Personnel main focus of Lincolnview board

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Lincolnview Local Board of Education welcomed a number of new employees to its August board meeting, while administrators were upbeat about how the start of the school year has gone so far.

Several new district employees attended the board meeting. Those include Donna Coil, Amanda Moreo, Damaris Murphy, Taylor Hughes, Lori Klausing, Kelsi Rode, Paula Bowers, Ann Nussbaum, Kevin Longstreth, Mike Archinal, and Jason Bockey (see photo with this story).

Building principals were pleased with the turnout for the recent open house events, while both Junior High-High School Principal Brad Mendenhall and Elementary Principal Nita Meyer were pleased with how the year has begun. 

Mendenhall especially thanked his staff and their work in getting ready for the new school year.

“They’re so professional, they’re so prepared, they make my job much easier,” he noted.

Mendenhall said all student Chromebook laptop computers have been distributed, and also gave an update on the start of fall athletics. He also talked about the change from the Synergy alternative school to the Goedde alternative school, noting that five Lincolnview students are enrolled there, with the district charged a flat fee per student attending.

“Things look really nice there,” Mendenhall said of a tour he took of the building prior to the start of school.

He also noted that 40 Lincolnview students will be attending Vantage Career Center, including 27 juniors and 13 seniors. Enrollment figures for the junior high and high schools are pretty much similar to those the past several years, Mendenhall added.

The Goedde students also are still officially enrolled in Lincolnview Local Schools, and don’t have to open enroll to the Van Wert school district.

Meyer was also pleased with the start of school and gave a shoutout to staff who helped prepare the buildings for the year, as well as the instruction and other support staff members who worked hard prior to the start of the year.

During his report, Treasurer Troy Bowersock talked about changes in the district’s budget, including changes in where some revenue and expenditures show up in its reporting system. Bowersock noted that open enrollment revenue will now be included with state funding, instead of under other revenues, and will also be bundled with state funding on the expenditures side as well.

The treasurer also talked briefly about the district’s commercial insurance coverage, noting that administrators expected a double-digit increase in the cost, based on their research, and that increase totaled 12 percent. However, in looking at premium quotes from two other insurers, the district determined that coverage through Phelan Insurance Agency was still the least expensive. Coverage remained similar to prior coverage, with one change being a doubling of cyber coverage to offset any possible problems in that area. The premium for the coverage, which includes fleet, liability, and property coverage, totaled approximately $46,000.

During his report, Superintendent Jeff Snyder spent some time on COVID-19, noting that he applauds the state’s decision to allow school districts to make their own decisions on what to do to keep students and staff safe. Snyder’s own opinion appears to be that, while cases are increasing in the county, the total is still less than 1 percent of county residents, and is something he feels school administrators and the board can manage at this time.

The superintendent also noted that 14 Lincolnview students are signed up for the Career Education Opportunity (CEO) program this year, while adding that the district is still trying to work some kinks that remain in its text notification system.

In personnel action on Wednesday, the board accepted the resignations of cook Beth Monroe and kindergarten aide Jennifer Eddy and hired Kayla Hoersten as a cook, Brynn Mollenkopf as a Latchkey assistant and substitute cook, and Ann Nussbaum and Whitney Akerman as kindergarten aides.

Supplemental contracts were issued to Chad Kraner as school play director and Stacie Korte as assistant play director, while personal service contracts were approved for Mary Ann Falk as play technical director and Kim Pollock as play set designer.

The board also approved administrative pay raises as presented to the superintendent, treasurer, building principals, athletic administrator, cafeteria food service supervisor, computer network technician, and maintenance supervisor.

In other action, the board:

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with the Lincolnview Local Education Association (LLEA) regarding revisions to the current Teacher Evaluation System 2.0.
• Accepted to state tuition rate of $6,638.53 per year, per the Ohio Revised Code.
• Accepted, with thanks, the following donations: $2,000 from the Cooper Family Foundation/Raymond James Charitable Trust; an anonymous donation of $2,000 for the continuation of the Heritage Scholarship, with payments to be made according to the donor letter.
• Authorized an agreement with the Wood County Juvenile Detention Center, the Wood County Academy, and Juvenile Residential Center of Northwest Ohio for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
• Approved elementary workbook bills and class fees and athletic ticket prices.
• Approved the athletic pay scale and professional leave reimbursement guidelines.
• Approved the hiring of athletic event workers on an “as needed” basis for the current school year.
• Approved Hollie Ford as the LLEA representative to the Van Wert Area Schools Insurance Group (VWASIG).
• Approved fleet, liability, and property insurance coverage with Phelan Insurance Agency Inc. (underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance).
• Approved a resolution naming Robin Pennell and Sherry Missler of the Times-Bulletin and Dave Mosier and Scott Truxell of the Van Wert independent to the Ohio School Boards Association’s Media Honor Roll for their responsible reporting of school issues.
• Went into executive session to discuss personnel matters, with no action taken following the session.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Board of Education will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 30, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.