Board looks at schedule

FORT RECOVERY — Fort Recovery School Board is having discussions about scheduling, for both this year and next.
Superintendent Shelly Vaughn presented the board Tuesday with the newest draft of the 2014-2015 school calendar leading to a quick discussion on the lack of calamity days available for the rest of the current school year.
Vaughn reviewed the new draft of the calendar with the board, which was revised to make accommodations with other school districts’ schedules that use transportation through Tri Star Career Compact, the school’s career-technical training program.
Moving in the direction of taking two full weeks off for Christmas, students would be off for two days before the holiday in the proposed calendar. Students would also begin school a day earlier on Aug. 19, with a teacher professional development day removed in March and added on to the end of the year.
The number of total staff and student days will remain the same, with built-in snow days similar to the current year.
There will be a district team leader meeting this evening to finish discussing the proposed calendar, and the board may have a final or new draft by its next meeting.
While discussing the need for snow days in the new calendar, talk moved to what the schools will do if weather leads to more cancellations this year.
“We’re to the point now … we’re going to start adding (days) on to the end of the year,” said Vaughn.
The addition of days at the end of the year could impede on graduation, but it’s an issue that will be addressed when the time comes, said Vaughn. With a possibility of more bad weather, the school may resurrect the idea of three-hour delays but only as a last resort.
In other business, the council:
•Heard a report on a training session for the new employee kiosk, another step in the school system going paperless. Treasurer Lori Koch told the board a training session for the software, which helps employees with personal information such as pay roll, tax information and scheduling sick days, has garnered “very positive feedback” from the 18 administrators and teachers involved.
Those that tested the system Friday will continue to use the system to spot glitches or problem areas and will be trainers when the system goes school-wide next school year.
•Heard an update from elementary principal Tracy Hein Evers on the upcoming kindergarten screening. Sixty children are already signed up for the March 3 and 4 event. She also informed the board that the Pennies for Patients fundraiser brought in $1,758.97 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
•Saw honor roll percentages for the middle school. Principal Matt Triplett showed the board how many students are on honor roll so far this year as a “real tribute to how hard they work.” For total numbers on honor roll, sixth graders were highest at 62 percent. Seventh grade was at 55 percent, and eighth grade at 61 percent.
•Congratulated county spelling bee winner Dylan Langenkamp, runner-up Kyle Timmerman and participants Clayton Pearson and Ally Kaiser. Another participant Lilly Wehrkamp was not present at the meeting. Each received a certificate for their participation.
•Approved a service agreement with Mercer County Educational Service Center and The Aladdin Academy for the current school year; appointed Kim Grube as public record officer for board members Ginny Fortkamp and Aaron Guggenbiller; and approved a one-year contract with Jutte’s Landscaping for mowing and trimming in the district.[[In-content Ad]]