Vantage names room in honor of Kaufman

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Vantage Superintendent Staci Kaufman was more than a little puzzled — and then shocked — during Thursday’s board of education meeting at the school.

Board President Lonnie Nedderman was reading a resolution that wasn’t on her agenda. In fact, updated copies of the agenda were only given to the media just prior to the meeting.

“I thought: ‘we didn’t have anything outside the consent items and I didn’t have anything on my agenda’,” a pleasantly surprised Kaufman said after the meeting.

As Nedderman read the resolution, which talked about her contributions to Vantage, her eyes suddenly widened and her mouth dropped open as he ended by saying the school’s community meeting room would be renamed the Staci A. Kaufman Community Room in her honor.

Kaufman, who was visibly touched by the announcement, noted later she was “speechless” when Nedderman made the announcement, but very honored by the decision to name the room after her.

Pete Prichard, who heads Vantage’s Ohio Technical Center adult education program, said the honor was well-deserved.

“It’s been a wonderful 10 years,” Prichard said of Kaufman’s tenure as superintendent. “She really moved us to a new level.

“If you look at the physical facility that we are, it’s Staci who continued to put a huge, tireless effort into making sure we got the bond issue passed and moved on to where we are now,” he added. “I think it’s really appropriate that we name this meeting room in her honor.”

State Senator Cliff Hite attended the board meeting and the retirement reception that followed, reading a resolution the Ohio Senate passed honoring her.

“You have earned the respect and admiration of all you have become associated with, and that you have been associated with,” Hite said.

State Representative Craig Riedel couldn’t attend the reception, but also sent a resolution from the Ohio House of Representatives honoring Kaufman.

In the shortened meeting held prior to the reception, the Vantage board also approved three Community Reinvestment Area agreements, including ones in Van Wert with Forest River Inc. and Van Rue Properties Inc. (see Van Wert City Board of Education story below), and another in Payne with Payne Health Facilities LLC/doing business as Vancrest Health Care Center of Payne, for a $1.7 million new construction project.

The board also hired Debra Richardson as a Construction Equipment Technology instructor’s aide at the high school for the coming school year; Paula Bogle and Karri Fife as OTC Medical Assistant program instructors for the 2016-17 school year; Patti Rodman as a MA program instructor for the 2017-18 school year; and Ted Tumbleson as an OTC instructor for the coming school year.

Vantage Treasurer Laura Peters was also reappointed to that position for another three years.

The board also approved the following fund transfers: $50,000 from the General Fund to the Ohio Technical Center Fund for the OTC Full Service Center; $37,620.51 from the General Fund to the OTC Fund for Fiscal Year 2017; and $225,040 from the General Fund to the Maintenance Fund to meet the district’s obligation to set aside money to maintain the Ohio School Facilities Commission renovation and construction project.

In other news, the board:

Renewed a participation agreement with Ohio Schools Risk Sharing Authority that runs until June 30, 2018.

Approved a computer services agreement with the Northwest Ohio Area Computer Services Cooperative.

Approved a list of Ohio Teacher Evaluation System certified evaluators, including Vantage High School Director Tony Unverferth, Student Services Supervisor Mike Knott, CTE Supervisors Ted Verhoff and Paula VanTilburg, as well as Dave Froelich and Robert Priest, Van Wert satellite program administrators.

Accepted Millie’s Bakeries for bread and Schenkel’s Dairy for milk for the coming school year, and approved lunch prices that remained the same as 2016-17, according to Cafeteria Manager Penny Baucom.

Approved a resolution to place a renewal levy on the ballot.

The next meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 3.