The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Snyder commends L’view teachers, staff

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

The March meeting of the Lincolnview Local Board of Education was a short one, with board members wrapping up the monthly meeting in just 31 minutes.

Lincolnview Local Board of Education members keep their distance to obey state “social distancing” guidelines put in place to deter the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the board met in socially distanced fashion in the Lincolnview Elementary cafeteria, instead of the usual Neubrecht Lecture Hall, and Superintendent Jeff Snyder commended all district employees for their hard work during the statewide school shutdown.

“I’d like to thank the teachers, the cooks, the bus drivers, the secretaries, the custodians, our IT department, support staff, and administrators,” Snyder said. “This is uncharted territory for so many districts, including ours, to go so many days with e-learning. I have to say we’re building the car as we’re driving it and we’ve had a great response from our teachers and we’ve asked them to share with other districts.”

Board member Mark Zielke also commended teachers for what they’ve done since the shutdown.

Snyder noted that while school is out, the campus is being cleaned and sanitized one room at a time, and he said nearly 225 meals continue to be served via a drive-through and by buses that deliver meals to several areas, including Middle Point and Venedocia.

Snyder added the district office remains open each day from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., and he talked about the passage of House Bill 197, which among other things waives all K-12 testing this year, certain graduation requirements, and freezes the EdChoice school voucher program.

While a return to the classroom this academic year remains in limbo, Snyder told the board he’s taking a wait-and-see approach before canceling such things as the senior trip, prom, and graduation.

During his monthly report, Treasurer Troy Bowersock said revenues and expenditures remain on track and he said the district has received $25,000 to help offset the cost of a new school bus, which normally costs between $80,000 and $90,000.

The board took another step toward the district’s planned classroom addition addition and office expansion project by approving a resolution ranking two profession design firms and authorizing contract negotiations with the top ranked firm. Two firms are in the running — Garmann/Miller and Freytag and Associates.

Board members accepted a $40,000 donation from the Lincolnview Parent Teacher Club for construction of the elementary playground pavilion and a $1,000 donation from the Van Wert County Foundation on behalf of AmVets Post 698, with the money to be used for scholarships.

The board also approved a resolution honoring the high school cheerleading competition squad and coaching staff for finishing first at the OASSA Division V cheerleading championship competition.

In addition, board members approved the 2020-2021 school calendar for the Marsh Foundation and designated Lincolnview Elementary Principal Nita Meyer as the district’s homeless liaison for the upcoming school year.

The next meeting of the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.

POSTED: 03/26/20 at 10:43 pm. FILED UNDER: News