our staff and also to keep our students in school. We’re a career center and we really need the hands-on labs, and we need to do whatever it takes to protect our students and our staff and keep them in school.”

“The health department labeled Van Wert County as a substantial (COVID-19) phase, so that’s the phase we’re in right now,” Turner added. “That’s not great news, so we’ll continue to get updates from them and we’ll continue to keep you apprised.”

High School Director Mike Knott told the board that new student orientation is scheduled for August 16 and 17 and he thanked the summer staff for helping prepare for the new school year. Knott also said he expects 539 students on the first day of classes.

During her report to the board, Treasurer Laura Peters explained how federal CARES Act money is being used to help adult education students, including going toward existing student debt, while $90,000 of the money is going toward a streaming project.

“That will be in conjunction with high school funds as well to get several rooms within our building up and ready to go if they ever have to stream again, or if they have to go virtual again,” Peters explained. “It will help our teachers with a lot of the online things that they need to do as well as a lot of presentations that they can do within their classroom using that equipment.”

Peters also shared a financial graph of fiscal year 2021 and noted that salaries represented 76 percent of the budget, which is below the recommended 80 percent threshold.

The board honored Van Wert Family Physicians and Kenn-Feld Group as 2021 members of the Ohio School Boards Association Business Honor Roll.

A number of personnel items were approved, including Brenda Adams, Samantha Joseph, Ashley Kindle, Erin Askins, Jeanne Elise Hoaglin, and Nicholette Dugger, health occupations; Casey McCohahay, English/language arts; Brock Blackmore and Mark Figert, public safety (police); John Cannon, David Cummings, and Craig King, public safety (firefighting); and Zachary Weber, maintenance.

The board also approved a list of certified and non-certified substitute employees, a Western Buckeye Educational Service Center substitute teacher list, and a list of bus and van drivers for the upcoming school year.

In other business, board members gave approval to the adult education catalog and student handbook for the 2021-2022 school year, along with a purchase contract for the sale of the house built by carpentry students at 148 Keplar Street in Van Wert. The home recently sold at auction for $155,000.

Board member Lonnie Nedderman (Crestview) was appointed as the 2021 Vantage Career Center OSBA Capital Conference delegate and Pat Baumle (Wayne Trace) as the alternate. The annual conference is scheduled to be held November 7-9 in Columbus.

The next meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 2.