SIDNEY – Personnel and related finances, along with student safety, topped the Fairlawn Local School Board of Education meeting Monday. A board member resigned resulting in the changing of the next meeting, and, salaries were approved for the superintendent and athletic director.
Recently-elected board member Shelly Ginter attended her last meeting resigning from the post. Ginter and her family are moving from the district and she would ineligible to serve.
Ginter was elected in November to replace outgoing board member Tony Bensman, who did not seek re-election.
Superintendent Jeff Hobbs said the board is unable to appoint a new member for 10 days. However, a decision must be adopted within 30 days. Adhering to those guidelines, the board set their next meeting for Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
Two employment contracts were approved for administrative posts.
Hobbs received a one-year contract extension. The superintendent said his current three-year pact has a remaining year until the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. The extension is for the 2019-2020 school year at a base salary of $121,107.
Athletic Director Justin Tidwell also has a one-year deal for the upcoming school year. The extension will have his one-year deal effective July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. His base salary will be $31,827.
Middle/High School Principal John Stekli told the board of staff members traveling to Lorain, Ohio, recently for the FASTER Saves Lives program. Upgraded student safety measures are expected to be in place for the new school year, Hobbs said.
FASTER, entitled Faculty/Administration Safety Training and Emergency Response, provided information for staff members who are willing and capable of responding and carrying out extreme measures to quell deadly dangers to student safety, if necessary.
Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a nonprofit organization, conducts three-day classes covering the cost of tuition and lodging for attendees through donations. The training highlights methods to halt a violent situation, and, emergency medical training for any immediate response needs.
Hobbs said implementation of a new safety program at Fairlawn continues to take shape. School officials continue to work with Shelby County Sheriff John Lenhart and Mark Henman of Tactical Solutions.
Also, Hobbs spoke of the Blizzard Bag program that is expected to be in place by the fall. The one-year pilot program goes into play once a school district has reached its maximum of five calamity days. Hobbs said the program will eliminate the need to add school days onto the end of the year to meet the state requirement for minimum days in the classroom.
Administrators and the Fairlawn Teacher’s Association have teamed to develop the program which will focus mostly on technology, according to Hobbs. When weathered out of a school day past the allowed maximum, students may access the information on the Fairlawn website. Subject assignments for all grades can be completed during the day with a teacher available for online assistance.
Hobbs explained that students who do not have computers at home will have two weeks to complete the assignment.
In other business, the board:
• Unanimously approved student and athletic handbooks for the upcoming school year. Hobbs said this is the first time Fairlawn has had a handbook to hold athletes and coaches accountable.
• Approved the school food and meal prices for next school year. The lunch prices increased five cents and will be $2.30 for grades K-6 and $2.80 for grades 7-12. All individual item prices were not changed.
• Accepted a $2,000 donation from Ferguson Construction of Sidney for the Hangar project to established career planning and training resources for students. Hobbs praised the area companies, organizations, and others, who have donated more than $30,000 to the project.
• Heard Stekli report that Fairlawn’s Language Arts teachers were chosen to be part of the Ohio Writing Project of Miami University. Instructors will be able to obtain 48 hours of professional development at no cost to the district.
