BOARD BUSINESS … Left to right, are Edon School Board members Ashley Reed and Jamie Schaffter, Treasurer Deb Nester and board member Cody Best. (PHOTO BY DANIEL COOLEY, STAFF)
By: Daniel Cooley
The Edon School Board meeting of October 10 began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by roll call. Four board members, Cody Best, Jamie Schaffter, Patty Eicher and Ashley Reed, were present.
In the first order of business, the board approved both the meeting minutes from the special board meeting of September 8 and the regular meeting from September 19.
Next the board approved of the following consent agenda items: the financial repoprts from September; request for an amended certificatefrom the county auditor; the September substitute lists from the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center and donations.
Treasurer Deb Nester then reported that to date, revenue over expenditures is $4,000.
In the high school principal’s report, Kayla Lapham said that there were eight new members of the National Honor Society and that they had a wonderful homecoming week.
In the elementary report, Principal Jennifer Ripke reported that Mr. Edwards and Ripke have been helping fifth graders with their study skills.
Ripke said that she will follow up to see how the fourth graders fared in their first social studies and science studies.
Ripke stated that they have completed the first round of grade level team meetings.
She said she believes the meetings will help teachers with instruction. There will be another meeting next week and the mostly weekly meetings will continue until the end of May.
In upcoming events, Grandfriends Day will be held in the spring, along with the Bomber PRIDE assembly and ice cream sundaes.
Also, the school is planning to host a Thanksgiving feast and a special lunch. The school wants to host a Spring Feast after Easter, with decorations and a special lunch.
In addition, state testing for third graders will take place at the end of the month, along with gifted screening for second graders.
In the superintendent’s report, Anthony Stevens stated that enrollment is going well, at 559 students.
He also said that the school bus purchasing amount should be known by the end of the month.
Stevens also stated that he has requested a school safety grant of $200,000 has been asked for and now they are just waiting to hear the results of the request.
In looking to hire more bus drivers, Stevens said that they are looking to combine bus driving with custodial hours, to make the job more enticing. He said that right now, they are just filling in with substitutes.
Requirements for hiring bus drivers includes taking a recertification course from 9am-1pm in Archbold for three days or it can be done online.
This also includes required driving hours, a driving course through DMV, a road test and includes when testing, choosing one of three backing techniques.
In action items, the board approved of the following: approving the amended hours for bus route contracts; supplemental contracts; bus/van driver contracts; a contract for bus driver Trevor Thiel, morning rouite only; the second reading of NEOLA Board policy update, volume 41, no. 1; a resolution to compensate members of the certified teaching staff for parent-teacher conferences; revising the 2022-23 school calendar and approve a shared service agreementfor school speech services with Edgerton Schools, from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
The board then voted to adjourn the meeting.
Dan can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com