PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
TAKING THE OATH … (L-R) Returning member Nick Hug and new members Gary Plotts and Dawn Fitzcharles are officially sworn in during the Edgerton Board of Education’s organizational meeting.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Edgerton Board of Education began its double meeting at 6:00 p.m., starting with the organizational meeting. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by the swearing-in of newly elected board members.
Treasurer William Blakely presented the oath to returning board member Nick Hug and two new board members, Dawn Fitzcharles and Gary Plotts.
After completing the oath, roll call was taken with all members in attendance. Members for the 2026 Edgerton Board of Education are Lyn Bowsher, Gary Plotts, Dawn Fitzcharles, Robert Siebenaler, and Nick Hug.
Also in attendance were Superintendent Ben Wilhelm, Elementary Principal Lucas Smith, High School Principal Brett Grieser, and several family members of the new board members.
The next order of business was the nomination and election of the school board president. Robert Siebenaler was nominated by Bowsher and seconded by Fitzcharles.
No other nominations were presented. The motion to close nominations was made by Hug, seconded by Plotts, and approved by all.
The motion to appoint Siebenaler as president was made by Fitzcharles, seconded by Bowsher, and approved unanimously.
The nomination and election of the vice president followed. Bowsher was nominated by Fitzcharles and seconded by Siebenaler.
With no other nominations, Hug moved to close nominations and Plotts seconded. Hug motioned to appoint Bowsher as vice president with Plotts again as second. Both the closing of nominations and the appointment motion were approved by all board members.
Siebenaler then continued with the recommendations agenda. First were board authorizations, starting with establishing meetings for the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the annex board room.
Several meetings were highlighted as potentially needing adjustment at the discretion of the board. The meeting schedule was presented at the previous board meeting with no new concerns or objections addressed.
The second recommendation was to name a delegate and an alternate to attend the 2026 OSBA Capital Conference in Columbus on November 15-17.
Siebenaler was named delegate, as he had served many years in this position, and Hug was named alternate with no objections.
Recommendations to committees followed for audit, legislative, and student achievement. Bowsher was named to the audit committee, a role she has held for several years, continuing her work with the treasurer’s department.
Fitzcharles was named to the legislative committee, as she has extensive experience serving as Village Administrator for Edgerton.
Lastly, Plotts volunteered for student achievement, which Siebenaler explained has historically seen little activity. He stated there are several opportunities to pursue in this realm.
The final recommendation was to establish a service fund of $6,000 for 2026 to cover board expenses, a $1,000 increase.
This fund covers the Capital Conference and related travel expenses, as well as educational classes.
Siebenaler also noted that new board members would receive communication from the OSBA and mentioned that Williams County has historically lacked a representative – a good opportunity to get more involved.
Standing authorizations followed. First was a recommendation for the superintendent’s duties and delegations: to act as a purchasing agent for Edgerton Local Schools, act as an authority to dispose of obsolete equipment or materials, serve as the sexual harassment officer, attend appropriate local, regional, state, or national meetings, and act as an authority to make temporary personnel decisions related to employment, resignations, and discipline.
Siebenaler expanded on the last point, explaining that because there are no board meetings in the summer, a potential hire could find other employment during that gap.
Recommendations for the treasurer also included several duties and delegations: to act as the authority to request and invest tax money as it becomes available through the county auditor, make appropriation modifications throughout the year as necessary, apply for and participate in various grants and entitlement programs, advance or transfer money to funds as necessary (to be followed by board approval), and attend professional meetings.
Last were recommendations for board members to attend appropriate professional meetings. Plotts motioned to approve, with Bowsher seconding. All members approved.
Siebenaler moved to the final item: establishing The Bryan Times as the publication for posting regular and special board of education meetings.
Adjournment was motioned by Hug and seconded by Bowsher. All members approved, adjourning the organizational meeting at 6:12 p.m. and rolling directly into the regular board meeting.
The regular meeting began with roll call, again with all members present.
After the board accepted the agenda with no revisions, Bowsher moved to approve the agenda. Hug seconded the motion with all members approving.
Next was the approval of the meeting minutes from December. Plotts motioned for approval, and Hug seconded. The motion passed. With no public participation, the meeting moved into the treasurer’s agenda, presented by Blakely.
First was the customary general fund report, provided to the board via email. This report compares the fiscal year-to-date versus the previous year.
Blakely highlighted that property tax revenue is up due to increases in real estate values. He also noted that unrestricted grant income increased, which was discussed at the previous meeting and attributed to discrepancies in state data.
Blakely anticipates this will slowly trend down. Property tax allocation also trended up, again tied to real estate values.
Expenditures increased under personnel services by 5.3%; however, supplies and materials were down compared to last year. Revenue still exceeds expenditures. At $368,000, revenue is up approximately $266,000 over last year.
Next, Blakely presented the comparison report, which he implemented at the last meeting. The slides compare the forecast versus the year-to-date figures.
The forecast is close to the year-to-date figure. The cash balance is slightly up due to the increase in revenue, which will level out over time.
Food service followed with steady lunch and breakfast participation at 75% and 35%, respectively. The food service cash balance is down slightly from last year.
Blakely then updated the board on several legislative items affecting the district. Four bills have passed the House and Senate, with one regarding property taxes being signed by Governor Mike DeWine. The exact extent of the effect is still to be seen.
Blakely predicts a slight loss in current revenue but does not see an overall huge change. The biggest challenge facing Edgerton will be inside millage still going into the general fund.
Inside millage refers to property taxes that a school board can levy without a vote from the public.
Blakely explained that inside millage was previously not restricted, but under the new legislation, the 1.5 mills currently in the general fund can be restricted.
The 20-mill floor may change during the next appraisal cycle. Edgerton will see these changes almost a year before most schools within Williams County.
This will take place during the triennial update or under a reappraisal cycle. Defiance County goes through the cycle a year before Williams County, and 15% of Edgerton real estate is within Defiance County.
Blakely stated he continues to monitor the situation and has attended several webinars regarding state legislature bills. He will attend a seminar on the three-year forecast on Friday.
He warned that the forecast is trending worse than reported in October.
Kindergarten enrollment was down from the forecasted enrollment according to live birth data. The forecast is anticipated to show a deficit in 2026 and every year thereafter. Blakely reminded the board that forecasting has changed compared to prior years.
Due to state law, instead of forecasting the worst-case scenario, appropriations must match the forecast. He anticipates that by the end of the year, it will break even with potentially a $100,000 deficit or overage.
Blakely then transitioned to recommendations. First was approval of the financial reports, bills for payment, appropriations, and estimated resource modifications for December.
Investment accounts are as follows: Star Ohio sits at around $3.5 million at a 4% interest rate; Red Tree sits at $3.3 million with a 4.23% interest rate; WesBanco money market sits at $445,000 at a 4.1% interest rate; State Bank CD sits at $232,000 with a 3.95% interest rate; and Hicksville Bank CD sits at $873,000 with a 3.61% interest rate.
Second was an annual action to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorize the necessary tax levies for certification to the county auditor.
The bond was at 4.5 mills last year and has been reduced to 3 mills, saving taxpayers over 1.5 mills. One “mill” is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.
The third was to approve a salary correction. As a double major, Zoe Scott had earned the 150 required credit hours to move on the salary scale.
Most of the time, a new graduate does not have the required credit hours. This was recently discovered and will be retroactive for the 2024- 2025 school year.
Bowsher made the motion to accept all treasurer recommendations, seconded by Hug. All members approved.
Next on the agenda was the superintendent’s report. Wilhelm provided the Four County Career Center meeting minutes and reported to the board.
The following was an update on the ongoing bus barn project. Due to the weather, most work is currently being done internally, such as the firewall and electrical work.
Safety bollards have been installed outside. The final layer of pavement will be applied once the temperature warms.
Potts asked about the heating inside the barn. Wilhelm informed the board that the maintenance bay will be heated, and there may be an option to heat the additional bays, which would require a change order.
Plotts also asked about washing vehicles inside the barn. Light spraying can be done, but complete washing must be done outside, Wilhelm answered.
To conclude the information items, Wilhelm noted that January is observed as School Board Recognition Month, with this year’s theme being “Scaling New Heights.” He shared a family picture of a recent visit to a rock climbing facility.
Recommendations followed, starting with the approval of the 2026-2027 school calendar, then several personnel recommendations.
The monthly action of approving the current NWOESC sub-list for paraprofessionals and teachers was the first item.
Next was approval of the 2025-2026 spring supplemental contracts, an annual action, pending coaching requirements.
The contracts are as follows: Mike Caryer (Softball), Nikki Thiel (Softball), Kelsea Berry (Softball), Kennedy Flower (Softball), Krista Pahl (Varsity Volleyball), Sarah Herman (Assistant Varsity Volleyball), Nicole Thiel (Junior High Volleyball), Jason Zumbaugh (Varsity Cross Country), Michal Gilliland (Varsity Boys’ Golf), Gabrielle Keller (Varsity Girls’ Golf), Brody Flegal (Varsity Football), Nicholas Archer (Assistant Varsity Football), Jordan Bower (Assistant Varsity Football), Chase McClellan (Assistant Varsity Football), Jeremy Goebel (Junior High Football), James Radabaugh (Junior High Football), Alisa Nugent (Varsity Cheer Fall), Casey Everetts (Volleyball).
All recommendations were approved, with Plotts motioning and Fitzcharles seconding.
Elementary Principal Lucas Smith presented his report, which included several pictures. The first highlight was the recent Bulldog Best assembly for K-6.
Recently, fourth and fifth graders visited the Statehouse in Columbus. Before Christmas break, K-6 attended a movie day at the Bryan Theater to watch Zootopia 2.
Congratulations went to eighth grader Presley Yoder, winner of the spelling bee, and runner-up Grayson Patton, sixth grade. The Williams County spelling bee will take place Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. at Hilltop.
Smith moved to a special honor. Edgerton Elementary was nominated for the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) Distinguished School Award.
Even though they did not make it to the top two for the state award, being one of 10 schools nominated in Ohio was an honor.
The closest nominated school was Spencerville Elementary. The main driver for the nomination was the improvement in closing the special education gap from 20% passing to 60%. Essentially, “closing the gap” means narrowing the difference in performance between higher-achieving student groups and those who may face additional barriers to learning.
Smith explained they reorganized the special education department, allowing teachers to focus on specialized areas instead of being a “jack of all trades.”
Upcoming dates include the spelling bee and a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support meeting on Jan. 26. Students are undergoing assessments, updating DIBELS scores, and setting up new tiered instruction for students needing support.
Principal Brett Grieser concluded the reports section with the high school and junior high report. “Breakfast with our Bulldogs” continues to be successful, with one additional breakfast planned this year.
The Spanish Club and choir were highlighted at the recent event. Grieser continues to hear positive feedback from the community and enjoys the opportunity to increase engagement.
The house assembly on the last day before Christmas break included a special morning welcome from the staff and local musicians playing for students as they entered.
Students in K-12 also handed out over 800 Christmas cards across the village, nursing homes, and to military families.
Superintendent Wilhelm accompanied students through several downtown businesses to hand out cards. The annual Bowl-A-Thon, held by NHS, was a success, with proceeds going to the local Angel Tree.
Boys basketball team recently won the 49 Classic. The girls’ team did not win, but Grieser anticipates tournament play for them this year.
Other highlights include alumni band night, three football players receiving All-Ohio honorable mentions, Quiz Bowl being named Williams County champions, and senior Orlando Puente earning 100 wins at a recent wrestling tournament.
Upcoming events include the eighth-grade trip to Four County Career Center on Jan. 22 and Accuplacer testing on Jan. 28. The STEAM program will visit First Solar on Feb. 5.
Concluding the reports, the board moved into executive session for a personnel investigation of charges or complaints against an employee.
Plotts motioned and Hug seconded. The meeting adjourned to executive session at 6:49 p.m. with no action to follow.