Vantage board approves teacher contract

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Teachers at Vantage Career Center have a new contract.

During Thursday night’s monthly meeting, the Vantage Career Center Board of Education unanimously approved a new three-year contract with the Vantage Teachers Organization, AFT, Local 4321. Board members Pat Baumle and Deb Call were absent from the meeting.

The deal, which begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2027, includes annual raises of 3.5, 3.25 and 3.25 percent. According to Superintendent Rick Turner, the contract also includes a stipend of $1,000 in each of the three years. He also noted the contract calls for teachers to pay slightly more toward health insurance.

“Contract negotiations were very much a collaborative effort and we can’t thank the VTO and the staff enough for their approach to this,” Turner said after the meeting. “Everybody remembered what they’re here for and that’s the students and the community. It was a very healthy process.”

Salaries for fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027 were also approved for cafeteria personnel, custodians, maintenance, in-school suspension, preschool head teacher, secretarial staff, teachers aides, supervisors and assistant treasurers, along with computer technicians, cafeteria manager, nurse and media/community relations.

Other personnel items made up a big part of Thursday’s agenda. The board approved Bill Clifton as interim career-technical supervisor; Reese Rohrs, high school secondary program STNA coordinator/clinical check-off and phlebotomy check-off/clinical supervisor for health technologies; Amelia Pope and Brooke Webster, intervention specialists; Gregory Puthoff, math instructor, and Chad Conklin, culinary arts instructor. The board also approved Steven Smith as a maintenance worker, Susan Merkle as a part-time cook, and Noah Landin and Ryan Viola as student summer workers for IT and maintenance, respectively. 

Three adult education hires were approved – John Norris Jr. as public safety firefighting and EMT programs coordinator; Alison Muhlenkamp, PNP instructor, and Audree Markward, STNA instructor. 

The board accepted a pair of resignations – Christopher Cline, public safety firefighter and EMT programs coordinator, and Mickey McConahay, guidance counselor. 

During his report, Turner said the deed for the Thomas Edison Adult Center is complete.

“We will be proposing to you some renovations in the areas where our adult medical programs are moving into,” he explained. “We will also bring to you a suggestion regarding the long-term purpose of that building, likely the timing on that suggestion will be shortly after our teachers return from summer break.”

He also thanked the staff for a successful school year.

“They did an excellent job in helping our students achieve at high levels. A couple of benchmarks for their success are that 16 of 16 high school students obtained their Class A CDL through our adult education program this past year,” Turner stated. “We also had 23 of 23 high school students obtain their FAA 107 Drone Pilot’s license this spring, the first group ever from Vantage to go through this training.”

High School Director Ben Winans said most students have been in for uniform fitting, and Adult Education Director Angie Fahy said fall enrollment is progressing and she encouraged potential students to get their enrollment requirements completed early. Students will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

Board members agreed to a contract with American Fire Training Systems for the completion of the live fire burn training tower and approved a 50 percent down payment of $192,828.

“The timeline for the fire training facility is to get the foundation in this summer/fall and take delivery of the structure in early summer of 2025,” Turner said.

Other items approved by the board include:

• The Advantage Salon & Spa price list for the upcoming school year.
• The preschool parent handbook, preschool fees and preschool policy manual.
• The 2024-2025 adult education staff handbook.

Two businesses received Ohio School Boards Association honor roll recognition during the meeting. Certificates were presented to Sara Zura, President of Alexander and Bebout, and Kim Wannemacher, who works as Vice-President of Human Resources at Paulding County Hospital and is a Vantage board member.

Former Adult Education Director Kit Tyler, who now serves as strategic planning consultant, shared a brief update on five-year goals.

Board members met in executive session twice – once immediately before a vote on the new contract and again at the end of the meeting. Outside of adjournment, the only action taken after the second closed door meeting was the appointment of Debby Compton as President Pro-Tem at the next meeting, because President Tim Fitzpatrick and Vice-President Lonnie Nedderman will be absent.

The next meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27, in the district conference room. The meeting, which will replace the July monthly meeting, will allow the board to close out the current fiscal year.