PHOTO BY SIENNA GILL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FISCAL UPDATE … Treasurer Chris Lee discusses the district’s fiscal progress during Monday’s school board meeting.
By: Sienna Gill
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
On Monday, November 10, at 7:00 p.m., the Pettisville Board of Education met for its regularly scheduled session.
The meeting was called to order by Mr. Brent Hoylman, Board President, and was then opened with a brief word of prayer expressing gratitude for the safety of those present at the meeting, along with well-wishes for the staff, administration, and students.
All board members were in attendance: Mr. Brent Hoylman, Mr. Scott Rupp, Mr. Barry Hoylman, Mr. Justin Rufenacht, Mrs. Pam Skates, Treasurer Mr. Chris Lee, and Superintendent Mr. Josh Clark.
Elementary Principal Mr. Jason Waldvogel and Junior High/High School Principal Mr. Adam Wagner were also present to share their reports. A guest, Ms. Tamara Burkholder, who is a retired Pettisville School employee, was also in attendance at the meeting.
Ms. Burkholder was introduced by Mr. Brent Hoylman. She began by addressing the board to thank them for her 25 years of service with Pettisville Schools.
She stated that she is content with her current activities and has no regrets with regard to her retirement, although she misses her students.
She explained to the board that she initially expected to continue as a substitute driver and an OBI (On-Board Instructor), as she had been told that there would be no issue, but she later found out that she was not permitted to do so.
Ms. Burkholder continued, and she shared her frustrations at discovering that her retirement had been listed in records as a resignation, when she would have preferred it to be documented as a retirement.
She noted that the State Department of Retirement Services informed her that she did not have to retire through them in order to be recognized by the district as retired.
She also appeared to reference another employee, Duane Beck, whose resignation had reportedly been listed as a retirement, despite the “baggage,” as she put it, and expressed that she would have liked her own situation to be handled in a similar way.
Additionally, Ms. Burkholder mentioned other districts pay out a portion of accrued sick time upon retirement, saying: “I was told by other schools, through their administration and their treasurers, that sick time usually gets paid about a quarter of a percentage of what I had built up.”
She also told the board that she is uncertain about why Pettisville’s administration would not allow her to continue assisting with driver training, despite her qualifications and 25 years of experience.
After she concluded, the board thanked her for her remarks. No board members posed Ms. Burkholder any questions, and the meeting proceeded to the next agenda item.
The next topic was the consent agenda. The board unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included:
-Approval of the October 2025 and November 5, 2025, special meeting minutes.
-Acceptance of the financial reports as presented by Treasurer Chris Lee.
-Approval for the payment of bills as submitted.
-Personnel items included rescinding previously issued supplemental contracts to Duane Beck and Barnaby Wyse, which included roles such as vocal director, junior class advisor, and various musical director positions.
The new and revised appointments included:
-Matthew Steele, a BGSU student teacher who has been appointed as a long-term substitute for choir, an assistant musical director, a musical-vocal director, and an elementary musical director.
-Anita Roth, a long-term substitute for band and choir.
-Donna Wipfli, a long-term substitute for choir from November 18 through the end of the semester, with the possibility of continuing part-time in a mentorship role.
-Dee Dixon, Lead Musical Director.
-Morvin Dixon, Musical Choreographer and Set Director.
-MacKenna Whitacre, Volunteer Choreographer
-Meghan Leatherman, Junior Class Advisor.
-Dacoda Hinegardner, Elementary Musical Director.
-Madeleine and Craig Wolfe, Volunteer Archery Coaches.
-JD Wixom and Leo Wixom III, Volunteer Archery Coaches, who will primarily assist with tournaments.
-Robert Burkholder submitted his resignation for retirement, effective January 31, 2026.
The motion to approve was made by Mr. Barry Hoylman and seconded by Mrs. Skates. The roll call vote was unanimously in favor.
The next item on the agenda was the board report; however, no new items were presented. The administrative reports, however, were very productive.
Elementary Principal Mr. Jason Waldvogel reported that parent-teacher conferences held on November 6 and November 7, coordinated virtually through PTCFast.com.
The attendance rates for conferences were high, with 98.4% participation across grades Pre-K through 3. Grades 4 through 6 saw a total of 138 conferences.
The costume parade on October 31, a PES tradition, drew 148 attendees and featured not only student but also staff participation, including Mr. Waldvogel and Mrs. Saffell, who dressed as “6…7!” The Fall Third Grade Reading test was also administered on October 21 – 22, with results expected back in December.
The holiday concert for grades K through 4 is scheduled for December 1 at 7:00 p.m., and Santa’s visit is planned for December 19.
Mr. Waldvogel also outlined the structure of Pettisville Elementary’s leadership and team initiatives, including groups focused on student character, celebrations, staff well-being, and family connection.
This year’s PES motto is “Confident…Caring…Curious. The Blackbird Way!” with an emphasis on building essential traits such as confidence, compassion, credibility, and curiosity. This thus concluded Mr. Waldvogel’s report.
Mr. Wagner, JH/HS Principal, announced the Veteran’s Day Breakfast and Program for November 11, with breakfast being held from 7:45 – 8:15 a.m., served by National Honor Society Students.
The program is open to the community and will feature a recorded message from an honored guest speaker, Curtis Wells, who is currently deployed in the Middle East.
The College Credit Plus (CCP) Information Night and National Honor Society Induction Ceremony will take place on November 24, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
He also reported that Pettisville received a $5,000 Ohio EPA mini-grant to purchase a Farmbot Genesis v1.8, which will be used for agricultural and environmental education projects.
Additionally, the Pettisville Swag Shop continues to grow with new branded items, supported by the Pettisville School Foundation, to reward students through programs like the Amazing Shake. This thus concluded Mr. Wagner’s report.
The next item on the agenda was the Treasurer’s Report. Treasurer Mr. Chris Lee noted that the district received its quarterly settlement in October, totaling $160,067—about $11,443 more, or 7% higher than the same period last year.
Excluding 2021’s catch-up payments, this marks the highest collection for the October quarter to date. For the fiscal year, collections are 44% above last year’s levels.
Mr. Lee also informed the board that the district was selected for a state service review. All the necessary information has been submitted, and the results will be shared with the board as soon as they are received back.
He went on to mention a food service carryover threshold issue, since the fund exceeded the state’s limit by about $800. The state’s stipulation for this is a “spend-down plan,” though the district has already spent more than that on a necessary garbage disposal replacement.
He is currently in contact with the state to determine whether or not the spend-down plan is still necessary. There were no further questions from the board.
Finally, the next item on the list was the Superintendent’s Report. Superintendent Mr. Josh Clark provided an update on the Unity Project, noting significant progress after being delayed for a period of time.
The plans were reviewed by Wood County and were returned to Pettisville Schools with recommendations, specifically regarding handicap parking spots and sidewalk accessibility.
The board is now making adjustments to these plans with input from Luke Boyers, owner of Boyers Construction.
The parking accommodations will include paved handicap spots near the baseball field along with the track, with connecting sidewalks.
The board has also been working with Boyers Construction to identify cost reductions and has been able to save approximately $100,000. The project remains on schedule to begin very soon.
Mr. Clark also presented the renewal of the Archery Club Team for the 2025-26 school year. Practices for the team will be held at Pettisville, though tournaments will take place elsewhere.
The motion to approve the club was made by Mr. Scott Rupp and seconded by Mrs. Pam Skates. The vote was unanimously in favor. This concluded Mr. Clark’s Superintendent Report, with no questions from the board.
The final item on the agenda was adjournment, and with no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned at 7:29 p.m.