(PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER) BUS BARN MOVES FORWARD … Superintendent Ben Wilhelm presents bus barn rendering as board listens to proposal option.
By: Brianna Balogh THE VILLAGE REPORTER publisher@thevillagereporter.com The Edgerton Board of Education met on Monday April 21st. The meeting was called to order by President Robert Siebenaler at 6:00 p.m. First the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by roll call. All members were in attendance and are as follows: Lyn Bowsher, Amanda Giesige, Bill Swank, and Nick Hug. Also attending were Superintendent Dr. Ben Wilhelm, Treasurer CFO William Blakely, Elementary Principal Lucas Smith, Junior High/High School Principal Brett Grieser, and Jim Zavesky from Prodigy Building Solutions. The first item of business was approval of the agenda, moved by Bowsher and seconded by Hug. The reading of the previous meeting minutes was waived, with a motion by Swank and a second by Giesige. Both motions were passed by all. In the following public participation, Wilhelm introduced Jim Zavesky to the board. Zavesky had previously visited in March to discuss bus barn locations and now was back to finalize the bus barn project plan. Zavesky began by addressing the significant increase to the quote. Several factors contributed to the cost increase, such as excavation, fill dirt, paving the drive connecting the bus barn to the current school lot, and paving the wrestling room parking lot. Building material costs also rose slightly, with an estimated 1% increase. Zavesky explained that due to current economic conditions and the uncertainty around tariffs, this price was good for two weeks. While there were several cost-saving options – such as constructing a smaller building, relocating the drive to reduce the amount of fill dirt needed, or choosing a less desirable location, President Siebenaler expressed, “if we are going to do it, we want to do it right,” in a meeting on Friday with Zavesky. Other items discussed in correlation to the bus barn was drainage. Construction plans call for one main drain in the last bus bay along with a grease separator. This is for potential fluid leaks, light maintenance, or melting snow when buses are parked in the barn. Hug asked about the other bays without a drain. Zavesky confirmed the floor would have a slight slope to allow for drainage. Swank noted that in winter this could become a hazard due to ice, with Zavesky responding that the slope would be a very minor grade. A drain running the entire length of the building would be ideal but would add additional cost. Zavesky stated this could be looked into prior to finalizing the project and he would consult with the architect regarding drainage and runoff regulations. Hug verified that the quote would also include the removal and reseeding of the tennis courts, which Zavesky confirmed. Also questioned was the idea of placing the bus barn between the wrestling room and annex, where the tennis courts are currently located. Turning radius and the drive were major concerns with this location. Wilhelm added that one of the biggest advantages of the current proposed location was that there would not be use for the area in the future. With all proposed locations discussed, excavation and fill dirt transportation were significant costs. The increase in price was a big concern, especially for Giesige who pointed out the increase in cost was almost 1/4 of the entire project cost. Blakely provided some financial information, noting that within the Permanent Improvement Fund (PI), which was initially created for projects such as this, there was enough interest being earned to cover the increase in cost minus $30,000-$40,000. This fund incurs $20,000 – $25,000 per month which could possibly be moved from the General Fund. Also coming into a separate PI account would be real estate tax revenue. As long as enough funds remain in the second PI account to purchase a new school bus in the coming year, which would cost somewhere between $130,000-$160,000, Blakely was confident that the cost of the project could be covered. Siebenaler asked what the PI fund could be used for, as it would continue to earn interest after the bus barn is completed. Blakely responded that the PI fund could be used for anything that would be useful for five years or more. This could include books, technology, buses, buildings, and more. Blakely continued with the treasurer’s agenda starting out with a few discussion items before moving on to his recommendations. The first item presented by Blakely was the General Fund Report, comparing this year to last year, which is a figure he provides to the board at each meeting. He highlighted the real estate revenue increase which was due to the property revaluation. The next item was the food service report, covering the period from February to March. Due to fluctuations in the state reimbursements, the account was up $22,000. Compared to last year, it is down slightly, about $9,000. Participation in lunch remained steady at around 71% and breakfast participation was 31%. Blakely informed members of the recent release of the successful State Audit. The only non-compliance was GAAP which is common as only two districts in the Four County area filed GAAP based financial statements. The last item of the discussion was the state biennium budget. There are several things happening at the state level that could directly impact the school district, specifically regarding funds and how they are used. One legislative measure introduced would be to end fair school funding, which Blakely feels impacts Edgerton negatively. He foresees this pushing Edgerton back to a guaranteed funding plan. The Fair School Funding Plan bases funding on the actual cost of educating a child, rather than relying on local property taxes. A guaranteed funding plan, on the other hand, provides a minimum level of state funding to districts, even if their calculated funding based on the formula is lower. Also impacting Edgerton negatively would be a bill stating if you carry over more than 30% of the budget in the general fund, the county auditor would be required to reduce real estate tax revenue. Essentially, it would limit the funds available to the school in the event of a financial emergency, such as the recent replacement of two chillers, and would penalize school districts that are financially responsible. Another legislative measure will restrict real estate tax increases if the district operates on the 20 mil floor, as Edgerton does, along with most other districts in the county. The increase would be capped using a GDP modifier. This is due to large increases, some as high as 40%, in real estate taxes across the state. Blakely urged board members to reach out to state representatives to express these concerns, especially concerning the fair school funding formula. The state budget is expected to be finalized in mid to late June. The treasurer’s recommendations followed with the financial reports Blakely had provided to the board. He updated the amounts in several accounts as well as the current interest rates in those accounts. The second recommendation was the sale and removal of 76 trees to International Woods Inc. for $18,000. Three companies were contacted and submitted proposals. The final recommendation was approval for a donation to the Quiz Bowl team in the amount of $5,548.60 from several community members and businesses. The Quiz Bowl team qualified for nationals and after a small miscommunication it was believed that funding was not going to be available for the trip. This spurred a social media fundraising campaign, where more than enough money was raised, and the remainder will go into the Quiz Bowl account. Wilhelm did clarify that typically clubs are not funded by the school board, alternative funding was going to be discussed on Monday when Blakely returned from conference. It was also asked about the prior year in which they had also qualified, but the team did not attend due to the majority of members deciding to attend Prom the same weekend. Siebenaler suggested that the Quiz Bowl team is pretty darn good, and they should plan on raising funds to attend every year. A motion to approve all recommendations was made by Hug, seconded by Swank and approved by all. Following was the superintendent’s agenda, starting with the Four County Career Center meeting minutes, which Wilhelm had provided copies to the board. Next was the first reading of the proposed NEOLA board policies, which had also been provided to the board. Accolades followed, starting with the cast, student helpers, staff, Edgerton Music Boosters, Director Nora Jackson and Gillian Jackson for the recent production of The Addams Family Musical. Wilhelm then congratulated honor roll students from grades 4-12. Wilhelm expressed a big thank you to the students, staff, and the community for participating in the American Red Cross blood drive where 35 units were collected. Those units could save 105 lives. Final congratulations went out to Giselle Romero, recipient of the 2025 Franklin B. Walter scholarship not only for Edgerton but also for all of Williams County. Also, congratulations was extended to her honorary teacher, Kristine Manning. Administrative recommendations followed, where first a motion was made by Swank to separate the first approval item regarding the bus barn project which was approved by all. Next was approval to accept exchange student Marta Garcia-Davila from Spain for the 2025-2026 school year. Her host parents will be Carson and Sara Blalock. The next three recommendations were for trip approvals. The first was for the Edgerton High School Music Department and select students to travel to Orlando, Florida, with chaperones still to be determined. The second was for select FFA students and advisor Kristine Manning to attend the State FFA Convention in Columbus, Ohio, on May 1-2. The third and final trip was for Quiz Bowl members and advisor Olivia Schaffner, along with van driver Blakely, to attend the Small School National Championship in Chicago, Illinois, from April 25-27. Personnel recommendations followed with approval of the current NWOESC sub list for paraprofessionals and teachers being first. Second was the approval of 2025-2026 supplemental contracts. The final personnel recommendation was to approve William Blakely as a van driver for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year, pending completion of necessary training and requirements. An initial motion to approve was made by Bowsher and second by Giesige. However, after a brief discussion it was motioned by Swank to enter into executive session to discuss supplemental personnel at 6:51 p.m. Upon returning from executive session at 7:30 p.m., the motion to approve all recommendations was made by Bowsher, seconded by Hug and approved by all. The approval of the bus barn project with Prodigy Building Solutions, which was separated into a stand-alone item earlier in the meeting, was the next item of business. The motion was made by Hug and seconded by Bowsher. The motion narrowly passed with three “YES” votes from Hug, Bowsher and Siebenaler, and two “NO” votes from Giesige and Swank. The last two agenda items were the principal reports, starting with Elementary Principal Lucas Smith. He began by highlighting the recent Bulldog Best assembly held before spring break, and photos were provided to the board. The next event involved Smith himself serving up popcorn to hungry students at a recent field trip to the Bryan Theater to watch Snow White. Photos were also provided to the board of the recent ROAR speaker, which Smith stated the students really enjoyed. Smith also highlighted recent Lego Club, Kids Club, Science Club, Art Club, MTSS, and Dino School for K-2. Several upcoming event dates were provided to the board. With numerous events to list in the last few weeks of school, he highlighted a few big ones such as Kindergarten Screening on Wednesday and Thursday, the Bulldog Best assembly on Friday, and the Daddy Daughter Dance on May 4th. Teacher Appreciation Week and multiple upcoming field trips closed out Smith’s report. Principal Grieser also started off by highlighting some recent events. One very enjoyable one was secret dress up days where the teachers all dressed in a similar theme. One of the favorites among both staff and students was to dress like a student day, where Mr. Bales joined students at the lunch table. The recent house assembly and pop tab donation to Ronald McDonald house followed. Two students received first place awards in the Black Swamp Arts contest. Six students will be competing in the FFA OSU ATI finals. Mr. Krills’ class welcomed a representative from the Ohio National Guard, where students tried out MREs. Athletic trainer Jake North was highlighted for Athletic Trainer Month in March. Grieser provided photos of the recently painted student mural along with the winners of ‘We Excel’ award. Grieser himself enjoyed his recent trip to Four County Career Center where he was able to see what programs Edgerton students were involved in. Again, with too many activities to list in the final stretch of the year, Grieser stated he was looking forward to the first Fine Arts Day on May 16th, highlighting programs that maybe don’t get as much attention. Also upcoming are several field trips, prom, senior night awards, mock interview day, a senior trip to the Williams County courthouse, and graduation. With no further comments or discussion, Giesige made the motion to adjourn. Seconded by Swank, the motion was approved by all. The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 p.m.