WBESC Governing Board re-organizes

WBESC Governing Board information

The Western Buckeye Educational Service Center Governing Board held its organizational meeting on Wednesday, with Billy Poe III elected board president and Nick Miller vice president. Superintendent Brian Gerber also recognized board members for their service as part of “School Board Recognition Month” ad the board also took action on a number of personnel items during the regular board meeting.

After updating the board on legislative issues and personnel items to be considered during the meeting, Gerber honored board members with certificates for their service.

“In this day and age, school boards have a tough job,” Gerber said. “Nobody is beating down the doors to run for the school board. So we appreciate our school boards.”

The superintendent noted that WBESC board members Poe, Miller, Larry Zielke, Ron Treece and P. James Grubaugh work to ensure the ESC is a productive and effective agency.

“It takes teamwork and collaboration from all parties to make an educational agency successful,” Gerber added.

Following the “housekeeping” matters resolved during the organizational meeting, the board approved a number of personnel and other items.

Personnel items include the following:

• Employed Ashley Snyder as an LPN/aide with a limited non-teaching contract for the 2014-15 school year, effective January 12.
• Accepted the resignation, for retirement purposes, of itinerant PS teacher Linda Utendorf, effective June 1.
• Accepted the resignation of Thomas Edison Center paraprofessional Kathy Habern, effective January 1.
• Employed Lisa Baker as a paraprofessional with a limited one-year contract for the current school year, effective January 26.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the WBESC’s continuation as fiscal agent for the Paulding Council Children and First Council, effective July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.
• Recognized the Paulding and Van Wert County spellings bees, both held during the first week of February. The Paulding County Spelling Bee is Monday, February 2, at Antwerp Local Schools, while the Van Wert County Spelling Bee will take place Thursday, February 5, in the Marsh Foundation Auditorium. Both events will begin at 7 p.m.

The next meeting of the WBESC Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, at the Van Wert ESC office.