Vantage happy with early solar savings

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Board of Education held a half-hour meeting prior to its annual holiday dinner, with a light agenda and brief reports from Superintendent Staci Kaufman and Treasurer Lori Davis.

Davis talked about the need to appropriate an additional $40,000 for the maintenance fund required as part of Vantage’s Ohio School Facilities Commission renovation/construction project.

Davis said some expensive equipment was purchased over the past year to help maintain the upgraded building, but said she doubted such a large appropriation would be needed again for awhile.

“Once we get another year of utilizing those dollars we ‘ll be able to budget better,” the Vantage treasurer said, while adding that she hoped there wouldn’t be a need to add more funds to next year’s maintenance budget.

Davis did have good news in connection with Vantage’s solar energy project, noting that, in its first three months of operation, solar power generation has saved the district an average of $5,085 a month. If that holds true for an entire year, the treasurer said savings would be approximately $61,000.

“I was kind of shocked at that,” Davis said. “I didn’t think we would see that kind of savings, but it’s wonderful for our school district.”

Kaufman was skeptical that Vantage would continue to see that amount of savings every month, especially during the low-sunlight winter months, while also noting that she still had to do some negotiating in connection with solar over-generation during the summer months, when the school isn’t used as much.

“We’re definitely saving some money,” the superintendent said, although she wouldn’t hazard a guess at exactly how much the district would save over a year’s time.

The board also approved a resolution to allow Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office to handle collection of unpaid fees from Vantage’s Adult Education program. Having the A-G’s office collect unpaid fees would not cost Vantage anything, Davis said.

“I think it will work out good,” she added.

The board also said good-bye to two board members, Dennis Recker and Karl Schimmoeller, and may also lose a third board member if Lincolnview Local Board of Education does not re-appoint current Board Vice President Sally Snyder. Snyder is retiring from the Lincolnview board, but could still be appointed to the Vantage board under new state guidelines for vocational schools.

In other news, the Vantage board:

• Approved a revised equipment request from the Rothacker Lampe Fund administered by the Van Wert County Foundation.
• Authorized the purchase of a school bus from Cardinal Bus Sales at a cost of $84,852, which includes a trade-in and discounts.
• Accepted a donation of steel valued at $3,250 from Crown Controls Corporation in New Bremen to be used in the Career Technical Welding, Industrial Mechanics and Ag & Industrial Power classes.
• Employed Edward Klausing as an Adult Education instructor on an as-needed, as-scheduled basis, and approved a $500 stipend for Jo Mohr as Vantage FFA fruit sale coordinator.
• Approved bus and van driver lists for the 2013-14 school year.
• Read for the first time a number of new and revised policies, as recommended by NEOLA (to be approved at the January 2014 board meeting).
• Authorized depositing $26,765.45 in auction proceeds into the Permanent Improvement Fund.

Vantage Board of Education will next meeting in regular session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 15, 2014, in the district conference room. The next meeting will also include the required tax budget hearing and organizational meeting.