VWCS board of ed hears presentations

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Van Wert City Board of Education dealt with personnel and presentations during its June meeting Wednesday.

The board heard three presentations and also dealt with a number of personnel issues during the meeting, which was held in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.

Board members first listened to a presentation by Van Wert High School guidance counselors Connie Ainsworth and Kerry Koontz that detailed how their department works, as well as student achievements.

High school chemistry teacher Mary Kramer and third grade teacher Marty Hohman then gave a presentation on a science camp the two developed for students in grades 2-6 that is being held this week.

The teachers used a PowerPoint presentation to show some of the activities from the camp, which they said has piqued interest in science among the more than 60 elementary students attending the camp.

Today, the group plans to set off volcanoes the students created earlier this week.

The last presentation was from Cheryl Ryan of the Ohio School Boards Association, who provided information on what that group can do to conduct a strategic planning workshop in the local district.

Ryan said the first part of the plan would include developing a core group that would represent all the diverse elements of the community.

“The biggest part of a strategic plan, from my perspective, is creating the goals and the goals come about through a conversation with the core team about what the critical issues are in the district, what the strategic priorities are in the district,” Ryan noted. “From those we create goals and objectives.”

The board will now review the information before deciding whether to go ahead with the OSBA’s strategic planning program.

Also Wednesday, the board made a number of personnel moves, including accepting the resignation of five staff members, including VWHS health-physical education teacher Macy Davis-Ferral, VWMS language arts teacher Kate Finlayson, speech-language pathologist Brittany Hayden, fourth grade teacher Abbey Craft and VWES custodian Gary Ickes, who is retiring after nine years with the district.

The board also accepted the resignation of Chuck Rollins as varsity girls’ tennis coach, but later approved having Rollins and Alex Schmidt each coach the team on a 50-percent basis.

The board also hired Britni Dunlap as a primary multi-handicap teacher, Nellie Schmidt as district media specialist, Nicole Gamble as VWES computer instructor, Andrea Mead as a VWHS health-physical education teacher and Tracy Wehner as a fourth grade teacher, all effective the 2015-16 school year.

In other action, the board:

Approved transfer of the half-mill equalization payment totaling $113,804, as required by the Ohio School Facilities Commission for the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program, from the Permanent Improvement fund to the Classroom Facilities Maintenance Fund.

Accepted the following donations: Van Wert Elementary PTO, $1,000 for the ECC Cares Day event; $1,500 from Walmart for the VWHS Robotics Club; $100 from First Financial Bank for the elementary wellness program; $13,207.50 from the Gaylord Leslie Trust and Leslie Endowment Fund to the Music Trust Fund; $300 from the Balyeat Bequest for the VWES summer science camp; and $160 from the Donald E. Bachman Memorial Fund to the VWCS Athletic Department.

Held a public hearing on the proposed retire-rehire of Mark Collins, Dave Froelich and Kent Smelser, with no comments received from the public.

The next meeting of the Van Wert City Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, in the First Federal Lecture Hall.