SIDNEY — The resignation of the Fairlawn Local Schools principal was accepted during Thursday’s board of education meeting.
Jo DeMotte’s resignation is effective July 31. In addition to being the K-8 principal, DeMotte had served as interim superintendent following the retirement of Steve Mascho earlier this year.
DeMotte has been hired as the special education director for the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center.
Plans are to divide the principal’s position into a high school and preschool principal and K-8 principal. Rebekka Egbert, who is currently the assistant principal, is slated to be the high school/preschool principal.
A number of resumes have been received for the K-8 principal’s position and interviews will be underway soon.
In addition to DeMotte’s resignation, the board also accepted the resignation of Dexter Tobie, Spanish teacher. Tobie had also been the junior class adviser and Foreign Language Club adviser. His resignation is also effective July 31.
Tyler Matthews also resigned from his positions as an aide and assistant softball coach effective May 24.
The board awarded several contracts during the meeting. They gave one-year limited service contracts to Jodi Hickman, Britnie Middleton and Katrina Maxson for the Local Professional Development Committee for the 2016-17 school year. Hickman will be paid $987.12, while Middleton will be paid $329.04. Maxson will be paid $394.85.
April Sommer was awarded a one-year limited teaching contract for the 2016-17 school year. She was hired to be an intervention specialist for the district. Sommer, who is originally from the Minster area, is currently teaching at Findlay High School.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted donations from Bensman Enterprise, Bambauer, B&B Ag-Vantages and Tom Prince for the Fairlawn FFA.
• Accepted a donation of $2,500 from Wilson Health for the purchase of an ice machine at the school.
• Approved an increase in breakfast and lunch prices and extra items for the 2016-17 school year. Breakfast will cost $1.25 per student; lunch for kindergarten to eighth-grade students will be $2, which includes milk; and lunch for grades 9-12 will be $2.50, which includes milk.
• Discussed the game manager policy, which will be adopted at the next meeting. New Superintendent Jeff Hobbs said he expects the position to be used very seldom as he and other staff members will be available to be at games.
• Discussed a rental fee for gym/field usage for the district. More discussion will be held at the July meeting.
• Accepted a donation of $1,000 from Minster Bank as a scholarship donation.
• Approved the staff handbook for the 2016-17 school year.
• Discussed the classified salary schedule. More discussion is planned for the July meeting.
• Learned 185 people attended the alumni reunion. The dates for the next two reunions will be June 2-3, 2017 and June 1-2, 2018.
• Approved various transfers and temporary appropriations for fiscal year 2017.
• Learned Tammy Langston has been named one of the top five science teachers in the state of Ohio. She will receive a $3,000 grant to do a project in her class.
• Learned Chris Clark has been named a distinguished teacher by the Battelle Memorial Institute.
• Learned Hobbs will be on the job full time on June 27. He will be attending a conference and then will be in the office effective June 30.
“I’d like to thank Mrs. DeMotte and wish her well at the ESC,” said Hobbs. “She was very positive with me during the transition.
“The transition has gone smooth,” said Hobbs. “I can’t wait to get to work.”
The board’s next meeting will be July 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the school.
