Vantage buys land from Marsh Foundation

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

With an eye on future use, the Vantage Career Center Board of Education approved the purchase of 15 acres of land from the Marsh Foundation during Thursday night’s monthly meeting.

According to Superintendent Rick Turner, Vantage will pay slightly more than $154,000 for the property.

“We’re currently sitting on 28.5 acres, so it’s more than half of our current property and the Board of Education wanted to take the opportunity while it was available to us,” Turner explained. “We’re in growth mode – our truck driving academy is growing, our construction equipment program is crowding our truck driving academy and so in the future we can get those two moved apart.”

Turner added the plan for the immediate future is to farm the newly acquired property.

“We’re very appreciative of the Marsh Foundation Trustees and their civic minded approach to selling us the land,” Turner said.

During his report, High School Director Tony Unverferth thanked the board for allowing him to serve in that capacity for three years. He’s returning to the classroom to teach an undetermined subject at Vantage.

“This has been an awesome opportunity,” Unverferth said. “I’m going back to the classroom and that’s where my passion is, but it took going out of the classroom to figure that out.”

“This has really been an experience that I’ve learned a lot from and I think I’m going to be a much better teacher knowing the things I know, and knowing what goes on behind the scenes of a successful place like this.”

Current Student Services Supervisor Mike Knott will take over as the school’s new director.

Unverfeth also noted that even with numerous weather delays and postponements, attendance during the 2018-2019 school year was close to 96 percent.

Central Insurance Companies and Unverferth Manufacturing were recognized for being Ohio School Boards Association Business Honor Roll recipients. Loren Shindeldecker and Larry Unverferth were on hand to accept the awards.

Board members approved various agenda items, including a revised tax budget; Advantage Salon and Spa prices for the upcoming school year; the Vantage Preschool parent handbook and fees; a memorandum of understanding between Vantage and Apollo Carrer Center for the Aspire Program; a resolution to become a member of the Southwestern Ohio Educationa Purchasing Council, and the Practical Nursing Program student handbook.

The board hired Tonya Temple as the school’s new Student Services Supervisor, and board members approved a number of Ohio Technical Center hirings, including Brian Ankey as Firefighting Program Coordinator and emergency instructor; Josh Anderson, Barrett Dorner, Douglas Edelbrock, Robert Herber, Jon Jones, Austin Miller and Brian Sheets as firefighting instructors; Robert Black as Police Academy Commander and emergency instructor; Bruce Showalter as Assistant Police Academy Commander and instructor; Steven Boroff, Shawn Cook, Chad Cupples, Michael Dirr, Mark Figert, Jeffery Hammons, Virginia Hammons, Edward Klausing, Austin McIntosh, Michael McClain, Jason Miller and Kevin Taylor as police academy instructors; Jackie Brant as EMT Coordinator and instructor; Kevin Gehres, EMT instructor; Jean Sullivan as Licensed Practical Nursing Program Director; Diane Font and Zach Miller, CPR instructors.

The board also accepted the resignations of In School Discipline Coordinator Ruth Fogle-Brickner and Ohio Technical Center Assessment Coordinator Cynthia Krizan. Both are retiring.

The next meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, in the Vantage conference room.