Crestview BOE enjoys a quick meeting

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

CONVOY — The July meeting of the Crestview Local Schools Board of Education didn’t take long at all. In fact, it took exactly 13 minutes for board members to motor through Monday night’s agenda.

Many of the agenda items dealt with personnel. Beth Scheiner was given a two-year administrative contract as transportation administrative assistant/EMIS support, and Natasha Collins was approved for a one-year contract as a paraprofessional. The board accepted the resignation of paraprofessional Alexis Baker, effective immediately.

Superintendent Kathy Mollenkopf informed the board that all teaching positions have been filled for the 2024-2025 school year.

A number of supplemental coaching contracts were approved by the board, including Nate Place, junior varsity football coach; Colin Place, freshman football coach; Jim Wharton, head baseball coach; Meghan Lautzenheiser, head softball coach; John Rosebrock, head track coach; Becky Mack, junior varsity softball coach; Terry Crowle, varsity baseball assistant; Gregg Mosier, junior varsity baseball; Luke Gerardot, eighth grade baseball; Steve Richardson, seventh grade baseball; Chad Pugh, varsity softball assistant; Brian Bassett, eighth grade softball; Dylan Hicks, seventh grade softball; Rachel Alvarez, Randy Grandstaff and Matthew Speelman, varsity track assistants, and Deanna Grandstaff, middle school track. Kyle Hammons, Kent McClure, Matt Perkins, Brant Richardson and Kole Rolsten were approved as volunteer baseball coaches, Jada Preston as a volunteer softball coach and Tom Williman as a volunteer track coach.

Outside of personnel matters, Mollenkopf noted the district is changing to the Payschools platform for food service management. She said the switch is necessary because the current platform is being phased out. She also stated an informational letter about the change will go out to parents on August 1.

“Mrs. (Penny) Clark Lori Orsbon and I sat in on several webinars with different vendors to see what might be out there for us,” she explained. “We landed on Payschools – it happens to be the common platform used by neighboring school districts and we were able to get some feedback from them, so we’re now in the process of a huge transition from one to the other.

In other business, the board approved several other items, including:

• The 2024-2025 reading list.
• The Crisis Prevention Institution Plan (CPI Plan) for the upcoming school year.
• Compensation for event managers.
• The revised athletic handbook.
• Lunch prices, athletic ticket prices, educational fees for preschool, student workbook fees and Latchkey fees for the 2024-2025 school year.
• A list of substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and school nurses from the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center.

Board members graciously accepted several donations through the Van Wert County Foundation, including $1,108.97 from the Morgan L. Fortney and Mary L. Fortney Memorial Fund for senior scholarships; $111,125.55 from the Rae Mouser Smith and Dwight E. Smith Memorial Fund for the instruction and teaching aids of Crestview High School teachers; $20,000 from the John D. and Nellie S. Ault Memorial Fund for the Lincoln Electric Torchmate CNC Plasma, and separate donations of $651 and $2,349 from the John D and Nellie S. Ault Memorial Fund and Gertrude E. and Clarence L. Friedly Memorial Fund for the Innovation Workshop.

The next meeting of the Crestview Local Schools Board of Education will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, August 12, in the multipurpose room. The board also scheduled a work session from 5-7:30 p.m. Monday, August 26, to discuss and learn more about possibly upgrading Crestview’s indoor and outdoor athletic facilities.