L’view’s Germann 62nd OSBA president

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A number of Ohio education representatives were on hand Saturday as Eric Germann was sworn in as the 62nd president of the Ohio School Boards Association.

Germann, outgoing president and current member of the Lincolnview Local Board of Education, as well as a member of the Vantage Board of Education, is the first Van Wert County resident to be chosen president of the OSBA, the group that represents member school boards throughout the state.

Ed Penrod, 2015 OSBA president, swore Germann into office as his replacement, followed by extemporaneous remarks from the new OSBA president.

Germann, a 1986 Lincolnview graduate, spoke about his journey as, first, Lincolnview Local Board of Education member and president, and his election as OSBA president.

“When I took this job (Lincolnview board member) six years ago, I would never have expected to be president of our local board, let alone rising up to the leadership and ending up standing at this podium,” Germann said, noting humorously that the reason he was there was because “my grandpa fell out of the haymow.”

Noting that his grandfather’s lifelong dream was to play baseball for the Chicago Cubs and he had a tryout with one of the Cubs’ minor league team when he fell out of the haymow, broke his elbow, and it never healed properly, ending his dreams of a professional baseball career.

He then returned to the family farm and farmed his entire life, while also becoming a member of the Ridge Board of Education as it began talks of consolidating with other school districts into what is now Lincolnview Local Schools, inspiring his grandson to become a school board member 50 years later.

Germann talked about Martin Luther’s idea of vocation, and how everybody has a role to play in life.

“Whether it’s a four- or five-year-old going to preschool to learn the best he can, on through the support staff – the janitors, the secretaries, the teacher’s aides – up through the teachers and the board members: we all have a role to play,” he noted.

“My job, I’ve always felt, is to create opportunities for people to succeed or fail,” Germann said, adding, with a smile, that he first thought being a school board member would be easy.

“You know I came from a business and technology background, (and) a school is just a business and a technology place, right, so this should be easy,” Germann said. “If anyone has tried to understand school finance or a union contract, you’ll understand that those things sometimes aren’t crystal clear.”

Germann said he got plenty of support from then-Lincolnview superintendent Doug Fries, current Superintendent Jeff Snyder, Lincolnview Treasurer Troy Bowersock, and County Auditor Nancy Dixon, to name only a few.

Germann said he was honored to be named OSBA head, and also said he hoped to make an impact on Ohio’s educational system, and looked forward to working with all education stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, administrators, and board members.

He concluded by noting that, while creating Lincolnview’s 1-to-1 technology program was great, attending the past six Lincolnview High School graduations and seeing students who have had to overcome a number of challenges just to get an education.

“The fact that they made it to graduation, it humbles me greatly to sit there and look at these students and say ‘these guys beat the odds’,” Germann said, adding that some of those graduates were single parents and others had to work to support their families while also getting an education.

To begin the program, Snyder welcomed guests to the ceremony, while Lincolnview senior Leslie Foster led those present in reciting The Pledge of Allegiance.

State Representative Tony Burkley and representatives of a number of educational entities were also on hand for the ceremony, which was held at Lincolnview Elementary School.

Speakers included Vantage Superintendent Staci Kaufman, C. Ed Massey, past president of the National School Boards Association; Dr. David Axner, deputy executive director for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA); David Varda, executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO); Dr. Judy Jackson, manager of OSBA’s Northwest Region; and Rick Lewis, OSBA executive director.

The Lincolnview High School Band, directed by Anna Baker, played a prelude prior to Germann’s installation as the new OSBA president.

Guests were then invited to a reception following the installation in the Lincolnview Elementary cafeteria, where food prepared by Vantage’s Culinary Arts program and desserts prepared by Germann’s wife, Karen, were served.