L’view BOE accepts sudden resignation

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A surprise resignation was accepted during Tuesday’s meeting of the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education.

Shortly after emerging from a 20-minute executive session, the board accepted the resignation of head soccer coach Matt Hernandez, who coached the season opening game last week. After the meeting, Superintendent Jeff Snyder said it was Hernandez’s choice to resign.

“There wasn’t anything he had done, I think at this point he just wanted to look at the direction where we’re going,” Snyder said. “We’re young and I think he felt it was just time for him to quit coaching. We had a discussion with him today and this is what he wants to do.”

Snyder also said assistant coach Fletcher Collins will serve as interim coach while school officials begin looking for a new assistant.

“In Van Wert County we’re really not a huge soccer county to begin with, so we really need to make sure we find the right fit with Fletcher so he has a good assistant with him,” Snyder said.

The soccer team will face Miller City on Thursday and Snyder said the season will continue and all remaining games will be played as scheduled.

Hernandez, who was not present at the meeting, had just started his second season. The Lancers dropped their opening game to Ottoville 9-0 last week. Lincolnview was 5-12-2 last season.

Plans to renovate the playground were briefly discussed Tuesday night. Snyder noted the current playground and equipment has been in use since 1999.

“It’s held its own but it’s worn down in the last 10 years, especially different parts,” he said. “Luckily we have some really good mechanical people here to fix things.

He presented the board with preliminary ideas and said a full scale presentation, including the projected cost, will be shared at the September board meeting, with possible action at the October meeting. One of the parts of the project will be to replace the mulch with a rubberized surface. 

A list of substitute teachers provided by the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center was approved, as were supplemental contracts for Chad Kraner, fall play director; Liz Gerdeman, FFA advisor and Young Farmers advisor; Tanner Crowle and Eli Alvarez, freshman class co-advisors; Tonia Verville, newspaper advisor, and Karla Bowersock, Washington D.C. trip advisor. Personal services contracts were approved for Adam Ries, assistant play director; Josh England, set coordinator, and Kim Pollock, technical director. Recently retired athletic director Greg Leeth was hired as a consultant athletic administrator on an as-needed basis up to 100 hours.

Board members also met eight of the district’s newest employees.

The board officially approved bus routes for the new school year, along with vision impaired series through Midwest Regional Educational Service Center. Agreements with the Van Wert City Schools for the Van Wert School at the Goedde and the CEO Program were given approval, and board members approved elementary workbook bills and class fees, a school nurse agreement with the Van Wert County Health Department, agreements with Westwood Behavioral Health Center, the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center and the Business Council Advisory with the Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation.

An anonymous $2,000 donation was accepted for the contiuation of the Heritage Scholarship Fund, and the board accepted a $1,250 donation from the Ohio School Athletic Association.

Before adjourning, the board went into executive session to discuss personnel but no action was taken afterward.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall. A work session was scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 24.