JACKSON CENTER — The Jackson Center Local Board of Education met on Monday, Oct. 19 and continued to prepare for the new building.

The board accepted the school calendars for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years as presented in the September regular meeting. The calendars included slight changes in start and end dates compared to previous years which coincide with the construction schedule for the new building.

The new building project is now within the design development phase and progress continues in developing more detail within areas of the building while discussing innovative ways to minimize cost and streamline project time lines. The plan remains to break ground in the spring, depending on the weather.

Additionally, the facilities department is evaluating the need for a new scrubber based on the frequency of repairs with the current scrubber and in preparation for the larger volume of hard surface floors in the new building versus carpet.

They accepted a final donation from Plastipak Packaging, Inc. relative to a payment in lieu of taxes from a tax abatement during their last expansion. The board thanked Plastipak and Chief Fiscal Officer Tom Mellnick, for their support and diligence over this period in completing these calculations and payments every fall, most of which were hand delivered by Mellnick. He was out of the country and unable to attend the meeting but intends to try and make the November meeting.

They accepted a donation from the Jackson Center PTO for the purchase of a new Smartboard and approved the early graduation application of Christopher Mangus provided all requirements are met.

The board approved a commendation for Susie Harris, recognizing her achievement in being recognized the most outstanding math teacher in the West Region this year by the Ohio Council of Math Teachers. This was formally recognized at a banquet in northern Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 15.

They approved a yearly trip in which approximately 10 Jackson Center students will travel in a group along with several other local schools to the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

The board made current teacher, Keesha Byrd, a volunteer girls basketball coach.

In the financial business of the meeting, the board approved the financial report as presented. New activities include preparations to provide year end, IRS documents to all staff per new requirements of smaller schools and business relative to the evolving federal healthcare laws. As well, the district is monitoring new student reporting processes relative to the Upper Valley Career Center for their potential cost impact.

In addition, they accepted the five year forecast as presented by the Treasurer. This forecast will be submitted to and posted by ODE. The forecast projects revenue exceeding expenditures in all 5 years as the recovery from the recession and related state funding challenges continues.

Discussion occurred about the potential purchase of new computers in the high school lab as those computers age and the number of computers needed grows beyond current numbers in the 2nd semester. The Christmas Holiday is believed to be good timing for this activity and permanent improvement funds have been planned.

The next board meeting will be Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

Three Jackson Center Board of Education members are up for reelection this November.

Matt Kohler is finishing serving his 12th year and 3rd term.

“We’ve had great improvements in test scores across all levels of our student environments. Bringing back our FFA program after a 39 year absence was also a needed addition for some of our student population and has gone excellent,” he said.

“The new building project that was started more than 10 years ago, is now on schedule to be completed over the next couple of years, giving us state of the art facilities to go along with our leading edge educational environment,” Kohler said. “Our operating budget is in the best shape it’s been for a long time and our voters should be happy to know that no additional taxes are needed for years to come.”

He grew up in Botkins School District, on a farm that bordered the Jackson Center District. He’s lived in Jackson Center since 2000 with his wife Marilyn, who is a JC graduate and also works at the school as the guidance counselor. He works in sales for a company in Virginia called Decisiv. He works their major account opportunities throughout North America.

Brad Wren has been on the board for the past twelve years and this will make his fourth term.

He enjoys being a part of what is truly a team effort, and knowing that, as a board, they have played a small part in the overall success of the school system and the resulting education of their kids.

“I am very pleased and excited as we approach the construction phase of our building project. We are grateful to the voters of our district who placed great trust in us with the approval of the levy. This will bring to completion what has been an approximate fifteen year journey to modernize our facilities. We hope they will be proud of the facility, but even more proud of what is going on inside of it,” Wren said.

He is a lifelong resident and graduate of Jackson Center and employed by EMI Corp.

Kristen Davis has been on the board for four years and is running for a second term.

“I enjoy giving back to the community and seeing the phenomenal work and achievements of the administration, staff, and students. The building project, more stable financial forecast, and continued community support are a great foundation for Jackson Center Schools in the coming years,” she said.

She grew up in Marietta, Ohio, graduated with honors in Accounting from The Ohio State University, and has been a proud resident of Jackson Center for 13 years. She is married to Luke and has three children, Carson and Jackson, third graders, and Lilly, a first grader.

She is a Manager, Financial Analysis at Emerson Climate Technologies and a CPA (inactive). In addition to the Board of Education, she’s been involved in the Jackson Center community as a Grace Lutheran Church member, soccer coach, past PTO treasurer, and Community Days committee member.