Vantage board OKs staff contracts

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Board of Education approved a number of personnel contracts, including three administrative contracts, and also heard overall good news related to its alternative energy programs during the board’s March meeting on Thursday.

The board approved contracts for the following: MaryAnn Hall, a two-year contract as Career Tech supervisor; Pete Prichard, a three-year contract as Adult Education director; Lori Gunderman, a two-year contract as assistant treasurer; Lucas Compton, a two-year contract as technology support specialist; Adelina Alvarez, a two-year contract as a cafeteria cook; and James Martin and John Ringwald, two-year contracts as custodians.

The board also accepted the resignation of Kent Taylor, Electricity instructor, who is retiring at the end of the school year, and hired Jourdan Tomlinson as an Adult Education instructor.

Vantage Treasurer Lori Davis noted in her report that the school received more than $220,000 from Iberdrola Renewables as its share of the company’s recent payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) disbursements.

Superintendent Staci Kaufman noted that it’s still up in the air on whether Vantage will receive a gold or platinum in the LEEDS green energy-rating program. Kaufman said she isn’t sure how many points the school will receive for its solar energy array, adding that the district will receive at least a gold rating, but also noting her uncertainty over how the solar array will be handled.

Vantage Director Ben Winans reported on enrollment figures for next year’s incoming juniors. A total of 230 juniors have currently enrolled at Vantage, Winans said, but said that number could fluctuate as much as 20 students by the time school starts in the fall. Programs will the highest enrollment include cosmetology (32), Ag Diesel (31), Welding (29) and Health Technology (27).

“Enrollment numbers are pretty good,” Winans said, adding that there will also be approximately 200 seniors next year at Vantage.

Winans also noted that Vantage used an electronic application system this year that he said worked well and was well received by staff members.

In other news, the Vantage board:

• Appointed Winans as Vantage’s homeless liaison, per school policy.
• Accepted a donation of nine complete sets of uniforms, with a value of $351, from Miller’s Textile Services, for the Trade & Industrial programs.
• Accepted a donation of tubing, worth $960.47, from Advanced Chassis of Antwerp for the Trade & Industrial programs.
• Accepted a donation of $500 from the Ottawa Glandorf Rotary Club and a donation of $350 from the Hicksville Rotary Club to Vantage’s Interact Club to purchase toolboxes for the Haiti carpentry program.
• Approved the 2014-15 Vantage school calendar.
• Authorized overnight field trips, as follows: To Columbus March 14-15 for the Business Professionals of America state competition; to Columbus April 23-25 for the state FCCLA competition; to Columbus April 14-16 for the SkillsUSA state competition.
• Approved Community Reinvestment Act tax exemptions for Rhodes Investment in Van Wert and Justin and Amber Huff in Continental.
• Went into executive session to prepare for contract negotiations, with no action taken afterward.
• The next meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 3, with the All Boards meeting to be held at 6 that evening in the Vantage Commons.