VWCS board welcomes new bd. member

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

In addition to hiring a new superintendent, the Van Wert City Board of Education also welcomed a new member on Wednesday, and also honored Band Director Bob Sloan for coordinating a district music festival.

New board member Tom Losh, who attended his first regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, is currently first sergeant for the Indiana Air National Guard unit in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been a district member for several years and has three young children in the district: one in kindergarten, one in second grade, and one in fourth grade.

Losh, who was appointed early this month, said he was also involved in the superintendent’s search and interviews with potential candidates.

Losh replaces Tonia Verville, who resigned one month after her appointment as a board member.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Assistant to the Superintendent Bill Clifton provided an update on the district’s calamity hours, noting that the district has used a total of 50.5 hours so far, and adding that another cancellation (which happened today) would force the district to have a make-up day on the Monday after Easter.

“Hopefully, we don’t have a lot more (cancellations or delays) to deal with,” Clifton noted.

Interim Superintendent Staci Kaufman provided a building project update, noting that talks with the state facilities commission, as well as the contractor and architect on the project, have resolved the issue, with the contractor doing needed work at little or no cost to the district.

Clifton also spoke highly of membership in the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council (EPC), which he said would save the district money in its purchase of supplies and school buses.

District Treasurer Mike Ruen also noted that the EPC membership would be a boon to the district, when it comes to cutting operational costs.

The board authorized both memberships later in the meeting.

Kaufman also talked about the necessity of raising the district’s substitute teacher per-diem.

“I checked with area districts, and we are the lowest paid substitute teacher rate in the area,” Kaufman said, noting that the district’s $80-a-day per-diem rate hasn’t been raised in at least 10 years.

She recommended that the substitute teaching per-diem be increased to at least $100 a day to keep the district competitive.

The board also approved a new three-year contract for district classified employees that will allow for 3 percent raises each year.

In other action, the board:

Approved the following supplemental contracts, all but one for the 2017-18 school year: Solomon Okang, head girls’ soccer coach (2018-19 school year); Bob Sloan, high school pit orchestra conductor; Katelyn Lloyd, high school musical assistant director; Betty Holliday, elementary Roadrunners instructor and halftime Jumpin’ Jammers program coordinator; Alex Schmidt, halftime Jumpin’ Jammers Program coordinator; Kim Fleming, Stephanie Sudhoff, Tabitha Williams, and Cayla Wise, third grade after-school tutors; Marty Hohman, elementary robotics program advisor and halftime Summer Science Camp instructor; and Mary Kramer, halftime Summer Science Camp instructor.

Approved a contract with Whistler Plumbing and Heating Inc. to make improvements to the chilled water system at the high school-middle school complex.

Approved an agreement to make Van Wert City Schools the fiscal agent for the Family and Children’s First Council until June 30, 2020.

Appointed Board member Cindy Hurless to replace Ruen on the Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation board for a three-year term, beginning March 1.

Acknowledged Band Director Bob Sloan, the district, and the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio for hosting the District 3 High School Honors Festival.

Accepted, with thanks the following donations: $11,253 from the Mary Marxen Scholarship Fund for the district music curriculum, and the same amount from the Norman E. Marxen Scholarship Fund for the science curriculum; $1,500 from the Van Wert County Foundation, $1,000 from Van Wert Federal Savings Bank, $1,400 from ISPACE Inc., $500 from Valam Hospitality Inc. (doing business as the Comfort Inn), $200 from Harold W. Miller, and $100 from John-David Yoder and Lynda Nyce for the VWHS Robotics Team; $301.88 from the Van Wert Service Club Inc. for the Service Pack group; $125 from Wayne and Mary Kilton for the Van Wert City Schools Endowment Fund for Educators; and $25 from the Evergreen Garden Club for the elementary robotics program.

Went into executive session to discuss the possible sale of property, and also an executive session to discuss personnel items, with no action taken following either session.

The next meeting of the Van Wert City Board of Education will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, in the district conference room in the S.F. Goedde Building, 205 W. Crawford St.