MINSTER – The Minster Board of Education approved the hiring of new employees and heard about enrollment this school year during its meeting Monday night.
The Board met Alyx Brandewie, who will served a high school social studies teacher. A 2007 Minster high school graduate, he had been working in a Manchester, Indiana, school district.
New employees approved for limited one-year contracts were Nicole Driggs as assistant softball coach, Larry Topp as boys track head coach, Jim Stubbs as boys golf head coach, Lauren Wuebker as freshman volleyball coach, Abby Brigadoi as instructional aide, Rebecca Dabbelt as bus route driver, Teresa Bertke and Lucy Mescher as cook’s helpers, and Lindsay Stachler as substitute cook’s helper.
The board also heard from Elementary Principal Leanne Keller that the grade K to 6 enrollment was up by three students, for a total of 431 students. She said they were also providing preschool services to 16 students through Auglaize County Educational Service Center.
She said their motto of “Show the Wildcat Way as you yearn to learn, embrace struggle, and take risks” will share common language of behavioral expectations in the student body.
She added that the Back To School Open House and Ice Cream Social will be held Aug. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Junior/High School Principal Austin Kaylor said there was a total of 415 students attending this school year.
He also reported that the new graduation requirements for this year’s seniors are now in the place.
Besides traditional credit requirements, seniors must complete one of three pathways. They could: 1. earn points on end-of-the-course state tests, or 2. industry-recognized credential and score on the workforce readiness test or 3. Remediation-free ACT or SAT score.
Juniors (2021) and sophomores (2022) would complete the same steps as seniors or have two options.
One set of options to attain graduation would be to either get a passing score on end-of-course tests in Algebra 1 and English II. If not, a student would have to demonstrate two-career focused activities, enlist in the military, or complete college course work in math and/or English.
A second set of options to meet graduation requirements the student earn two of 12 available readiness “diploma seals” in various areas.
Freshmen (2023) would have to meet all options.
Treasurer Laura Klosterman said that in general, income from taxes were up from last year at this time. She noted however, that due to a re-evaluation of the Dannon plant expansion, the school will receive $98,841 annually for nine years, rather than the original reimbursement of $1,062,964. Klosterman added that the school still will receive 25 percent of taxable value of $70,000 per year on the unabated share.
The board also approved Superintendent Brenda Boecke’s recommendations for the sixth-grade class trip to Camp Wilson, the eighth-grade class trip to Washington DC, the TAG overnight trip to Chicago, the FFA attendance at the national FFA Convention, and the high school band trip to Disney.
