Scheu approved as volunteer coach

0

SIDNEY — Sidney City Schools Superintendent John Scheu will be wearing a new hat for the 2015-16 school year.

Scheu was approved as a volunteer coach for the SHS girls tennis team during Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting. The vote was 2-1 with Kelly Rees and Bil Ankney voting yes and Bob Smith casting a no vote. Board members Darryl Spangler and Paul Heins were not present for the meeting.

Smith, who said, he didn’t doubt Scheu’s knowledge to be a tennis coach, questioned the hierarchy of such a decision.

“The athletic director reports to you,” said Smith. “The coach reports to the athletic director.”

What happens, he asked, if a situation occurs and the athletic director is caught in the middle between the coach and his boss, both of whom are the same person?

“Superintendents all over the state are filling coaching positions,” said Scheu. “I know Mitch Hoying (athletic director) well enough that he will have no problem telling John Scheu that he’s not coaching right.

“I feel I have something to offer,” said Scheu. “I’ve been teaching lessons and I’ve been a competitive player. I’ll just take off my superintendent hat and put on the coaching hat.

“I’m comfortable with the pecking order,” he said.

Scheu said school districts are having a hard time finding coaches and volunteers for their programs. He said there’s a Fort Loramie administrator who’s a coach.

Scheu said he had to go through the same process as any other volunteer coach with the district.

“It’s nothing against you or the the job you could do,” said Smith before voting no, whose concerns remained about what happens if a problem arises.

The disciplinary action, said Scheu, for a coach, begins with the athletic director, then goes to the high school principal, then to the superintendent and finally to the board of education.

Scheu’s daughter, Emily, is the head coach for the girls tennis team.

The board accepted numerous resignations and then hired replacements for those positions.

Resignations accepted were from Ryan Sheets, school psychologist; Nathan Hesselbart, vocal music teacher; Josh Zollinger, Sidney Middle School social studies teacher; Molly Cline, orchestra teacher; Jill Kraynek, Sidney High School chemistry teacher; Shelby Rolland, SMS ELA teacher; Jackson Hayzlett, SMS math teacher; Matt Kerns, SMS business technology teacher; Damion Skeans, SHS English teacher; Bill Shoffner, head baseball coach; Doug Barhorst, head golf coach; and Janice Fortkamp, Whittier cook.

To prepare for the 2015-16 school year, the board hired Austin Young, vocal music, $37,967; Matthew Eaton, middle school intervention specialist, $38,319; Laura Homan, middle school math, $36,561; Christian Taylor, high school English, $35,155; Allexis Davis, high school English, $5,155; Sam Young, middle school math, $35,155; Scottie Moore, orchestra teacher, $58,357; Michelle Wroda, high school music, $57,478; and Logan Morris, middle school business tech/math, $35,155. All were given one-year contracts.

Hired and given two-year contracts were Anthony Moeder, school psychologist, $61,638; and Jayne Evans, school psychologist, $67,472.

Terry Ward, IRS aide, $13.91 per hour, and Jamie Barnes, MD aide, $17.50 per hour, were also hired. Jenny Luebke was hired as a substitute teacher at $90 per day.

Supplemental contracts were given to Kay Straman, teacher, and Judith Shepherd and Eileen Ferree, aides, for the OAA Reading Test Prep/Administer. Straman will be paid $25.29 per hour while Shepherd and Ferree will each be paid $11.36 per hour.

Three coaches were hired: Thomas Goffena, head golf coach, $1,758; Brandon Klepach, junior varsity soccer coach, $1,934; and Chalene Swank, freshman volleyball coach, $2,461.

SHS librarian Tammi Johnson was given an extended service contract of up to seven days at $94.73 per day.

“We will have 50 new people next year,” said Scheu. The district has 410 employees and there will be 35 new teachers. Thirteen of them will be at the middle school.

Scheu said he hopes there are no more resignations. With the contracts approved Monday night, all positions have been filled for the 2015-16 school year, he said.

The contracts of Dennis Klenowski and Stacey (Dickman) Lefeld, school psychologists, were amended from one-year contracts to two-year contracts.

The board also rescinded the issuance of a one-year contract to Sharon Maurice, effective July 20. She will be employed by the Workforce Partnership program instead of the school district. She will be the executive director of the Workforce Partnership and will co-teach three periods a day at Sidney High School. She will be overseeing the entire Workforce Partnership program, which includes Sidney High School, Sidney Middle School and the countywide initiative. Fort Loramie Local Schools is adding the program to its curriculum.

The board’s next meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the board office. The meeting had been scheduled for Aug. 17 and the board approved the change of date Monday night.

By Melanie Speicher

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4822; follow her on Twitter @MelSpeicherSDN. Follow the SDN on Facebook, www.facebook.com/SidneyDailyNews.

No posts to display