Vantage board OKs 2018 appropriations

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Career Center Board of Education took a tour of upgraded Special Services and Resources offices, as well as the space being used by the school’s new Criminal Justice program, and also approved 2018 permanent appropriations and revenues during its September meeting on Thursday.

Vantage High School Director Tony Unverferth told board members the Special Services and Resources offices needed to be renovated to comply with state regulations, while noting the Criminal Justice program will share space with the existing Police Academy, which has classrooms, as well as a fitness room and other areas.

During her report, Vantage Treasurer Laura Peters gave an overview of 2018 appropriations and revenues, noting that the school should take in approximately $11.9 million in revenue, while spending approximately $11.1 million.

Ohio Technical Center Director Pete Prichard talked about the state’s revolving loan program, which provides loans to students to help pay for adult education programs. Prichard noted that the nice thing about the program, which he likened to a student loan program, is that it is available for short-term programs.

Superintendent Rick Turner noted the school was also seeking to purchase two truck trailers for the CDL program at a cost of $16,000 apiece. Prichard said the old trailers were 28 years old and needed several thousand dollars’ worth of repair work to bring them up to snuff.

“We probably could go with older, cheaper trailers, but we kind of wanted to get that off the table for a while,” Turner said, adding that the new purchases should last for a number of years.

The board approved those purchases later in the meeting.

The Vantage superintendent also talked about Vantage’s role in local workforce development, noting that the school issued 592 industry-recognized credentials last year alone.

“Which is a significant contribution in this area, as far as workforce development, economic development,” Turner noted.

He also added that 240 individuals, representing 133 different companies, served on Vantage’s Business-Industry Advisory Committee last year.

Turner said Vantage’s goals is to increase the number of credentials issued annually, while also creating new programs, such as the Criminal Justice and LPN programs, to further support workforce development.

During his report, Unverferth talked about the Vantage Will hashtag that is trending on social media, and noted that the hashtag, which deals with Vantage students’ “Will to Succeed”, and also talked about a lockdown drill local law enforcement officers conducted at the school.

“Overall, they said we did a really good job,” he said of the drill.

In personnel matters, the board accepted the resignation of Phyllis Wortman, a part-time secretary for the Ohio Technical Center program, effective today. Interviews will be conducted next week to hire a new secretary, Turner said.

The board also approved the hiring of Assistant Treasurer Natasha Martin and Patti Rodman as STNA check-off and clinical supervisor for Health Technologies.

Several people were also given contracts as Virtual Learning graders. Those include Theresa Mengerink, Laura Stocksdale, Katie Drerup, Jaime Kipfer, Ashley Cline, and Angie Shellabarger.

Ohio Technical Center personnel hired include Lonnie Schlosser, lead welding instructor; Donna Wheeler, Medical Assistant program instructor; and Cynthia Krizan, Transitions program coordinator.

In other news, the board approved an amended Vantage Teachers Organization handbook, adopted a resolution stating that Vantage was compliant with Ohio regulations related to career advising, and approved Vantage’s best practices model for career advising.

Out-of-state travel expenses were also authorized for Theresa Mengerink, while Prichard was appointed the school’s Title IX coordinator, as required by law.

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