Lincolnview board welcomes new staff

KELSEY CLEMONS/independent correspondent

The Lincolnview Local Board of Education recognized Lancer state track participants and welcomed new staff members to the district during its August meeting on Tuesday.

Track Coach Matt Langdon was recognized, along with high school track athletes, for their outstanding performances during the 2015 state championship meet. The four 4×800-meter relay members, Bayley Tow, Coltin Snyder, Austin Elick, and Alex Rodriguez (not present), finished 15th at the state track meet, while also placing second among Lincolnview record holders. Hunter Blankemeyer was second in the 110-meter hurdles, while Tow also placed second in the 1600-meter run and fifth in the 3200-meter run. Hannah McCleery placed sixth for the girls’ team in the high jump.

Several new staff members were recognized at the meeting. Hilary Arn, fifth grade English/language arts and math; Brock Homeyer, third- and fourth-grade intervention specialist; Valerie Parsell, junior high/high school art; Marcus Meyer, intervention specialist; Greg Byrum, high school science; Kyle Stechschulte, junior high/high school science; Suzie Ketner, intervention specialist (not present.

Greg Leeth was welcomed back to the district as athletic director and dean of students, and made a point to say how excited he is to be back.

“The people that you have hired and the things that are going on in this school district are incredible and I think that we are not only going to be the envy of northwest Ohio, but maybe even the state of Ohio with the things that are happening,” he said.

Several supplemental contracts were granted as follows: Rachel Rohrs and Ashley Miller, co-high school Student Council advisors; Eric Fishpaw, assistant athletic director; and Brock Homier, seventh grade boys’ basketball coach. Hilary Arn was also given a one-year supplemental summer school contract for this year.

A personal service contract was also given to Brianne Wyse for seventh grade girls’ basketball, while Josh Maxey and Jason Miller were both approved as volunteer coaches, all for the 2015-2016 school year. Maxey will coach boys’ varsity soccer and Miller will coach the varsity boys’ golf team.

Hollie Ford was approved as the employee representative on the Van Wert Area Schools Insurance Group for the 2015-2016 school year.

House Bill 70, which was recently signed into law by Ohio Governor John Kasich, was reviewed by the board, which decided to oppose last-minute changes to the bill.

Elementary Principal Nita McKinney reported to the board about the potential name change for summer school to now being called the Lancer Jumpstart Program. McKinney also thanked the custodial and cleaning staff for putting in a lot of effort to prepare for the school year to start. McKinney also notified the board of the upcoming Washington, D.C., trip for sixth graders that will take place October 5-10. In regards to the third grade reading guarantee, there will be the first fall window from November 30 through December 11, if preparation suffices. During this period, there will be a reading sub-score released at a later date.

McKinney also informed the board of two generous grants given to the district. The first was received by Brandon Neimeyer in the amount of $2,900 for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and Lego kits to help start the STEM research program. The 21st Century grant that was also received will focus on assistance for an after-school program in reading and math for students in grades K-4. This will take place before school for an hour Monday through Friday and after school for 2½ hours Monday through Thursday. The tentative dates for this are October 5 through May 14.

McKinney said that materials purchased with this grant can be used by anyone, while adding the program will also include after-school transportation for students who need a ride. She noted that the first hour and a half of the program would be devoted to homework, while the last hour will be used for mentoring opportunities in areas such as character building and business opportunities.

High School Principal Brad Mendenhall also talked about the positive open house turnout by students in grades K-12 and their parents.

Mendenhall also spoke to the board about the elimination of PARCC testing in the schools. The new AIR testing will also change a lot this school year, with the new testing window being between April 4-9 for English/language arts and between April 4-13 for math, science and social studies. Each test will be 180 minutes long, which can either be administered in one three-hour test or split into two 90-minute sessions. Mendenhall also thanked staff members for their hard work and preparation as the school year begins and also shared with the board about the agreement with Foster’s Family Chiropractic to have an athletic trainer on-site. The goal is to have a trainer present for all home games and events during the 2015-2016 school year, although the schedule is still in process. Mendenhall said many other schools have trainers available during their athletic events and this change is overdue.

Superintendent Jeffrey Snyder talked about the preparation that took place before the start of the school year. Cosmetic work, such as mulch and tree work, was done to have the school grounds looking good in time for the first day of school. Talking of installing an LED digital sign in front of the school was also discussed.

Snyder was excited to share more information about the middle school physics program being implemented. The program will be funded exclusively by the Van Wert County Board of Commissioners, the superintendent said, with no expense to the district. The program will not only be brought to Lincolnview, but also to Van Wert, Crestview and Delphos Jefferson schools, while Lincolnview will host teacher training sessions.

Snyder also talked about the amount of money the school district has received from grants or donations. In the last 2½ years, more than $675,000 has been awarded to the district through grants. Snyder said the grant awards would benefit Lincolnview students.

The board also honored former Lincolnview teacher Earl Gerdeman, who died recently. Snyder said that Gerdeman was one person who was significant in his life when he was a student.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the state tuition rate for the 2015-2016 school year at $5,420.88 per student, calculated per Section 3317.08 of the Ohio Revised Code.
• Approved the Van Wert Area Schools Insurance Group to increase the premium for health and dental insurance, effective October 1as follows: Health insurance, 10 percent; and Dental Insurance, 12 percent.
• Approved open enrollment students for the 2015-2016 school year.
• Approved a list of substitute teachers and aides, as provided by the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center for the 2015-2016 school year
• Approved elementary workbook bill and class fees for kindergarten through sixth grade
• Authorized the participation by the Lincolnview Local School District in the state cooperative purchasing program for purchasing supplies, services, equipment and certain materials for the 2015-2016 school year.
• Approved the agreement for vision impaired, orientation, and mobility services with the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center for the fiscal year of 2016
• Approved athletic ticket prices for the 2015-2016 school year

The next meeting for the Lincolnview Board of Education will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.