Vantage staffers to meet with legislators

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Career Center Board of Education met for the first time in 2018, choosing Pat Baumle as its new president and longtime board president Lonnie Nedderman as vice president. Those two were also sworn into new terms, as were reappointed members Dennis Recker of Antwerp and Greg von der Embse of Kalida and new members Tom Lyons of Parkway and Brian Egnor of Paulding.

During his report, Superintendent Rick Turner noted that he, Treasurer Laura Peters, and Ohio Technical Center (OTC) Director Pete Prichard would be meeting with state legislators to talk about career-technical education issues in Columbus next week.

Issues to be discussed, Turner noted, include expanded graduation requirements beyond 2018.

“That’s on everybody’s mind right now,” the superintendent said.

Other issues, Turner added, include creating a viable teacher education program for career-education instructors, which he said was still in process, and recognizing the OTC as an institute of higher learning, which would allow the Vantage adult education program to collaborate more closely with other post-secondary education institutions, as well as open up more funding and other opportunities for the center.

The Vantage superintendent also showed off a gift created by student Dylan Hemper of Ottoville for state legislators, a transparent engraved name plaque. Another Vantage student project, a large metal cutout of Ohio, will be showed off at the All Boards meeting in April, Turner noted.

“People give them pencils and pens and coffee mugs and all this stuff,” Turner said. “What I have found in my previous experience is that they love student-made projects.”

Turner also commended Vantage Board of Education members for their time and dedication.

“It takes a real commitment to serve on a school board and each of you serve on two boards of education,” the Vantage superintendent said. “We just want to thank you for your service.”

Turner also reported that the new LPN program will begin in August to allow for eligibility for the federal Pell Grant program, and provide Vantage students with a better career pathway into the program.

“We were looking at April; they said if we start in April, our Pell won’t be ready yet,” Turner said. “After brainstorming, we made an executive decision we will start in August.”

Vantage is also looking to resurrect its Firefighters Level 1 training program, in cooperation with Van Wert Fire Chief Jon Jones and other area fire chiefs.

Vantage High School Director Tony Unverferth noted that the school will have its Sophomore Visitation on February 2, while current Vantage seniors will participate in a mock interview program on March 1 that will allow students to hone their soft employment skills. Unverferth also said the program can be used as credit for Vantage’s Capstone program.

In personnel action, the board hired Mark Figert as a Police Academy instructor and Hartsel Bryant as a CDL truck driving instructor.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted a grant of $53,900 from The Van Wert County Foundation’s Rothacker-Lampe Bequest to purchase electrical equipment.
• Accepted the following donations: A 2003 Lincoln Aviator vehicle valued at $2,422 from David Simmons for the Auto Technology program; staff t-shirts from Northwest Ohio Screen Printing valued at $490; and various school supplies from Benji Wise valued at $10,736.62.
• Approved two Community Reinvestment Area requests in the city of Van Wert and five residential requests in the village of Fort Jennings.
• Authorized an out-of-state field trip for Ag and Industrial Power Technology Diesel Instructor Mike Miller and his class and Construction Equipment Technology Instructor Dave DeLano and his class to the Fort Wayne Farm Show on January 18.
• Approved a new five-year satellite agreement with Delphos City Schools.
• Approved a College Credit Plus Memorandum of Understanding between Rhodes State Community College and Vantage Career Center.
• Approved the JobsOhio Talent Delivery Master Service Agreement between JobsOhio and Vantage Career Center.
• Went into executive session to discuss personnel items with no action taken following the session.

The next meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 1, in the district conference room.