LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2007

REGULAR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

BOARD OF EDUCATION OFFICE 9190 CO. RD. 9, FINDLAY OHIO

REGULAR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING 6:00 P.M.

STRATEGIC PLANNING WORK SESSION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

I.                    Call to Order

Pledge of Allegiance ……………………………………………Jeff Shadle, Board President

II.                 Recognition of Visitors

III.               Approval of minutes from the Monday, May 21, 2007 regular board of education meeting and special board of education meeting

IV.              Communications and Discussion

NEOLA – First reading

Ohio School Facilities timelines and implications for Liberty-Benton

V.                 Principals’ Reports

Brian Burkett, Bruce Otley, Brenda Frankart

VI.              Treasurer’s Report ………………………………………………………………Lisa Dobbins

VII.            Superintendent’s Report ……………………………………………………….Dennis Recker

VIII.         New Business

A.     Approve Consent Agenda, to include:

1.      Listing of bills, expenditures, and investments through 5/30/07, and monthly financial report of the Treasurer.

2.      Approve appropriation modifications for June 2007

3.      Approve temporary appropriations for FY08

4.      Approve listing of obsolete/disposed of inventory items

5.      Accept FY07 3^rd and 4^th quarter EMIS in the amount of $3000

6.      Accept FY07 Core Implementation grant in the amount of $2000

7.      Accept stipend for implementation of the State Improvement grant in the amount of $16,074.14

8.      Approve change order G-3 in the amount of $66,000 for purpose of excavating, hauling, and site leveling, compacting sub-base and proof railing, catch basin installation and 340 feet 10”drainage pipe, installation of area yard drain, place and compact 10” of stone base, pave and compress 1 ½ inch Type 2 #448 and 1 ½ inch Type 1 #448, install asphalt curbing, and reconfigure fencing.

9.      Approve transportation “in lieu of” for Mike and Kay Sobczyk, parents of  St. Wendelin High School student Kathyrn Sobczyk for the 2006-07 school year

10.  Approve transportation “in lieu of” for Ted Blum, parent of St. Wendelin High School student Katherine Blum for the 2006-07 school year

11.  Approve the following resignations:

Erma Metzger, HS Receptionist, effective June 12, 2007

Dennis Rissler, HS Teacher, for purposes of retirement, effective June 14, 2007

12.  Approve Martha Boyd, part-time HS Science Teacher, effective 2007-08 school year

13.  Approve the following extra-curricular staff:

Jack Quisno, Boys Track Coach

Pat Wagner, Girls Track Coach

Tony England, Assistant Boys Track Coach

Dawn Blankenship, Assistant MS Girls Track Coach

Brandon Cupples, Assistant MS Boys Track Coach

Marshal Headley, Assistant Baseball Coach

14.  Approve the following summer secretarial Staff:

Mary Garcia, Pam Schimmoeller

15.  Approve the following Middle School Summer Intervention instructors:

Christy Cramner, Melissa Stanton, and Melissa Ruhe

16.  Approve Barb Foltz Middle School Summer Intervention aide

17.  Approve the following High School Summer Intervention instructors:

Julie Todd, Kelly Foltz, Kelly Hunter, Dawn Blankenship

18.  Approve Mark Badertscher, Newsletter preparation, 2007-08 school year

19.  Approve High School receptionist for the 2007-08 school year

20.  Approve an agreement between the Liberty-Benton Local School District and the Northwestern Ohio Educational Research Council, Inc for the 2007-08 school year

21.  Approve annual agreement for services with Northwest Ohio Area Computer Services Cooperative

22.  Approve Alida Hause and Nancy Cramer for July/August 2007 Summer AR Reading Program

23.  Approve Middle School Handbook

B.     Accept Erin Amstutz, daughter of Mark and Lorie Amstutz, as tuition student for the 2007-08 school year.

C.     Approve seeking bids for new telephone system and intercom system at the High School and Board Office and upgrade of system at Elementary/Middle School.

D.     Approve seeking bids for an 84 passenger diesel transit style school bus.

      IX.        Other Business

X.                 Executive Session

XI.              Adjournment

LIBERTY-BENTON LOCAL SCHOOLS

DENNIS L. RECKER, SUPERINTENDENT

JUNE DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION REPORT

1. We will be presenting on the topic of becoming a quality school at Honda of America’s Ohio Quality in Education Conference on June 11 and have also been asked to present at the OSBA’s Capital Conference on Tuesday, November 13 at 9:00 a.m. on the topic of how the CORE curriculum impacts a district.  Waynesfield-Goshen is sending a team of administrators and teachers to L-B on June 21 to see how we do this.
2. We were able to utilize our outdoor restrooms for Relay for Life.  We were functional at 5:00 p.m. and had a lot of folks help us expedite the process, including City Safety Director Mike Sobczyk and the Wood County inspectors.  On a sad note however, we had vandalism occur, including painting the undercarriage of the bleachers with phrases which may constitute a hate crime, four sinks vandalized (3 men’s, 1 women’s), caulking broken on some of the sinks, and bending the brackets that hold them, now requiring that they be re-plumbed.  There was also a privacy door to one of the women’s stalls broken.  Authorities have been notified.
3. Talk about “gut wrenching”.  I’m receiving letters of application from teachers with up to five years experience because they are being “RIF’ed”.  The closest school was Mohawk.  Just three years ago they had a cash balance equivalent to 15% of their operational costs.  We are currently at 47%.
4. I’ve asked that a change order be prepared to pave and to tile the area between the concession/restroom and stadium area, which will finish this project.  The additional cost will not exceed $66,000.  I also asked that this be completed as soon as possible so we can secure the area.
5. You received a packet of 25 proposed policies for their “first reading” in June.
6. Enclosed is an article about school principals from Newsweek.  This was with the “top 1000 schools”.  Imbedded in this article is a bias towards AP, but when you see some of the operational issues, you can see our principals and staff encouraging student performance, and relying on our own designs, not a “canned” program.  (Item A)
7. I requested additional funding for gifted education for the 2007-08 school year.  I received a call from ODE and was told no additional funding would be available, plus we were already funded at 1.0 FTE state minimum, when we should be funded at 0.5.  They will let us stay at 1.0.  One of our area schools have told me they’ve had reductions in this area.  I was hoping we could have generated these funds to provide more enrichment activities for more students K-8.
8. I’ve found the cost per pupil for the 2005-06 school year.  They are as follows; with difference to us:

                                                 L-B                $7616

                                                          Arcadia           $7389          -$227

                                                          Arlington          $8627         +$1011

                                                          Cory Rawson   $8879         +$1263

                                                          McComb          $8605         +$989

                                                          Van Buren       $8053         +$437

                                                          Vanlue             $8749         +$1133

                                                          Findlay City      $8997         +$1381

                                                          Ohio Avg         $9343         +$1727

9. When we see how well we perform academically, we need to look at “value added” in terms of academic performance.  We also should look at the financial implications for our families.  In 1999, we had $301,830 of scholarships being awarded to our students in college.  This is based on their freshman year and does not include any additional scholarships they might have been awarded as they moved through their college career.  This was a millage equivalence of nearly 5 mils of scholarship dollars to L-B students.  This next year, 2007, we’ll have $1.6 million of scholarship dollars being provided to our students in college, again not including any additional financial awards they might have received.  This has a millage equivalency of 8 mills of scholarship dollars to L-B students.  This should provide some insight as to our academic improvement over an eight year period.
10. The total cost for vandalism repairs to the new restroom/concession area was $915.  We have asked the American Cancer Society to pay for repair costs.  This is a sad commentary about how some individuals lack respect for others.

11. Mr. Dennis Rissler is seeking re-employment as a teacher, upon his retirement from L-B.  This item serves as a public notice that Mr. Rissler will be retired at the conclusion of the school year and that he seeks to continue teaching.  Mr. Rissler was this year’s recipient of the outstanding high school teacher award presented at our spring awards assembly.  He is one of our best teachers, and he’d like to continue another year or two of teaching.  This action will be a “win-win” for all of us.
12. Mr. Otley and Mrs. Frankart have “lined up” their staff for summer intervention, running from August 13-24 and June 18-22 and June 25-29 respectively.  We need to approve them for these two week sessions.
13. I received an agreement for renewal of services with the Northwestern Ohio Educational Research Council, Inc. which provides in-service for administrators and teachers.  The cost is $175.00, and the only cost of the 4 annual workshops is mileage and lunch costs.  This is one of the best “buys” for professional development in Ohio.
14. It appears that the constitutional amendment for school funding may be stalling out.  Even though this may be the best long term solution, the enclosed news article shows the political realities of schools being so desperate financially, they can’t support the issue.  (Item B)  
15. Erma Metzger is making a career change and is resigning her position as high school receptionist.
16. I was invited to a discussion co-sponsored by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Educational Service Center Association.  This was a small group of about ten superintendent from a 3 county area, plus both public and private universities.  L-B is making “believers” of the higher education institutions, and our data over time is compelling.  Enclosed is some of the topics we discussed.  (Item C)
17. Here’s a noteworthy item.  Ohio has annual openings for 4,000 teachers.  Ohio graduates 7,000 teachers per year.  Ohio is the biggest exporter of teacher jobs in the U.S.  Most teachers employed in North Carolina are Ohioans, per the Ohio Board of Regents presenter at my meeting.
18. Here is an article on Japanese education.  (Item D)
19. With ever increasing responsibilities on our staff, I’m shifting BWC oversight away from Joyce Jackson.  We’re co-operating with Findlay City Schools, and the ESC as our fiscal agent, to bring on a person who will deal with workplace safety, training, and BWC paperwork as a form of “specialty” work.  We need more oversight in this area, and need to be more responsive in correcting hazards.
20. We’ll be approving an annual agreement with Northwest Ohio Area Computer Services Cooperative.  The cooperative is the center for our fiscal services, EMIS data collection and reporting, and student services (grade cards and scheduling).  We’ll be adding Moodle/Blackboard which is electronic materials for teachers, $300 annual fee), and in the future we will be looking at Progressbook, an electronic grade card and parental notification system, at a cost of $3.60 per student per year.
21. We’ve had a request to approve Erin Amstutz as a tuition student for the 2007-08 school year.  Erin has met the approval of Mrs. Frankart and has performed very well at L-B.  Therefore, the recommendation will be made to accept her on a tuition basis.
22. The prosecuting attorney asked for my “request” regarding a student involved in theft here at school, up to and including incarceration.  Even adults make these “mis-steps” in life and may “get caught red-handed” so to speak.  Hopefully, when exposed for a mis-deed, and given the opportunity to make restitution and/or correct behaviors which are illegal, unethical, or both, the person is able to not make anymore “mis-steps”.  While some of my staff would really like incarceration, I’ll be recommending probation and restitution if warranted.
23. I tend to track how well schools and children do, and was amazed to see a neighboring school’s graduates accept 3.8 million dollars in scholarships.  They had 125 recipients, or nearly a quarter of their seniors so awarded.  L-B had 53 recipients, or 55% of the class awarded, in an amount exceeding 1.6 million dollars.
24. Enclosed is a color copy of a school facilities timeline.  I’ve noted the FY09 cycle, which is the one I signed up for on our behalf.  (Item E)
25. We needed to replace 7 of 12 air conditioner compressors on our new high school and middle school chillers.  They are “as good as new” and if we experience another drop in voltage, they shouldn’t burn out, due to some retro-fitting on the part of the manufacturer.
26. Enclosed are two short articles, one on “Three School Improvement Mistakes (and how to avoid them)” and creating a culture of high expectation.  While short in length, they are long in wisdom.  (Item F)
27. I’m enclosing the School Facilities Commission’s proposed schedule for us.  Needless to say, we are scrambling to meet these timelines.  I’m encouraging to you begin talking to community members in your day to day dealings with them.  I’m initiating the conversation and encouraging people to think, talk, and hopefully get back to you, our administrators, and myself, to generate insight and to gauge the community’s reaction.  This is literally 5-7 years ahead of our normal planning process, and has all occurred since the first week in June.  (Item G)
28. Mr. Burkett has asked that Nancy Cramer and Alida Hause be employed for our Accelerated reader Summer Program in July and August.  This is our fifth year for the program and it has been well attended by students and parents.  Historically, this was funded by grant dollars, but now that the grant has expired, Mr. Burkett believes it to be worth our while.  It will cost us $910 plus benefits (June is still grant funded).  I’ll recommend this for approval.
29. Mr. Otley has provided you a copy of his middle school handbook which should be approved this meeting.
30. Time Magazine issued a grade card of sorts for the No Child Left Behind Act.  I found it somewhat humorous, though it is dark humor:

Informing Public of Failure – A

Raising Student Achievement – Incomplete

Measuring School Improvement – C-

Raising Teacher Standards – B

Helping Schools Improve – F

I bring this to your attention because last year we were “excellent” but at risk.  Interestingly, one can demonstrate continued excellence and improvement, yet still be given a lower “mark”.  We might fall into that category.

31. As we look ahead to potential construction through OSFC, current costs per square foot are running at $192/square foot.  Construction is increasing at approximately 7% per year.  At this rate of increase, by the time we begin construction 3 years out, we’re at $232 per square foot.  At our current valuation and based on our estimated bonding capacity, we would be looking at 86,000 square feet of space.  Wait an additional year, and we’re down to 80,000 square feet of space.  Wait another year, and we’re able to construct 75,000 square feet.

What becomes apparent rather quickly, is that our optimum “building power” is now.  We may be “luck struck” with this possible opportunity, and we should play out this process to get to a “bottom line” in costs and space.  However, based on what I’ve shared, factor in a possible 20% upside in cost.

Also, even with 50% state funding, if we dally on this, we can’t afford to build what we would need.  For this reason, we’ve compiled and submitted a projection enrollment study, plus OSFC certification of net bond indebtedness.  Once Lisa pays the required bond retirement, we’ll have just under 2.8 million dollars of debt remaining.

32. Mr. Schimmoeller and Mr. Frommer have advised that we put epoxy paint on the new concession/restroom portion of the outdoor facility.  This surface will not degrade due to use, spillage, or through advertant kitchen “accidents” and urine spills.  This will cost approximately an additional $5,000 over the cost of concrete sealer but will improve durability, lessen cleaning time, and have a much longer life before additional sealing is needed.

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Liberty-Benton Board of Education

June 25, 2007

1.   As of today, we have the following number of students in our elementary program:

                                                                                                May 2007

Pre-school        -    22  (1 section – ½ a.m. & ½ p.m.)             (  22)

Kindergarten    -    96 (5 sections – avg. class 19.2)                 (  96)                 

First Grade       -    75 (4 sections – avg. class 18.8)                (  75)                 

Second Grade  -    86 (4 sections – avg. class 21.5)                 (  86)                 

Third Grade     -  105 (5 sections – avg. class 21.0)                 (105)                 

Fourth Grade   -    85 (4 sections – avg. class 21.3)                 (  85)                 

Fifth Grade      -  107 (5 sections – avg. class 21.2)                             (107)                 

TOTAL (K-5):     554 School Average:  20.5                           (554)    Average (20.5)

                                     (576 with pre-school) 

2. Our School Walk for Diabetes, our first event for this cause, was able to raise $14,820 for the American Diabetes Association.  I would like to thank our committee which was made up of parents of our students with diabetes in the elementary school as well as two of our teachers - Mrs. Denise Matson and Mrs. Nancy Cramer.  It was a wonderful group to work with and the event was a big success.  Thank you to all the students and staff that participated.  We had 501 students earn a thank you gift of some kind from this endeavor.  We would like to thank Walmart, Great Scot, Oler’s, and Sportsman’s Lanes for donations for the event.  Additionally, Indians tickets and Mudhen’s tickets were raffled off as well.  We are very excited about making this an annual event.
3. We have completed an analysis of our discipline for the 2006-07 school year.  Our students continued to improve their behavior again this year.  We have completed the end of the second year of our school-wide expectations program and the results have continued to be positive.  I would like to thank the our staff and our bus drivers for helping focus on the positive and recognizing students for the behavior we expect from our students.  Below is a break down of the data regarding discipline for this year with last year’s information provided for comparison:

2006-07           2005-06

Total Number of Referrals:                  192                   231              (16.9% Reduction)

Students with 0 referrals:                       86.1%                          86.7%

Students with 0-1 referrals:                    94.1%                          93.7%

Students with 2-5 referrals:                      4.7%                           3.4%

Students with 6+ referrals:                       1.2%                            2.9%

Students with 9+ referrals:                       0.7%                            1.3%

2006-07 Suspension/Expulsion Report

2005-06 Suspension/Expulsion Report

Referrals by location analyzed data:

Classroom -     12.8% reduction in referrals

Bus -                41.4% reduction in referrals

Hallway -         64.2% reduction in referrals

Cafeteria -        42.4% reduction in referrals

Playground -    26.0% increase in referrals

As a part of our School Improvement Team, we analyze our data to help us make informed decisions regarding action items to improve target behavior areas.  For the upcoming year, we will be looking for ways to improve student behavior on the playground so to reduce the number of referrals from this common area.

This year, we celebrated the success of our school discipline at the end of each grading period with a popcorn treat, soft-serve ice cream (2 times), and a bowling activity at Sportsman’s Lanes at the end of the year.  We look forward to a continued improvement in this area which research has shown helps improve student achievement.

4. Our attendance for the 4^th grading period was 96.8%, up slightly from the third grading period which was 95.95%.  Our attendance for the entire school year was 96.7 % (actual 96.65) which is pretty much the same as last year’s average of 96.7% (actual 96.73).  Our students do an overall good job of staying above the minimum state average requirement of 93%.
5. This past year Judy Shivers provided math intervention through our Math Shack for 85 students.  She was able to provide this extra help to students in grades 1-5.  She was also involved with 4 inclusion classrooms for intervention during math instruction as well.  Additionally, she provided another 19 students with some extra help on specific concepts a few times throughout the year.  Mrs. Shivers has done an outstanding job helping us provide the much needed intervention to help address our math needs.
6. Elementary progress reports were mailed out Wednesday, June 20^th to all students without any financial obligations remaining.
7. Our Golden Eagle Award winner for the elementary building this year went to one of our kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Donna Favor.  She is an outstanding teacher and a great asset to the elementary team.  I have attached a copy of the write up that was in our yearbook regarding her award.  This was presented to Mrs. Favor at our last staff meeting in May.  Congratulations Mrs. Favor!!
8. Meet the Teacher Night has been set for Tuesday, August 28^th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the elementary and middle school.  We hope to continue the 85-90% attendance we get for this open-house format again this year.  This is a great opportunity for students to transition back into school and provides for a much better first day of school.
9. The elementary building has earmarked Wednesday, June 27^th and Friday, August 3^rd as New student registration and departing students withdraw days.  Although we will take registrations and withdraws throughout the summer, these days are targeted to accept these with kindergarten students being screened as they come in on this day.
10. The elementary handbook committee worked several weeks on making needed revisions to the elementary handbook.  Mr. Horstman and I are reviewing it and getting it ready for final form.  I plan to send it to you by the second week of July for approval at the July board meeting.  I also plan to have our fee schedule ready for approval at that time as well.

                                                                                  MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Liberty-Benton Board of Education

June 25, 2007

6:00 p.m.

1.  End of the year enrollment:

Grade                                Total

    06                                    107

    07                                       92

    08                                     93

2.  Camp Storer Update: I have received permission slips from 90 of the current 102 students enrolled for grade 6.  Our goal is to once again have 100% of our sixth graders attend our annual outdoor educational experience.  Our cabin leaders have been selected and we are financially on track to make our July installment for the camp.   

3.  Sixth Grade/New Student Orientation Tuesday, August 21, 2007:  An orientation program for all incoming sixth grade students or any new student will be held at the Middle School on Tuesday, August 21, 2007.  The program will begin with a presentation from the administration regarding expectations for students and parents for the upcoming school year as well as an introduction to the sixth grade teaching staff.  Students will then be able to pick up their schedules and tour the Middle School to find their classes.  At this time, parents will be able to pay school fees and pay any remaining balance for the Camp Storer field trip. 

4.  Meet the Teacher Night Tuesday, August 28, 2007: 7^th and 8^th grade students and parents are encouraged to attend this open-house format and can come and go anytime between 6:00-8:00 p.m. 

5.  Grade Cards: Grade cards were mailed out June 15^th to the students and their families.

6.  End of the Year Highlights:  In the last few weeks of school, students at the middle school enjoyed a number of educational experiences to finish the year. 

Projectile Project and Rocket Day:  Students in the 8^th grade participated in a cross curricular unit that involved launching tennis balls and golf balls from a launch sled (giant sling shot).  They also built and lunched their own rockets.  Students took measurements on their launches and analyzed and interpreted their data.  They also read the book “October Skies” in their reading classes.

Eighth graders that met the incentive criteria for behavior, grades and attendance went to Cedar Point on  June 7, 2007.

Columbus Zoo Trip:  Students went to the Columbus Zoo on June 8, 2007 to compliment lessons learned in Science. 

7.  End of the Year Awards Assembly:  We finished the year as we began it, together in an assembly.  We celebrated the many accomplishments of our student body as the teachers recognized students for their achievements.  The assembly concluded with a multimedia presentation of “The Year in Review”. 

8.  Golden Eagle Award Winner:  Congratulations to Mrs. Mary Jo McFarlane who was selected as the Middle School Golden Eagle Award winner.  Mrs. McFarlane received her award during our end of the year awards assembly to the cheers of students and staff. 

9.  Buckeye Best Healthy School Award: This year I applied for this award and we received a bronze award.  The awards are given to schools that meet certain criteria with physical education, health education, nutrition education, and tobacco education.  I have written a new policy regarding how we will handle tobacco violations at the middle school for the 07-08 handbook that may help us achieve a silver or gold rating next year.

10.  New Student Registration:  The middle school office will be open to receive new enrollees for the 07-08 school year on Friday, August 3, 2007. 

HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Board of Education Meeting

June 25, 2007

6:00 P.M.

1.)                Grade Cards -  Final grade cards were mailed home for the 2006-2007 school year on June 19, 2007.

2.)                Scholarship Money For The Class of 2007 -  As I mentioned at graduation, the Class of 2007 set a new school record for the most scholarship money ever accepted by a graduating LBHS class.  Within the Class of 2007, 86% of this graduating class is heading off to college, and 55% of the class has received some scholarship money at this time.  They have accepted $434,429 for their first year of college, and over the next four years, they will receive a grand total of $1,602,692 in scholarship dollars. 

3.)                Graduation – I was very pleased with how beautiful the graduation ceremony was, and I received an overwhelming amount of compliments about all of it from so many parents and family members.  The band and choir did a terrific job, and the valedictorians were fantastic to work with this year in their speeches.  We were proud to honor 97 graduates this year, and 95 of them chose to participate in the official commencement ceremony.  One special needs student decided not to graduate at this time.  His family would like him to attend school for two more years.  This leaves us with two students who need to complete some make-up correspondence credits, and one student who moved and flew the coop.  All in all, many of our students on the bubble pulled it together in a timely manner and managed to graduate on time.  I thank our guidance counselors and teachers for working with these students and doing everything they do throughout the year!  We appreciate it, and we proudly congratulate the Class of 2007.

4.)                Teacher of the Year -  During our academic awards night, we honored Denny Rissler as our PTO Golden Eagle High School Teacher of the Year.  Mr. Rissler is an amazing teacher, and he is quite deserving of this award!  We also congratulate Mr. Rissler on his retirement this year, and we are also very pleased to welcome him back as a re-hired teacher.  We are always thrilled when we can hold on to our best teachers for extra years!  Congratulations, Denny!

5.)                State Track -  Congratulations to the Girls’ and Boys’ track teams for their participation and awards at the State track meet again this year.  They clearly represented our school and Northwest Ohio in great form as they brought home a lot of medals in various events.  Special congratulations to Coach Wagner, Coach Quisno, and their assistants, and special congratulations to the members of the boys’ 4 X 100m relay team as they won the event and earned the title of State Champions!  Congratulations Michael Busch, Kerry Cramner, Ryan Cook, and with the head bob at the finish line, Chris Magee!

6.)                High School Receptionist -  I would like to thank our high school receptionist, Mrs. Erma Metzger, for her five years of outstanding service to all of us at the high school.  She did a fabulous job in our office, and she will be missed.  We do, however, congratulate her on her new role of pastor for a church in Vanlue.  Our loss is truly their gain, and we wish her the best.  I am happy to report that we had a huge group of highly qualified applicants for the high school receptionist vacancy, and I was amazed with the amount of interested and highly talented LB parents who interviewed.  After all was said and done, it is my pleasure to announce that the new high school receptionist is Mrs. Eileen Rucki.  We look forward to her joining our office staff in the Fall.

7.)                Orientation Night – All freshmen and new students should attend Orientation Night with parents on August 22, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.  During orientation, high school requirements, procedures, rules, and available extra-curricular activities will be discussed followed by a tour of the building.  Students will meet their Welcome Crew partner, follow their class schedule through the building, and locate their assigned locker.

8.)                Schedule Pick-Up -  Schedule pick-up for next school year will run August 22-24, 2007.  All freshmen and new students will receive their schedules during the Orientation Night.

9.)                New Student Registration – The enrollment day for new students will be August 3^rd.

10.)            March OGT Results -  See the attached report for score breakdowns.

11.)            Buckeye Best Healthy School Award -  Last year was the first year we applied for and received this award.  Last year, we received a bronze award and a stipend of $450.  This year we moved up to a silver award status for our efforts in physical education, tobacco education, and nutrition education, and no stipend came with the award this year. 

12.)            Baseball, Softball, and Soccer Fields Proposal and Meetings -  A committee of representatives have been meeting with me, Jeff Schimmoeller, and the architect, Dave Rath, to discuss the possibility of completing the fields project with less costs.  Mr. Butler will be involved with this project as well.  He has just been temporarily unavailable with illness and vacation time.  We have had a number of individuals who have spent a great deal of time comparing specific conditions, measurements, and installation procedures with many, many other fields as well as gathering expert opinions on the process and volunteer efforts for different steps of the project.  All of this has come together in the new report you have received, which explains how the cost for the three fields has gone from $452,000+ from the architect down to the $154,000-160,000 range for the same items.  What we most need at this point is approval or direction from the board to take action on such a project.  It seems perfectly reasonable to me to approve a project for three new fields when parties have worked diligently to decrease the costs to approximately 1/3 of the original projections, and nothing can be or will be done until we are given the direction and “green light” to proceed.  In the meantime, more and more people are anxiously awaiting to hear what this decision will be.  I sincerely request your input on where the project stands and what possibility it has to move forward so the fields could be used next Spring.  In addition, to complete such a project, especially in this manner with some parts being done for less by certain individuals, we will need someone who will oversee and coordinate all of the required steps, or it simply won’t work.  Your recommendation for this is vital as well as to how you think we should proceed…with architect oversight versus our own project manager….  I thank you in advance for your consideration and support.

13.)            New Board Activities -  On a side note, I wanted to let you know that I am now a member of the Hancock Youth Leadership Board of Directors, the American Cancer Society Board of Directors, and the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators Fall Conference Planning Committee.  I am happy to participate in these various organizations and roles.

14.)            Enjoy Your Summer  -   I will see you in August!