WSU prof. speaks at All Boards Dinner

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Career Center Board of Education held a brief April meeting on Thursday prior to its annual All Boards Dinner, which brings in board members and administrators from Vantage’s member school districts.

During the dinner, Dr. Bud Baker, professor of management and the Robert J. Kegerreis distinguished professor teaching at Wright State University, gave a presentation on “organizational amnesia”, providing reasons why organizations frequently repeat mistakes they made in the past.

Noting that businesses and organizations spend approximately $164 billion on training and workforce development, they spend nothing on understanding why organizations forget lessons learned in the past.

Baker quoted Henry Ford, who said: “The only lessons of history is that no one ever learns any lessons from history.”

Baker cited some reasons why organizations tend to repeat mistakes they made, including employee turnover, and the failure of organizations to foster collaboration and inclusive communication, as well as rituals and ceremonies that would include past information and traditions.

Baker also said organizations often reward employees for the wrong behaviors, which also leads to a repeat of past mistakes.

“Organizations don’t get what they want, they get what they reward,” he noted in his presentation.

The Wright State professor also included a portion of a quotation often attributed to the ancient Roman Petronius Arbiter, but actually written by Charlton Ogburn in 1957: “I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be creating the illusion of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.”

During the earlier business meeting, Vantage board members heard Treasurer Laura Peters report on the school’s annual audit, which she said was a positive one.

Superintendent Staci Kaufman also provided information about the Every Student Succeeds Act, a new name for what formerly was the No Child Left Behind Act, and the lack of input in the past — especially from vocational education centers.

“Most of the time when new legislation is enacted, the afterthought is ‘how does that apply to career technical education?’,” Kaufman told the board, adding that Vantage employees are being urged to submit questions about the new act, especially since the Department of Education “seems sincere in getting local input.”

The Vantage superintendent also announced that two economic development representatives from Governor John Kasich’s office would be touring Vantage and would also meet with local business representatives in May on the topic of workforce development.

The Vantage board also approved the following employment contracts: One-year contracts – Rhonda Davis, preschool head teacher; Larry Davis, Auto Technology; David DeLano, Building and Grounds Maintenance; Samantha Heckler, intervention specialist; and Wendy Baumle, Senior Health Technology; four-year contracts – Leigh Carey, Junior Health Technology; Lynda Ragan, Van Wert Satellite/Family Consumer Science; Larry Ray, Precision Machining; Larry Regedanz, Network Systems; Robert Spath, Van Wert Satellite/Project Lead the Way; Michael Villena, Auto Body; Brent Wright, Welding; Jill DeWert, Interactive Media; continuing contracts – Ashley Cline and Angie Shellabarger, intervention specialists; and Sherry Proctor, math.

The following supplemental contracts were also approved: Marcia Osenga, Kari Casto, and Mike Miller, while Susan Munroe was given a supplemental contract as an Adult Education instructor.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted the 2016-17 student handbook.
• Approved the Rothacker-Lampe equipment list for next school year.
• Authorized overnight trips to Wooster for the State Ag Mechanics Competition on April 7-8; to Boston, Massachusetts, for the National BPA Competition from May 5-9; and to Columbus for the State FFA Convention May 5-6.
• Accepted a donation of 5,428 pounds of steel valued at $1,085.60 from Crown Equipment Corporation.
• Approved a satellite agreement with Van Wert City Schools for next school year.
• Approved a bid of $102,646 from Ayers Mechanical Group for additional fume exhaust, ventilation exhaust, and dust collection systems in Welding, Ag and Industrial Power Tech, and the Auto Body shops. The work will begin May 31 and end July 15.
• Approved a Community Reinvestment Area agreement between Mekah Land Holdings LLC, doing business as Hekam Trucking Inc. in Kalida for a 15-year, 25 percent tax abatement, with $55.76 being paid annually to Vantage, for new construction valued at $350,000.
• Approved a quote of $36,150 from BZW Master Painters Inc. to paint in the Welding and Ag and Industrial Power Tech shops this summer.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5, in the district conference room.